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Previously on "State of the Market"

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  • SchumiStars
    replied
    Sorry to keep beating the drum but I am not alone in thinking back to the office will help at least London out of this tulip.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj3ep20drr0o

    Leave a comment:


  • eek
    replied
    I’ve heard a number of stories about agencies baulking at the cost of temporary workers post April 1st / 6th.

    the combination of minimum wage increases attached to the employer NI changes have added a significant increase in prices - as the old trade off of employer NI allowance offsetting the umbrella /PEO margin no longer works

    Leave a comment:


  • jamesbrown
    replied
    https://kpmg.com/uk/en/home/media/pr...t-on-jobs.html

    FT writeup here (paywalled):

    https://www.ft.com/content/a1b92253-...a-eb0f5a070e42

    Leave a comment:


  • sadkingbilly
    replied
    Originally posted by eek View Post

    That shows how little you know the market - there are an awful lot of good PMs immediately available..
    an oxymoron like 'military intelligence' .

    Leave a comment:


  • Smartie
    replied
    Originally posted by SchumiStars View Post
    Why the emphasis on Project Management, Scrum when there are no projects to deliver or manage?

    Usually it's the BAs that are required early in a project to build the reqs.
    Doesn't look great for tech, again. Surprised to see the low of 54mths, that would put us in COVID. Perhaps the increase we saw was just a flash in the pan, 2yr upward blip.
    Think, i will take it, as a pinch of salt tbh.
    How a new Scrum project works 101:

    Often a 'sprint 0' to get the overall requirement and big chunks of functionality defined.
    More detailed definition, writing user stories with business stakeholders.
    Estimation of user stories.
    Prioritisation of defined requirements and an 'MVP' core delivery product defined.
    Provision of timescales to PM.
    Dev work.
    Continuous update of requirements and priorities.

    The Scrum Master and BA role are often combined (there was no BA role in original Scrum).
    The devs are required throughout to provide technical input on requirements and estimation.
    There is no upfront 'Requirements Specification' here :-)

    Leave a comment:


  • eek
    replied
    Originally posted by SchumiStars View Post
    TBF, it's probably harder to find PMs than Devs ATM. i.e. Loads of Devs available.

    Living on a prayer, as usual.
    That shows how little you know the market - there are an awful lot of good PMs immediately available..

    Leave a comment:


  • SchumiStars
    replied
    TBF, it's probably harder to find PMs than Devs ATM. i.e. Loads of Devs available.

    Living on a prayer, as usual.

    Leave a comment:


  • avonleigh
    replied
    Would say Project Managers come first in a project not BA's. I have always believed when there is a lot of demand for PM's the dev and test roles will follow. Wouldn't give that article any credence though. Agents always churn stuff like this out. Guess we will see in a few weeks if there is any real confidence returning,

    Leave a comment:


  • SussexSeagull
    replied
    Originally posted by SchumiStars View Post
    Why the emphasis on Project Management, Scrum when there are no projects to deliver or manage?

    Usually it's the BAs that are required early in a project to build the reqs.

    Doesn't look great for tech, again. Surprised to see the low of 54mths, that would put us in COVID. Perhaps the increase we saw was just a flash in the pan, 2yr upward blip.

    Think, i will take it, as a pinch of salt tbh.
    It's possible, and I am probably being extremely optimistic here, that some projects are begin to be kicked off and they are getting project management in and others will follow in the upcoming weeks and months.

    Leave a comment:


  • SchumiStars
    replied
    Why the emphasis on Project Management, Scrum when there are no projects to deliver or manage?

    Usually it's the BAs that are required early in a project to build the reqs.

    Doesn't look great for tech, again. Surprised to see the low of 54mths, that would put us in COVID. Perhaps the increase we saw was just a flash in the pan, 2yr upward blip.

    Think, i will take it, as a pinch of salt tbh.

    Leave a comment:


  • quackhandle
    replied
    ​This is from the update I get from a recruiting pimp about, oddly enough, the state of the contracting market. As ever, take with a pinch, etc...


    The Market
    2024 is now out of the way and from a market perspective, many organisations and individuals are glad to see the back of it. Whilst we witnessed some stable periods of activity across the contract market, our own MI backed up with industry data shows the market contracted significantly from the end of 2022, with demand for IT contractors hitting a low for us in December 2023 and a UK 54-month low in December 2024 (REC).

    As highlighted in previous newsletters, the market downturn has been down to a number of factors, the majority of which can be attributed to economic uncertainty due to both national and global macro-economic factors such as budgets, elections, wars, inflation and interest rates, all of which have led organisations to pause programmes, limiting investment and spend over the past 2 years.

    Looking ahead to 2025, the outlook remains cautious but optimistic. Business confidence is expected to improve as firms adapt to new economic conditions and post-Budget changes. There is pent up demand for change and transformation, both to address legacy issues but also to continue digital transformation initiatives, not to mention the inevitable focus on both Cyber Security and AI adoption.

    It has been an encouraging start to 2025. Whilst we don’t expect the market to pick up significantly across Q1, there are strong indications that we will see the IT Contract market grow over the course of the year - hopefully this will be borne out!





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    Nothing about return to office vs WFH, sorry Schumi.

    qh








    Last edited by quackhandle; 8 February 2025, 16:29.

    Leave a comment:


  • anonymouse
    replied
    If UK hirers don't hire many contractors, then they don't know what to look for (outside of a tick-box checklist or recommendation). I used to specialise in working for clients that don't have experience with analysis /architect /testing for difficult projects. They want the work doing, but don't know how to do it, or have brought in suppliers who then get stuck. Repeated roles month after month that never get filled. For that reason, I'm out and now retired. Jobserve app has been deleted, if recruiter gets in touch then great. Crazy market times.

    Leave a comment:


  • SchumiStars
    replied
    The guy I was with, he hired a SQL DBA/Developer, outside, 50ph, working for 50hrs per month. The guy he hired was living and working in Canada.

    The outside contracts can be worked by people outside the country which is bizarre to me. That people outside the UK are getting UK jobs, paid higher!!

    THIS IS THE STATE OF THE MARKET!!!

    Leave a comment:


  • SchumiStars
    replied
    I was out last night to one of my favourite restaurants in London.

    ​​​​​​Prior to lockdown, Fri night, you would struggle to get to the front of the bar. As I was driving round, most of the pubs looked half empty.

    Ok, so yes, it was freezing cold and it was raining but there did seem to be lot less people out. Even the place I went to used to have queues outside as seem to have diminished.

    Leave a comment:


  • SussexSeagull
    replied
    Originally posted by Bluenose View Post

    I think thats a bit of false equivalance there, the global CAGR rate for technology is estimated at 10% per year, every year for the next ten years.

    The money is there on the table globally and it is a big money.

    But its not on the table for mediocre coders or devops peeps that want to contract and not leave the M25 - you need to be top notch and willing to be flexible.
    I was surprised to learn that demand for coal is at record highs global but next to none of it is mined in the UK. IT is threatening to go the same way.

    Leave a comment:

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