Is the gloss coming off contracting?

[SimonMac]

Can't be arsed to do a formal poll but more and more people are "whining" (I will add a caveat of various levels from mild grumbles to full blown bed wetting) that projects are going down hill, bobs being useless, rates being tulip, newbie's coming in who are clueless to the difference between Permie and Contract etc etc.

Is this just a cycle of the general bad times, or is contracting becoming less appealing?

I for one still love contracting, the money is always the biggest appeal but also the flexibility it offers me so I am here for the long run.

[Scoobos]

I'm not sure whether its "contracting" as such, or if its just moving around many companies and countries; or that I'm getting older BUT.

I'm certainly becoming less tolerant. Many people annoy me as they don't have the experience I have and make mistakes I've seen happen before, all over again.

Permies also grind my gears when they are totally demotivated, I don't understand why they don't move on, its better for the company and themselves.

I think perhaps I'm more driven and have less tolerance, BECAUSE I'm a contractor - when your reputation is on the line with every new contract its hard not to be 100% committed.

(It shouldn't be that way, but AGENTS don't understand contracting either, and seem to want to apply permie style application policies to B2B arrangements).
Old fashioned "heavy handed" management also annoys me, especially when they dont understand I work for my business, not for them.

So , personally, I'm unsure - but I'm enjoying work less and less

[EternalOptimist]

no

[SimonMac]

no

Good point well presented

[EternalOptimist]

ta

[northernladuk]

I don't think it will ever disappear but it is certainly going to change over the next few years and past that I expect it will become the standard way of working so not be the golden egg it used to be in days of old.

The sheer number of people taking it up just because it is quicker to get a gig than it is a job and then just acting like a permie is going to continue to attract HMRC's attention until they finally put the boot in.

Companies are as much to blame with strategies to outsource their entire IT divisions to the Indian companies and contractors to replace full time staff so making IR35 a bigger issue. Looking at the last few clients they are looking to get contractors in to fill permie positions through the full lifecycle of a project inc any other tasks management deem appropriate so again attracting the attention of HMRC

It is still a good way to work and lucrative but I believe these benefits are going to diminish in the next few years.

[NickFitz]

no

WHS ✔

[EternalOptimist]

ta

[Lockhouse]

It's been going downhill for the past 20 years tbh, just hope the wheels don't fall of in the next 3-4 years and then I'm done anyway.

[The Spartan]

It has become less lucrative than previously and there are more and more people taking it up, problem is I bet a lot of them aren't very good which bodes well for me as they're bound to need someone to tidy up the mess that's left behind.