In demand skills as on date

[theroyale]

Particularly if you do not have CICS. Citibank in the UK and Wipro in Poland hire these people as do RBS and Barclays

And if it helps this company called Allstate in Belfast were hiring MF devs by the dozen - check their website maybe they still are.

[darmstadt]

I have no problems getting mainframe contracts but I don't go for developer ones as I'm not a developer but there are plenty of them out there although most COBOL stuff is offshored. I also don't go for mainframe stuff in the UK because the rates are absolutely crap, the agents I've talked to don't have any idea what they're on about and tend to be real ******* arrogant idiots.

As someone else said, branch out into other areas as well. I have and as mainframes and distributed systems not integrate fully this gets me a lot of other work as well.

[DodgyAgent]

COBOL doesn't seem to pay too well. Or DB2. Surprising.

Particularly if you do not have CICS. Citibank in the UK and Wipro in Poland hire these people as do RBS and Barclays

[theroyale]

Mainframe folks: I was looking for mainframe work in 2009-10 and to be honest the mainframe Market in the UK is bad. (a friend is looking now in 2011). I looked for 8 months, had one interview call for which there were dozens of applicants...

My advice would be for you to expand your skillet *now* ie train up in java/SQL/.net then go out there and get that first possibly low-paid contract in your new area.

Sounds bad I know but it isn't once you've switched. You can get back up to good pay rates pretty quickly in the contracting world...

[manishthakur82]

Did you find the contract?

I am looking for contract in mainframes. but no luck yet.

[nomadd]

I am a new entrant into contract market, looking forward to get a contract using my skills in
mainframe technologies like COBOL, DB2 etc.
Can anybody appraise me about the current situation?

Also please list down the top skills that are in demand

April 1st? Mr Calender says no. And yet your post says yes.

[d000hg]

COBOL doesn't seem to pay too well. Or DB2. Surprising.

[amcdonald]

Bertrand du Pont is that you ?

[BlasterBates]

Looking at jobserve, there are contracts, but not a lot, it looks bad actually, and quite a few of them require other skills as well; of course if there are very few Cobol programmers, it might be better than it looks. If I were you I' d apply for a couple and see how you get on. If you are already in a job don't jump "full gusto" into the market yet, i.e. don't resign until you're pretty sure you can get one.

[theMainFrame]

Plenty of banks use Cobol an Db2 for their bankends, usually always a few kicking about no?

You are right. I am applying through the respective websites of banks now.Awaiting my luck!!!

[kandr]

I am a new entrant into contract market, looking forward to get a contract using my skills in
mainframe technologies like COBOL, DB2 etc.
Can anybody appraise me about the current situation?

Also please list down the top skills that are in demand

Plenty of banks use Cobol an Db2 for their bankends, usually always a few kicking about no?

[theMainFrame]

Just enter COBOL in Jobserve to look at the market for your skills.

And an excellent research website here IT Jobs Watch, Tracking the IT Job Market

Thanks a lot. I have been applying since a week in jobserve but no luck yet.

[cojak]

Just enter COBOL in Jobserve to look at the market for your skills.

And an excellent research website here IT Jobs Watch, Tracking the IT Job Market

[theMainFrame]

I am a new entrant into contract market, looking forward to get a contract using my skills in
mainframe technologies like COBOL, DB2 etc.
Can anybody appraise me about the current situation?

Also please list down the top skills that are in demand