Reply to: State of the Market

[sadkingbilly]

blah blah blah

aye, - right!

[oliverson]

I think I'm getting survivors guilt now.
oh, dear.
oh, no, just a spot of indigestion.

inevitable at your age

[avonleigh]

Is anyone seeing much change in the market out there? Since accepting a perm job, I've been contacted about a few more contracts recently so hoping things may be picking up a little?

There has been more testing roles on Jobserve last few days. But nothing substantial.

[Cookielove]

It isn't just the contractor community though. I think the Conservatives and Labour especially don't understand the strength of feeling. At my youngest son's state secondary they ran mock elections in the lead up to the 2024 election. Reform won. Kids aren't stupid, they know they're being repeatedly sold down the river. Fierce competition for university places, fierce competition for jobs. Being discriminated against if you dare to be white or middle class, heaven forbid. Maybe, just maybe, politicians need to start putting the British first. I view the next election as being a re-run of the Brexit referendum. I know there's strength of feeling on both sides but as an observation, if our dear leaders had simply put the British people first, I suspect Brexit would never have happened.

Anyway, I suspect this is getting rather off topic.

Is anyone seeing much change in the market out there? Since accepting a perm job, I've been contacted about a few more contracts recently so hoping things may be picking up a little?

Yes to all of this....as I've said earlier this is far wider felt than just in Tech, people can't get jobs starting with our youngsters.

Labour especially do not get the strength of feeling that there is.

Being discriminated against for being white is commonplace now you are spot on.

I agree if previous governments had put the British people first I am doubtful that Brexit would have happened.

I think the support for Reform is very,very large indeed, some don't want to say publicly that I've spoken to but will vote Reform as they can't stomach what has happened and it is time for the UK to put it's own first.

Too late for us oldies but hopefully better days ahead for our children who can see what is happening, same they did a poll at my son's school and Reform was way out ahead.

Not seen any uptick in the market as yet.

[ShandyDrinker]

Among the people I speak to, this is the prevailing view. i.e. It can't be any worse.

So the downsides of Reform are apparent, but not considered sufficient negative compared with the two main parties so people think they might as well be given a chance. The other thing I hear is people saying "I'll be voting Reform, but don't tell anyone"; if this is reality then Reform could do very well indeed.

I'm not sure that Reform would be less beholding to big business than the other parties.

I'm far from convinced that they would put the peoples' interests above those of their big business buddies. To create prosperity we need to be doing value-add jobs .. we need a strategy of on-shoring for this and national security.

I have formed the impression that this 'contractor' community is on the older side; by the time Reform get into power and start to sort out the country it would be too late to re-establish the contract market as we knew it.

It isn't just the contractor community though. I think the Conservatives and Labour especially don't understand the strength of feeling. At my youngest son's state secondary they ran mock elections in the lead up to the 2024 election. Reform won. Kids aren't stupid, they know they're being repeatedly sold down the river. Fierce competition for university places, fierce competition for jobs. Being discriminated against if you dare to be white or middle class, heaven forbid. Maybe, just maybe, politicians need to start putting the British first. I view the next election as being a re-run of the Brexit referendum. I know there's strength of feeling on both sides but as an observation, if our dear leaders had simply put the British people first, I suspect Brexit would never have happened.

Anyway, I suspect this is getting rather off topic.

Is anyone seeing much change in the market out there? Since accepting a perm job, I've been contacted about a few more contracts recently so hoping things may be picking up a little?

[avonleigh]

Unfair to blame immigration on Labour. The Conservaties are equally to blame. The same as IR35. Conservatives removing IR35 and Reform doing mass deportations is just nonsense. Neither will happen. Voted tory all my life but this time voted labour cos of the mess the tories had made. Didn't want to vote labour but choice was basically would I rather be smacked in the face or punched in the stomach. All the parties now are utterly incompetant and totally out of touch and corrupt / self serving.

[Protagoras]

The UK is now in the unenviable position of having to take a chance. The thing is that, I now don't care how bad Reform may turn out to be. Can they really be any worse than the other two? If nothing else, the direction of travel for the country has to taken out of the hands of the Labour and Conservative duopoly. British people need to be put first for a change. If Reform doesn't do it, I'm sure another party will eventually.

Among the people I speak to, this is the prevailing view. i.e. It can't be any worse.

So the downsides of Reform are apparent, but not considered sufficient negative compared with the two main parties so people think they might as well be given a chance. The other thing I hear is people saying "I'll be voting Reform, but don't tell anyone"; if this is reality then Reform could do very well indeed.

