As many IT contractors agree, this is a tough time to be an IT Contractor, especially here in Ireland and in the UK. I have been contracting for the last three and a half years, 6 months in Sydney Australia and 3 years here in Dublin.
Until last year, contracting here was quite good. I used to be in a contract and be inundated with calls from agents about new contract prospects. Even the pay was very good. However everything turned upside down from last January, when my contract with Microsoft ended. I knew that the recession was bad, but not as bad as I thought. I am getting calls less frequently, and normally it’s more a call to “touch base” rather than concrete offers. In the last 2 months, I have not even been put forward for an interview, let alone a job offer.

I had the wrong idea that companies would go for contractors in this recession, since in the long run, they cost less than permanent staff for the same expertise level. However it seems like companies are more prone to hire permanent staff, and re-skill them to match the company’s expectations. Another thing that I have noticed is that companies are also searching for multi skilled IT staff, since let’s face it, it’s a buyer’s market. Companies can choose from a plethora of IT senior developers at the moment. Some companies also have the fear that when the business picks up again, it will be hard to recruit again.

Will this recession last long?

I have no idea, however, hopefully, I am expecting that by May or June, things start to get back on track. The housing market in the UK is already feeling some upturn in the prices. The US financial rescue plan may help the global economy get back to its feet. The European Leaders are also helping the economy by agreeing a £12b financial crisis rescue package.
Will this help the credit crunch and revive back the trust in financial markets? Let’s hope it does and things will start getting back to normal.

What I am doing in this downturn?

Re-Skilling: Since I have a lot of free time at the moment, I am looking at new skills, especially Microsoft skills, such as the new MVC Framework and the Data Entity Framework. I want to also see what new features SQL Server 2008 has an how to leverage from these new features. I am also finding time to read some technical articles and to also see technical videos and how-tos. I am also building some small web apps that I have been planning for a long time but never had the chance to dig into.
Keeping Positive:- Although it’s quite hard, I am trying to be as positive as I can be. Every cloud has a silver lining they say, and I believe that things work in a cycle. In the .Com bubble between 1995 and 2001, the new Internet sector and related fields saw a big boom in IT skilled persons and also the salaries rose significantly. Then there was a slowdown in 2002, and another boom in 2006, when the market was revived again. I just hope that the next upturn does not take another 3 years to materialize.
On the LookOut:- I believe that as jobs dry up, and the markets get worse, it’s time to keep a look on every possible opportunity that may arise. I also think that in two or three years time, there will be a big mobility of workers, where nobody will call home just one country, but Europe will be your home, with the countries becoming like cities. Long commuting for work will be the norm.