Demand for good quality IT contractors strong in 2009

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Demand for good quality IT contractors strong in 2009

Posted Apr 3, 2009

Leading recruitment agency, Robert Walters, has published its latest salary survey which suggests that the demand for good quality contractors may actually increase in 2009.

High Quality Candidates

Despite a significant decline in market conditions during the second half of 2008, Robert Walters says that the impact of the recession was not as harsh as many expected, with the best contractor candidates remaining in strong demand.

Even in the financial services sector, which is increasingly reliant on IT for business critical operations, there were "no wholesale reductions of IT professionals".

Additionally, many banks would rather use short-term contractors than placing new permanent staff on their department budgets.

Web Skills

The demand for contractors with good quality web skills continued to grow in later 2008 and into 2009, according to the salary survey. As companies continued to develop their online revenue streams, there was a marked increase in demand for .NET and Java/J2EE skill sets, as well as contractors with web analytics experience.

IT Contract Rates

Due to the economic downturn, many procurement managers have been forced to cut their IT project spending budgets, resulting on a downwards pressure on rates in many areas.

For example, the average rate for a C# derivatives developer with credit derivatives experience say a drop in daily rates from £550 in 2007 to £500 in 2008.

Outlook for 2009

Robert Walters is positive about the outlook for the current year.

While permanent IT headcounts may continue to decline, the gap in expertise is expected to be made up by an increased demand for contractors.

Additionally, many banks are expected to increase their IT spend in some areas in order to gain a longer-term advantage over their competitors.

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