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This week we’re going to be looking at the high end of the market to see what rates are theoretically attainable. Bear in mind that not all these figures can be guaranteed to be accurate because we have to trust what agents put in their postings… However theStatz.com does have mechanisms in place to ensure that we weed out the very worst of the excesses. So, how have the highest rates for the main skills changed over the last few months? Well, looking over the UK at C++, VB, Java and SQL, here’s what’s happened: The highest C++ rates are now double what they were in September last year, although they peaked in January and February this year at over £80/hr. They now stand at £75. VB hasn’t done badly either, although it’s currently at £70/hr. Last month, the highest Java contract could have got you £94/hr in March, although it’s now become more sensible and slid down to £78/hr this month. A SQL contract hit a high of £84/hr in November last year, for some reason, then £81/hr in February, but is now down to £75/hr. Obviously, for these sorts of rates, your skills have to be extremely attractive – either that, or you have to have some very dodgy photos of people high up in the company. Okay, you’ve heard the rates – now it’s betting time – which of the operating systems has had the highest number of contracts posted across the UK? The choices are: UNIX, XP, HP-UX, OSX(Apple) and Linux. All bets are closed now. And much to the chagrin of the UNIX lovers who seem to spend more time denigrating Microsoft than they do developing, here’s the results: OSX had the fewest contract requirements posted – single figures, I’m afraid. HP-UX managed 70 postings last month, Linux peaked in January with 200 postings but has now slid down to 140, UNIX generally maxed at just over 1,000 in Jan/Feb but is now down to 850 – but XP – wait for it – had nearly 9,000 contract postings last month! This month looks like it may be a little lower, but not by much. Win2k is still holding its own, getting over 600 postings last month, whereas Solaris requirements seem to be waning, with just over 300 requirements. Unsurprisingly, London is the main source of these high rates, although C++ rates have fallen from a high of £88/hr in September 2003 to £75/hr now. There were a few contracts last month for java skills where the rate was £94/hr but the highest now is £78/hr. VB rates haven’t moved much apart from a blip in November where there a contract posted with a rate of £81/hr! It’s now around £67/hr. By the way – one of the reasons that this bulletin is so late is because somebody broke into my office while I was typing, put a gun to my head and said “Put testing rates in too or we’ll check your bloody database.” He also said that I should publicly apologise for thinking that “Test Director” was a role. So here’s my public statement: “I apologise to all and sundry for mistaking a software product for an actual employee. It’s a simple mistake that any HR person could make.” Anyway, my wife would be very upset if my brains were to be blasted over the wallpaper – it’s so difficult to clean off (oh – she just told me she’d only need a small hankie) – so I’d better follow the nice man’s orders and do testing stats. (okay, Chris, you can put the gun away now…) Right – well, general contracts in testing hit a peak in Jan and Feb of £88/hr and are now down to £75, which is what they were in December, but it’s still positive, considering they were at £41/hr in October. The rates for LoadRunner experience have been picking up tremendously. It wasn’t until November last year that any contracts were posted and since then the rate has gone up from £34/hr to £69/hr now. Not bad, eh? TestDirector (or “test director”) rates hit a peak in January, like general testing (I wonder if the two are related?) of £88/hr but has come down from £63/hr in Feb and Mar to £50/hr now. Generally, demand for IT contract skills has being growing at a healthy rate. After the awful start to last year, there is a definite upward trend that seems to kick against the horror stories of outsourcing that seem to be proliferating at the moment. Indeed, a number of companies are turning away from the whole idea after finding out how many logistical problems it presents. I expect to see the uptrend in rates continuing, along with demand. So, that’s it for this week. It’s a little late because we’ve had to upgrade our systems due to demand (we’re close to having a million jobs in our database!) Next week, amongst other things, we’ll be wandering into the Garden of Eden and nibbling at the Apple. In other words, I’ll be looking at Mac development roles and also things like ColdFusion, Swing, Flash and anything else that sounds like you could get arrested for. Talking of getting arrested, I knew two guys: one was called John Smith and lived in The Street and the other was called Charlie Brown and lived in Nutter’s Lane. Absolutely true. Poor buggers. What chance did they stand when the old bill decided to talk to them? Anyway, JobAlertz.co.uk and ServAlertz.com are sitting there waiting for your attention. As is theStatz.com. In about 10 days we should have a wonderful announcement that will make everything much easier. Keep those eyes peeled (I hate that expression!) Alan.potter@webalertz.com http://www.webalertz.com Apr 30, 2004 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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