Job Market
Has anyone else detected a bit of a change in the technically oriented job market lately?
In the same week, a friend who has been unemployed for three years - though granted not looking hard during that time, which I wish I could afford - had a sudden interview that was all but guaranteed to result in a job. It’s a good job in the perfect environment for her, working with a former colleague of ours. Granted, in support, but hey. Another friend got interviewed and hired to run technical training for a software company, after being underemployed for a few years as a customer service rep for a health insurer. It’s the perfect job for her.
A few months ago, one of my partners also got a decent paying, stable, well-treated support job after being out of work, except some side stuff including helping me, for an extended time.
I’ve received (and rudely negelected to reply yet to) e-mail from another person I knew less well from my past life in Microsoft support, who also got a decent job after a long stretch in the wilderness.
I got asked about my plans by the HR person after she was done with the reference for my friend who got the training job, which took me aback a bit. People trying to recruit a self-employed person? I feel funny enough that I sometimes ponder the possibility of phasing out of what I do and taking a less flexible job.
A couple days later, my partner wonders at me about whether I might be interested in going to work where he is, when his reaction if I were to leave the business is one of the things I worry about when trying to picture what would have to happen, along with what would happen to clients and so forth.
Since 1999, nobody has tried to recruit me out of the business and into a job, as far as I can recall. Except when one of my partners left and I had to convince them that his departure didn’t mean I was going anywhere.
Is it something in the water? Is the tech economy getting that much better (at least in this region)? Any insight?
The contract I/ve been working, offered as “at least six weeks work” two years ago, ran out two weeks ago. I haven’t started looking real hard yet, but it would please me to be able to post good economic news if that’s what I encounter.
Posted by triticale on 03/25 at 12:09 AMMy dice.com search which contains the single keyword “Java” and covers the 860 and 203 area codes looking for Full-Time or Contract (W2 or Independent) hits has gone up from less than 50 to 130 over the past year.
During the past year our small tech startup (2.5 y/o, w/21 emp.) approximately doubled in size and the current bus. plan has us almost doubling again by year’s end. Sales and partnership agreements are ahead of plan.
On a side note I’ve observed that my counterparts at our large corp partners are predominantly H1-B visa holders.
Posted by A Goy on 03/26 at 03:39 PM
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