Looking for the right job is like finding a diet; you always aspire to become an individual from a magazine cover, with a perfect lifestyle and a perfect status. A lot of the times, though, after making that irreversible change, we soon find ourselves stuck in a the same old routine, taking on tasks that we shouldn’t be doing, praising the people we consider to be superiors. Contracting, on the other hand, is like drinking a diet coke - same benefits, but no fat.

With the Australian economy steadily climbing its way up from doldrums of economic despair, recruiters are now confronted with a continuing rise in demand for IT professionals to work within contract engagements. Despite the fact that the number of people in the ‘contracting game’ decreased over the last few years (according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Forms of Employment Reports 2010 and 2012), it seems that the industry is again picking up and showering opportunities for the right IT professionals.

Despite the general perceived lack of enthusiasm towards contracting, there are numerous hidden benefits in the game. The main resistance point for many is the security issue – most people believe that they are less likely to lose their job when they are in a permanent position. As much as this would seem to be a logical argument, it is not necessarily true for all industries. Just ask any of the IT professionals retrenched, outsourced or moved aside in what was sold to them as a “permanent position”.

“From the statistics we generated for over 10 years in the IT recruitment business, we’ve noted that our contractors in the private sector stay in their jobs for longer than permanent workers. An average employment span for an IT contractor is 18 months, while a permanent employer, only 15 months,” – says Miles Tran, a co-owner of a well-known IT recruitment agency, Milestone IT.

Moreover, playing the contracting game can benefit candidates’ profiles by adding more diversity to their skillset.

“Contracting keeps you at the forefront of technology, you don’t get pigeon-holed into one system. It’s amazing how many contractors get involved in exciting projects whilst the permanent employees are left working in BAU based roles” – says Nick Teplin, a principal recruitment consultant at Milestone IT.

Most contract work is projects based and this means people are always working on the latest developments using latest technologies. This results in contractors constantly keeping their skills updated and sharp, which adds more value to their profiles.

In addition to gaining valuable experience working with the state-of-the-art technologies, a lot of contractors are able to move across different industries and expand their horizons within different fields. Weather it is due to seeking new challenges in every job, or trying to find the right industry to settle in, there’s plenty of opportunities to explore.

There are currently around one million people in Australia taking advantage of contracting opportunities, which provide them with numerous benefits in their career. The foremost important advantage for many is the money factor. On average contactors earn 20-25% more than permanent employees working in same roles. For many IT professionals this means an increase of 20K plus.

Another benefit could be the flexibility of working arrangements. A lot of contractors are not bound by long-term agreements on 3 months to 6 months basis and are able to take longer breaks between the contracts if desired.

Certainly there are risks to consider when joining the ‘contracting game’, but the experts do state that with the increase in contracting opportunities available in today’s market, there will be room for highly skilled professionals to move around.

Back