Contract Hiring Goes Up in Down Economy
Summer is bringing high temperatures that stifle personal physical activity. Summer brings with it changes in schedules – like vacations – which impact meetings and projects and budgets and overall business activity. And that typically suppresses hiring activity in most realms. This is all normal.
Another normality that I have found in my years as a professional jobhunter is the paradox that oftentimes when companies are laying off permanent workers, they are at the same time staffing up with contractors. On many occasions I have been brought into companies that were downsizing their employees.
The current economic situation in the US and around the world is both troubling and challenging, no doubt. But the otherwise funny thing is that I am receiving more calls from recruiters than ever before – usually between 12 and 20 contacts every day. Go figure!
I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that hiring of all kinds was deferred for so long during 2009 that companies could finally wait no longer. They had projects they wanted to do, but they wanted to wait out the financial and political uncertainties. But inevitably, project wants turned into project needs. I predicted it a year ago, and I was right; however, I expected that the cycle would be shorter and shallower instead of as deep and strong as it is turning out.
To those of you who are also professional IT consultants/contractors, you know what I am talking about. To those of you who are deeply sown into the mindset of being a permanent employee with all the holidays and benefits, you might want to reconsider. While I think that being an FTE is a wonderful concept, and while I acknowledge that contracting can be tough row to hoe, I also have learned that the latter can be a much better way to effectively pay the bills whereas dreaming, wishing and hoping about the former is not. “Hoping” is not a strategy for gaining employment or paying bills.
Feel free to submit any questions. All the best!
Stephen
