Reply to: State of the Market

[SchumiStars]

Looks like we are not alone.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...?h=0&t=2094680

[dsc]

Speaking from recent personal experience, in both private and public sectors, the fact that someone is actually good at what they do and delivering value to the client doesn't count for much anymore.

Fully agreed, cost (or cutting it I should say) is what seems to matter most currently.

[ladymuck]

Or changed to match someone internal / known to the team?

That is also very possible.

[fatJock]

Another PM here - largely Infrastructure related but also new facility setup and customer projects in the Logistics space. Just completing a datacentre migration for the current client with some mop up expected beyond my current end date of 04th Oct. Extension going through but other pipeline work I had being passed over to Perm PMs so the writing is on the wall here. Second stint there in 7 years though.

Might just be my network or particular industry area but things seem fairly buoyant and I've had a few asks about when next available. Good luck to all looking for work though as I see other more generalist contractor friends on the bench - one of which coming up for nine months now.

[davetza]

This does not make good reading. Roles are down 25% year on year and have been declining for the last 26 months. https://www.cityam.com/the-jobs-mark...ons-wont-help/

[SussexSeagull]

General update from my client (mid sized insurance firm) - brutal round of cuts happening among permies, mostly aimed at upper/middle management. The person I was reporting to was fired, the person they reported to resigned a few weeks later, everyone's looking over their shoulder. The last scrum master

It looks like they're trying to do away with the whole delivery centre model and seat most delivery teams, PMs and BAs within BAU, but that's just guesswork.

I don't think it's limited to IT/tech departments, I can see quite a few new holes appear in the Office365 org chart that weren't there before.

As a PM, in theory, I should think this bodes well for the possibility of a contract extension for me, but who knows...

Speaking from recent personal experience, in both private and public sectors, the fact that someone is actually good at what they do and delivering value to the client doesn't count for much anymore.

[dsc]

Well I've had one interview in three months and didn't get that gig as the spec morphed into some strange cut-n-shut of a wish list that would require someone really quite specific.

Shame as it was outside, paying well, and only required 1 day a fortnight on site. The project sounded interesting too.

Or changed to match someone internal / known to the team?

[unixman]

Well I've had one interview in three months and didn't get that gig as the spec morphed into some strange cut-n-shut of a wish list that would require someone really quite specific.

A pattern familiar from the 2008 downturn, now repeating. Roles with ludicrously specific requirements, wide ranging and randomly stipulated. Obviously you can't do this job because it needs Python 10.3.12 and you only know Python 10.3.11. We also need you to cut hair.

Just oversupply of candidates and tight budgets, I guess.

[ladymuck]

Well I've had one interview in three months and didn't get that gig as the spec morphed into some strange cut-n-shut of a wish list that would require someone really quite specific.

Shame as it was outside, paying well, and only required 1 day a fortnight on site. The project sounded interesting too.

[hobnob]

Is recruiting part of your contract? If not, you are SO FAR inside IR35…

I'm not sure about that. E.g. I'm not a project manager, but I know a lot of people here are. If my client was looking for a PM and I copy/pasted their blurb into the "Contract Opportunities" thread, I don't think that would put me inside IR35:
Contract Opportunities - Contractor UK Bulletin Board

On the other hand, if the client wanted me to write the job spec or interview the candidates, that would definitely put me inside IR35.

[dsc]

[...]

As a PM, in theory, I should think this bodes well for the possibility of a contract extension for me, but who knows...

Really depends if they see contractors as an expense or flexible resource, at the client I'm at now, it's the former and they even made a big announcement how they dropped 95% of contractors and made savings...too bad those people did actual work vs permies who do feck all most days. I'm hanging by a thread, but possibly will be back on the bench end of year

[sreed]

General update from my client (mid sized insurance firm) - brutal round of cuts happening among permies, mostly aimed at upper/middle management. The person I was reporting to was fired, the person they reported to resigned a few weeks later, everyone's looking over their shoulder. The last scrum master

It looks like they're trying to do away with the whole delivery centre model and seat most delivery teams, PMs and BAs within BAU, but that's just guesswork.

I don't think it's limited to IT/tech departments, I can see quite a few new holes appear in the Office365 org chart that weren't there before.

As a PM, in theory, I should think this bodes well for the possibility of a contract extension for me, but who knows...

[sreed]

They have already asked for the levels of IT immigration to be reviewed. I suspect they will do something about it now but the ship sailed years ago.

You're right, it's too far gone now. IT immigration was at just about bearable levels until the government opened the floodgates a few years ago, doling out graduate visas, carer visas, student visas and generally made it a free for all for anyone from non-EU countries. Multiple routes to make their way to the UK job market unfortunately.

At my current and previous client, when I look up recent joinees from overseas on Linkedin half of them look like they came on student visas, as dependents, etc.

[SussexSeagull]

I lost hope for the contractor market to improve anytime soon. Nobody wants to change the status quo. Consultancies got what they wanted and are not going to give it back. Labour are definitely not interested in helping contractors, because they want to grow their voter base--unionised permies. Large corps like it, because they can have access to a large pool of inexpensive permies. It's a win-win for the government and big business.

They have already asked for the levels of IT immigration to be reviewed. I suspect they will do something about it now but the ship sailed years ago.

[squarepeg]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c05g...460462449#post

Government to tackle 'economic dependency on net migration'

Should be a positive for contractors, if it happens.

I lost hope for the contractor market to improve anytime soon. Nobody wants to change the status quo. Consultancies got what they wanted and are not going to give it back. Labour are definitely not interested in helping contractors, because they want to grow their voter base--unionised permies. Large corps like it, because they can have access to a large pool of inexpensive permies. It's a win-win for the government and big business.