I've been looking for a new job for the past few weeks, and have just accepted an offer of a permanent job (currently a contractor). A few of the contractors where I work are also in the same boat, and have been finding things very hard indeed (and none of them are duffers), so feel I can throw in a few observations

The IT job market IS very tight right now, certainly very different to how it was a year, or even a few months ago. Good contracts are thin on the ground, and clients are generally both paying lower rates, and insisting on an exact skills match. For example, a friend of mine went to an interview for a contract, and was told by the manager that normally he'd get 4-5 CVs for the role, and would interview 1-2 people. This time he'd received 40 CVs and was interviewing 5 people. And this was for a job which would have meant taking a 20% rate cut.

With regard to jobserve, I agree that an initial glance suggests things look okay. But once you start looking at it for a few days, patterns become clear. The same job is often posted day after day by more than one agency, and some of the descriptions are so vague that they are likely to be nothing more than CV gathering exercises.

I've had lots of agencies tell me the same "market is dead, we have loads of contractors on our books out of work for 3 months" type thing. It gets depressing after a while, but at least I'd rather they're honest. Some agents, even those who know me and I've dealt with for a while, seemed very optimistic "yeah yeah, you've got great skills, lots of stuff going on, I'll place you", but this was not backed up with ANY concrete jobs.

Even with permie roles, there seems to be a huge latency in the job market, with employers spinning things out for ages, and insisting on lots of interviews. I've had three companies say that they want to hire me, but when it comes to getting authorisation for an offer, the hiring manager finds he's blocked. Some of the big IT companies/consultancies have recruitment freezes, or are actively laying staff off.

Gary.

In the IT job market. Is this true? everyone is saying there is no work out there (contract) and I will soon be looking for a job. However, preliminary glances at jobserve suggest things are as healthy as they have ever been (well almost).

Is there really a slowing down? or is it the slight tightening of the belt that sends the weaker contractors (those that can't wait a month to find a job or were to cr@p to be contracting in the first place) scurrying back to the bosom of permie-ism?

Anyone out there finding out the truth?

Oh, and I don't believe a word agencies say! When an agency says "Oh, it's really dead at the moment Peter" I take that as my cue to strike that agency off my hot 5 list!

When my hot 5 all say that, well that's never happened http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/wink.gif

This thread was done a few weeks ago.

With the likes of Cisco, Intel, Motorola, Nortel all laying off people left right and centre there isn't the skills shortage there once was.

This means it's more of a buyers market as far as employers are concerned, lowering rates overall.

IR35 has also pushed many contractors into permanent employment too.

Many agency's bread & butter were the aforementioned bluechips, so for them there has been a downturn.

I know of a few very good IT people, who are prepared to travel, yet are finding it difficult to find work.

But then, the IT industry has had it pretty good for the last 20 yrs !

As an employer I am seeing a slight tightening of belts, but nothing serious. We can offer lower rates and fill the positions now. I call this revenge for the amount of times I've had both permies and contractors using the skill shortages to try and get more money out of me.