Everyone is asking the state of the contract market in London well.... here it is:
Historically contractors are the first to be discarded and the
first to be employed. This is a good indicator on the state
of IT recruitment. Over the last quarter there has been an
increase of 13.3% in the number of advertisements for
freelance IT staff.
In addition 52% more contract vacancies are there but never advertised and access to these is a simple matter of learning to network in the UK Contract market place.
We are now constantly getting requests for staff in our London offices, the problem is that there aren't enough experienced IT Freelance contractors with good communication skills and a flexible attitude to work.
The government in the UK is adding to uncertainty by publishing an aggressive approach to reducing non European Union Immigration.With quota being introduced those who can gain a Tier 1 or 2 visa should travel to enjoy the market before the restrictions in April shut the door to the UK.THOSE UNDER 30 who haven't enjoyed their great O.E. can apply and gain a Tier 5 visa which can give them a 2 year UK experience with full work rights.
Those who travel in January really will enjoy a favourable marketplace like no other in years as few competitors will exist for IT Contract jobs while the majority of traditional Aussie and Kiwi arrivals dither.This is due to poor British press reports outdated reports from returners from the UK who have failed then travelled and then got home with tales of doom and gloom now completely outdated. Lastly a poor exchange rate and the perceptions it has created is amplifying the situation (which helps your money go further and does not affect your spending and earnings while in the UK). Additionally the South Africans traditionally one third of 2 Year working holiday makers (now the Tier 5 visa) have been excluded from obtaining the visa as a result of political differences between South Africa and the UK.
AS A RESULT: In February 2011 rates will rise continually throughout the year as the supply of the right frelancers reduces further with the typical 2 year cycle of visa holders returning home as their visas expire, with few being allowed to replace them. Labour shortages and rate rises are unavoidable.
Simply the laws of supply and demand dictate those that arrive in 2011 while they can will prosper!I've enclosed some a figures from CW Jobs to help understanding of the UK market place.
IT Contract Software skills advertised – Quarter 2/2009 to Quarter 2/2010
Software skill: jobs per Quarter; Quarter; Quarter; Quarter % /Annual %
3/2010 2/2010 3/2009 change change
SQL 2880 2811 2726 2.5 5.6
C 2101 2039 1853 3.0 13.4
C# 1931 1687 1324 .5 45.8
JAVA 1673 1741 1190 -3.9 40.6
.NET 1370 1239 1068 10.6 28.3
ORACLE 1345 1440 1394 -6.6 -3.5
SQL SERVER 1209 1182 1263 2.3 -4.3
SAP 935 894 863 4.6 8.3
UNIX 866 828 904 4.6 -4.2
For further info contact http://biteconsulting.co.uk/offer.html
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