Contracting: The Excitement and the Dark Cloud Above It

photo by -JosephB- on Flickr

With technology evolving so rapidly some people, such as software developers, are less interested in making long term contract commitments. No one knows what might change in the next year, and how their skills and interests will change as they keep up with current trends. As a result, contracting is continuing to be a more exciting option for developers, as well as being more convenient.

With so many changes happening within technology, and with them happening so often, developers are finding it harder to commit to long term contracts and find that it can be more rewarding to consistently change scenery to find the latest and most exciting projects to work on.

As IT recruiters, we’ve seen a steady increase of contract work within Scotland. Ramassa, our specialist in this area, has noticed this increase and has seen the benefits from it for both clients and candidates.

“When companies need specialised skills or increased manpower to complete a project on time, they often turn to contractors.

We have successfully been able introduce contractors to our client, resulting in win – win situations. Contractors are able to jump in at a moment’s notice, fill the skill gap and do exactly what’s required.

This means that they are paid, very well in some cases, for their knowledge and flexibility and given the opportunity to gain an understanding of how different environments work, and can often result in them picking up extra skills along the way.”

While it has its many benefits the problem with contracting, and the issue that the industry still is not addressing, is that companies are hiring them due to nervousness about taking people on permanently, and the worry that if they do take developers on permanently and train them as they should, they’re simply setting them up to be headhunted.

Not enough businesses are investing in long term hires because they don’t think they can. They’re unsure about long term funding and feel more comfortable with hiring someone on a short term basis, not risking a negative impact the rest of the business.

There is definite uplift and activity, but nobody is quite sure of how long it will last. Where we have been skilled is in managing to fill increasing number of these contract jobs; having strong networks and finding candidates both local and as far afield as Poland and Lithuania. We have a good reputation on the way we treat our contractors and we work with clients that not only are well respected and trusted, but also treat us and the contractors well. We are rapidly solving many clients’ short to medium term problems.

But in order to shift the dark cloud of uncertainty above the heads of these businesses, we need to start making changes and taking risks. Developers need to be given the chances that they deserve; being hired and trained within permanent roles and strengthening the developer talent in the industry.

If you’re a developer looking for new opportunities, permanent or contract, get in touch! Email us at hello@enigmapeople.com or give us a call on 0141 332 4422 for a chat about how we can help. You can also find us on Twitter @enigmapeople.