Reply to: Engineering- quiet as the grave at the moment..........

[Paddy]

If we were French, we would unplug the servers, padlock the server rooms and take to the streets. Back in 2001 when the government was pushing through he fast track visa for IT workers how many from this forum turned up at Westminster to lobby? Answer = two.

If you haven’t got the time or guts to protest or lobby parliament then don’t expect that whingeing on a forum will work.

[Fred Bloggs]

True... and I've seen this in my own industry, if I were to go to the dark side, 6 figures are possible. But believe me you can't blag you're way into such jobs without the proper skills and experience so er no, and no.

Yes, sadly I have to agree. Very few staff Engineers are on salaries above £55k and even fewer who actually practise any actual engineering on those sorts of salaries. Myself, being "old school" and climbed my way up from the tools over a 35 year period, despite having experience and professional registrations I lack some of the bits of paper that employers want to see when awarding those sorts of jobs. I think my staff salary would be £45k at the very most and probably less than £40k. That's why I'm contracting, I get to do jobs as a contractor with the type of work I would never get as a staff bloke.

Actually, that's not quite true. My experience is that employers will let me take on roles as a staff engineer way beyond my staff grade. They just will not pay me for it. Again, that's why I'm contracting.

[max]

Any insight out there as to what has happened the last 4 to 5 months to make things so dismal?

That's a joke right?

Do you not watch the news?

This week an investment bank went broke, the fed dropped interest rates by more than they've done before, 200m was made available to kick start business borrowing, etc etc.

The money has run out...or at least the flow of money.

It could last a while...

[scooterscot]

Anyone recruiting in the £55k upwards salary band is unlikely to see a shortage of applicants.

True... and I've seen this in my own industry, if I were to go to the dark side, 6 figures are possible. But believe me you can't blag you're way into such jobs without the proper skills and experience so er no, and no.

[Fred Bloggs]

The "skills shortage" is a myth, spread by the New Lie and their advisors, as yet another method to steal your pension and give it to workshy layabouts.

HTH

Largely I agree with you. However the lack of entrants into Engineering as a career over the last 25 years is not a myth. Believe it or not the number of Engineers appears to have shrunk even faster than the manufacturing industry that once upon a time employed most of us. It only takes a slight upturn in demand to create a demand for Engineers. However, mostly the shortages are on poor salaries in the £28k to £38k ball park. Anyone recruiting in the £55k upwards salary band is unlikely to see a shortage of applicants.

[PAH]

http://www.writtenonthecity.com/disp...62&loc=8&type=

Certainly brigher than the sun at the moment. It's just started hailstoning here up north FFS. Where's global warming when you want it.

[threaded]

http://www.writtenonthecity.com/disp...62&loc=8&type=

[Diver]

The "skills shortage" is a myth, spread by the New Lie and their advisors, as yet another method to steal your pension and give it to workshy layabouts.

HTH

People with alternative lifestyles

HTH

[threaded]

"skills shortages"

The "skills shortage" is a myth, spread by the New Lie and their advisors, as yet another method to steal your pension and give it to workshy layabouts.

HTH

[Sockpuppet]

Pah. I've just got a 25% rate increase at a new contract.

Boomed I tells ya! You should all get yourselves into the growth market of warehouse design.

[Fred Bloggs]

Yes, looking to move from Petrochem to O&G if possible. With oil >$100 now, it is one of the worlds two only "almost" recession proof industries right now! The other is Gold mining. Although it seems that O&G is starting to dry up a bit now. Belt tightening no doubt. Ho hum......................

[scooterscot]

Process industries, mechanical engineering.

The word 'process' I could believe is somewhat thin on the ground at the moment... not an area I'm involved.

Generally I'm serving the weath of the world at the moment as I have been these past 12 months cause I think they are the only ones with money to spend.

[Fred Bloggs]

I'm not in Engineering and I'm finding it just as slow, only real opportunities are in mainland Europe

Plenty of those where "you're ideal, the job's urgent" then 6 months later you're still waiting.......... Hmmm, yeah, loads of those around!

[Fred Bloggs]

I'm a engineer, extension last month 2 calls on the hambone yesterday, whit you talking about?

Process industries, mechanical engineering. Like death at the moment, I know of only one or two real live open contract jobs at the moment and the agencies are like flies round them. Plenty of calls from pimps "just a call to update our files" and plenty of "urgent jobs that you're ideal for" that don't really exist etc....

Plenty of staff jobs in the £28k to £38k area that nobody wants.

[Clippy]

Started looking at the start of 2008 but jobs (permie) were thin on the ground. Wanted a permie job as was moving into a new field - from support to service management.

Extended search to contracts and got a bite immediately.

Great rate and company.

Steep learning curve but renewals assured if performance good.

Chin up to those currently looking.