IT workers moving towards self employment?

Raekwon

I read this article on Irishtimes.com and was wondering what peoples views were on this subject? Personally I find it worrying because I am facing unemployment in a few weeks and I'm finding competition for the few jobs that are out there frighteningly competitive, even the supposedly plentiful contract roles!

So will this apparent trend of short term contract work change the horizon of the IT work place? Will companies lean towards hiring ONLY contract workers instead of having a full-time, in-house IT team?

More IT workers will move towards becoming self-employed as market demand for specialist skills increases, an IT managed services specialist said today.

Hibernia Evros Technology Group, which supplies skilled IT workers to companies on short term contracts, said there is no shortage of work available for IT staff, but the nature of the work was changing.

A large number of companies have cut back on IT staff over the past 18 months but the company said these firms were now seeking specialist skills on a contract basis.

“This change in the structure of the IT employment market is being driven by the need for greater flexibility, access to specialist skills and lower IT costs,” said the company's joint managing director Caroline Godsil.

“IT workers of the future will increasingly become self employed contractors rather than full time employees. This is likely to lead to greater career security, although the onus will be on individuals to continually upgrade their skill levels.”

The company said the largest current demand is for software developers, business analysts and project managers.

shoegirl

I'm to be laid off shortly too but not seeing a jump towards contracting. If anything its far less than it was say 10 years ago when I started in IT.

RedXIV

if it does go to that, graduates are screwed. We went out on our own for a while with a company for IT contracting and because we were graduates, no one would touch us. Although saying that, I still see alot of IT positions being hired as opposed to this contract phenonemon

zzap64

That article really smelt like a plant by a contracting recruitment agency to further their own aims.

I was disappointed when I read it on the Irish Times site earlier today.

kmick

In theory I have no problem with it if the contract rates reflect a decent wage - most contractors work with a 220 day year out of a possible 232 made up of 365-104(weekends)-20(holidays)-9(Bank Holidays). I much prefer to work with a 200 day year. So to make 50,000 a year you have to earn 250/day over 200 days instead of 225/day over 220 days. That allows for periods of unemployment that all contractors will have every year. Most contractors will say oh you dont take holidays when you are a contractor but that does not make sense to me.

Raekwon

shoegirl wrote: »

If anything its far less than it was say 10 years ago when I started in IT.

I agree, when I started my IT career in 2004 I was working for €200 per day in a 3 month contract and that was with very little experience. Contracts were 10 a penny back then and even graduates could get in on the act. Nowadays it's totally different, contract rates have dropped significantly and employers are holding out for their 'dream' candidates.

But besides all that, I would much prefer to have a full-time role with prospects & benefits then to be contracting in a saturated market not knowing where the next paycheck was coming from.

Welease

It must be that time again

I have been in IT for over 20 years and stories like this appear every year or two. Some companies will choose to outsource IT (as they have always done) and some will choose to keep it inhouse (as they have always done), and some will have a mix. You will never (imho) see a massive shift in either direction as their are pro's and con's to both strategies depending on what your aims are.

Tom Dunne

"IT Workers" is a very broad category.

There are many, many areas to IT. I suspect the article is referring to jobs on the higher end of the scale, not entry-level positions.

Methinks it is a case of Hibernia Evros Technology Group talking up the market to drum up business for themselves.

Welease

Tom Dunne wrote: »

Methinks it is a case of Hibernia Evros Technology Group talking up the market to drum up business for themselves.

Precisely.

Cuddlesworth

Tom Dunne wrote: »

"IT Workers" is a very broad category.

There are many, many areas to IT. I suspect the article is referring to jobs on the higher end of the scale, not entry-level positions.

Methinks it is a case of Hibernia Evros Technology Group talking up the market to drum up business for themselves.

This wouldn't be the same Hibernia Evros Technology Group based out of Cherrywood business park which had to let go over 50% of their staff in the last year and are now operating on a shoestring?

newzealander

I am thinking of starting a career in IT in Network admin,Is this a good idea or is there another area that would be a better option?

woolymammoth

zzap64 wrote: »

That article really smelt like a plant..

http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/03/15/over-half-your-news-is-spin/

The source of the article isn't of Ireland, but there's no reason why Ireland isn't just as bad!

Personally, I've only ever been on contracts within IT. At home or abroad, it's what companies do when they need to fill a gap temporarily. If you look through the job ads (forgetting our trust issues with them for a moment) you see that companies are still looking for permanent workers to do a job full time. Companies looking to complete a project quickly without hiring permanent staff will look to outsource for contractors.