I'm not sure that Reform would be less beholding to big business than the other parties.

I'm far from convinced that they would put the peoples' interests above those of their big business buddies. To create prosperity we need to be doing value-add jobs .. we need a strategy of on-shoring for this and national security.

I have formed the impression that this 'contractor' community is on the older side; by the time Reform get into power and start to sort out the country it would be too late to re-establish the contract market as we knew it.

[sadkingbilly]

I think I'm getting survivors guilt now.
oh, dear.
oh, no, just a spot of indigestion.

[willendure]

The UK is now in the unenviable position of having to take a chance. The thing is that, I now don't care how bad Reform may turn out to be. Can they really be any worse than the other two? If nothing else, the direction of travel for the country has to taken out of the hands of the Labour and Conservative duopoly. British people need to be put first for a change. If Reform doesn't do it, I'm sure another party will eventually.

Sort of with you on that - I think Reform will be awful, but maybe our established political classes need to have a wrecking ball thrown at them. A reset of the system and we can build something better on the other side.

There is no way in hell they can deport 1 million people - where will they send them? But they can revoke IR35! Like you, I feel we haven't got much to lose.

[ShandyDrinker]

So what are the realistic alternatives? Ed Davey falling off a log? Nigel Fantasy Farage?

People keep picking parties on the basis if the leader's appeal. Perhaps we should look at the actual policies...

Labour has turned out how many of us thought it would. Support everyone that isn't British. Hammer people that have had a modicum of success. But then of course you see the rule breaking such as trusts, free clothes, trying to avoid stamp duty. One rule for thee but not for me.

The Conservatives also lied throughout the 14 years, not least on immigration and saying they'd control it when they just opened the floodgates. Far too many wets in the Conservative party who, because they're alright Jack, don't care about throwing the rest of us to the wolves. Just look at IR35, the off-payroll rules and the loan charge.

The UK is now in the unenviable position of having to take a chance. The thing is that, I now don't care how bad Reform may turn out to be. Can they really be any worse than the other two? If nothing else, the direction of travel for the country has to taken out of the hands of the Labour and Conservative duopoly. British people need to be put first for a change. If Reform doesn't do it, I'm sure another party will eventually.

[oliverson]

Drip feeding info then - so of the time out, 12 months was through choice? That's very different to being benched for 17 months which your initial comment implied.

No. You looked at 17 months and drew the conclusion it was me or my skill set that was the issue. You didn’t consider any other factors.

[willendure]

fine, but where can we actually find policies? and not just flannel?*


*from ANY party

Rerform policy document:

https://assets.nationbuilder.com/ref...pdf?1718625371

Not saying it isn't flannel though! Nigels finest flannel.

[herman_g]

But I dont think this is the main cause of the current slowdown. The offshorers are suffering too. TCS is laying off thousands, so is Accenture from their Indian operations.

This is true but not what is appears. The Indian companies only target experienced staff for dismissal. When they walk two "highly paid" Indians out the door, they bring in 3 grads, pay them half what the senior ones were receiving, and bodyshop them at a slightly lower rate.

[Cookielove]

Starmer might have said it, but what does that actually mean? He's lied about plenty of other things already.

Given that my local MP is also a member of the cabinet and effectively said to me point blank in a meeting that it doesn't matter what people like me think, we need to level of immigration to make us all better off and to potentially have the babies that the Brits aren't having.

That, plus both Reeves and Starmer inviting people to come to the UK impacted by the recent US announcements to tighten H-1B hiring, means I don't trust a word they say.

Until Labour goes, nothing will change.

100% agree.

Starmer is a liar and has changed his mind multiple times there is a very long and ever growing list.

Labour's attitude is as you describe and the they do not care about their own people they want mass cheap labour to feather their own nests and support their own agendas.

Oh yeah and lest we forget to make it even more of an uneven playing field the added kicker this year of the NI exemption the clowns introduced making it cheaper for businesses to hire Indians and disadvantage British workers even more. All these issues are affecting way more than just Tech.

The sooner old Nige gets his mass deportations underway the better , we have sold out our future generations with the actions of recent govts. and their policies.

[jamesbrown]

fine, but where can we actually find policies? and not just flannel?*


*from ANY party

You aren't going to get a manifesto this far out from an election, and even manifestos are light on detail. There are some policy balloons out there (e.g., ECHR, Stamp Duty) but, as I say, you can safely ignore them. That's just how modern politics works, lots of flannel, even in gov't. Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled pointless market updates...