'Pick and choose' jobs market taking shape for IT project managers

The forecast of a ‘pick and choose’ jobs market for candidates has already materialised for some IT contractors, amid an established agency hailing new opportunities at their highest in its trading history.

In fact, on the back of a prediction to ContractorUK that picking and choosing will become the prerogative of the most skilled, such as IT freelancers, McCarthy Recruitment said new opportunities were now at their most numerous in 23 years.

Specialising in placing operations and management professionals, including in E-Commerce and IT,  the agency’s founder Kate McCarthy-Booth said engagers were now ‘absolutely screaming’ out for talent.

'Unless you change, you won't be able to hire'

The agency boss also told the BBC that she was now consulting with businesses in a more advisory role by having to tell them, “unless you change” your offering, “you’re not going to be able to recruit”.  

A senior IT project manager has confirmed the sudden about-change in the market.

And in his prospects.

'Never known anything like it'

“For me, after 25 years contracting and endless searches for jobs, the past two weeks seemed like madness.

“After very little [coming my way] for a few months, I've just had SIX video interviews for FIVE different roles and received firm offers for FOUR of those roles, each with different companies and a mix of contract and permanent,” the PM posted. “I haven't known anything like it.”

A recruitment agency director placing PMs yesterday agreed that a corner had indeed been turned, albeit with PM rates, and over a slightly longer period.

'Cut-price PM rates returning to pre-covid levels'

“Multiple Birmingham and Southampton IT recruitment agencies local to [us were recently] advertising project management jobs at just 50% of what was the standard market rate pre-covid.

“I’m not in the position to say the client decided this day rate, or to take advantage of the recent current circumstances [when availability was high] but it was certainly disheartening to witness. Thankfully, and not just for candidates, these [rates for PMs] are now returning to pre-covid levels.”

The rate revival for PMs comes after Hays published its Cyber Contractor Day Rate Guide 2021, revealing both average rates over recent months and “all the info” organisations “need to secure cyber contractors in the months ahead.”