IT Contractors can help companies to meet targets, reduce costs and go greener!
Mar/100
Hiring IT Contractors from Specialist Agents is a cost-effective, hassle free way for companies to meet deadlines and complete projects with the right expertise on time and within budget.
Recent market trends and tougher economic times have resulted in headcount freezes and longer lead times to take on permanent staff. Many companies have reduced staff numbers but that doesn’t necessarily mean that business is not on, or coming in. If there is an increase in work and new projects starting up, or staff absent at a time when service levels need to remain at a high standard, the ideal solution to fill these areas is with a contractor.
In the past contractors were always in demand in the IT Sector and now we are seeing the trend move out to other sectors such as Finance, HR, Engineering and Pharmaceutical. More recently with the high rate of redundancies and downsizing a great number of candidates have set themselves up as independent contractors and are marketing themselves to specialists agents, and in some cases directly back to their previous employers.
Benefits include increased autonomy and flexibility with your schedule. You can make excellent money and good tax savings, and can go greener working from home and/or remotely for your client!
IT Contractors can assist companies meet targets, reduce costs and go greener!
Mar/100
Hiring IT Contractors from Specialised Agents is a cost-effective, hassle free way for companies to meet deadlines and complete projects with the right expertise on time and within budget.
Recent market trends and tougher economic times have resulted in headcount freezes and longer lead times to take on permanent Staff. Many companies have reduced staff numbers but that doesn’t necessarily mean that business is not on, or coming in. So if there is an increase in work and new projects starting up, or staff out sick and the service level needs to remain at the high standard the company is providing within their SLA’s (Service Level Agreements), the ideal solution to fill these areas is with a contractor. In the past contractors were always in demand in the IT Sector and now we are seeing the trend move out to other sectors such as Finance, HR, Engineering and Pharmaceutical. More recently with the high rate of redundancies and downsizing a great number of candidates have set themselves up as independent contractors, and marketing themselves to specialists agents, and in some cases directly back to their previous employers. Benefits include increased autonomy and flexibility with your schedule. You can make good money and good tax savings, and can go greener working from home and/or remotely for your client
CRM Is On The Up!
Mar/100
Historically Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions were associated with large corporations with aggressive sales teams. Today the use of CRM is becoming more and more frequent as companies of all sizes are availing of this software-as-a-service. This increased presence is beneficial to companies as it leads to a higher level of customer service which enables companies to maintain their customers in these tough times.
This rise of CRM usage is due to the evolution of the “customer” in a client’s eyes. A customer no longer refers to someone who buys a product, but simply someone who makes contact with a company – whether they are buying something from them, making an enquiry or logging a complaint. Thus a relationship exists and therefore needs to be managed. With the rise of virtualisation and cloud computing, hosted CRM solutions are allowing smaller firms to avail of CRM solutions and thus opening up a bigger market for CRM providers to sell into.
Most Sought-After Skills on the Web Market
Feb/100
Recently there has been a continued growth of online web agencies. This growth has stemmed from major companies outsourcing their web development and advertising campaigns to specialist firms. These companies are advancing at a rapid pace and are now sourcing the best and most highly skilled developers on the market. Currently there is a shortage of expertise to match this demand. What does this mean for developers and designers? Are there opportunities in the web market? The answer is Yes!! The best way to take advantage of these opportunities is through up-skilling!
Cakephp and flex are the hottest web skills on the market. Flex is an open source program for developers and maintains open source web applications while Cakephp is a framework that offers an extensible architecture for developing, maintaining, and deploying applications. It reduces development costs and helps developers write less code which is a valuable tool for online agencies.
The growth of online agencies will continue and this is a competitive market with high demand for specialised web developers and designers!
January 2010 – Ireland sees third consecutive month of job market growth
Feb/100
The latest Premier Group Irish Employment Monitor covering January 10 figures was published this morning.
This month’s highlights include:
- During January 10 the number of new job vacancies in Ireland increased by 15% compared to December 09 – the third consecutive monthly increase
- Compared to the same month a year ago, new job opportunities increased by 12% in January 10
- The number of professionals looking for a new role in January 10 increased by 67% month-on-month – following the seasonal dip in December 09
- There was a 6% increase in professionals looking for new jobs in January 10 compared to January 09
The full release can be viewed on the Verkom website
In addition, the Morgan McKinley London Employment Monitor covering January 10 has also been published.
This issue generated a significant amount of media interest. This month’s highlights include:
- New financial services job opportunities in January 10 rose by 60% compared to January 09 a month when hiring in the sector was at one of the lowest points since the ‘credit crunch’ began.
- Following the typical decline in job vacancies in December 09 due to the Christmas period, January 10 registered a 105% month-on-month increase in roles as hiring resumed the gradual pattern of growth that was built up over the course of 2009.
- The number of financial services professionals starting their job search in January 10 increased by 54% compared to December 09
- January 10 saw a slight increase (3%) in the number of individuals looking for new roles compared to the same month of the previous year (January 09)
- The average City salary remained stable with a decrease of 1% on December 09 but an increase of 1% on the same month last year.
The full release can be viewed on the Morgan McKinley website
IT Still Strong Focus for IT Firms in 2010
Feb/100
Good news for IT professionals in today’s Business And Leadership news. IT is still very much an important part of Irish business with 47% of companies surveyed saying they will be maintaining their current level of IT staff over the next 12 months (survey by Irish Computer Society).
IT Budgets and spending, however, will be reduced in many companies with many planning to make reductions through contractor salaries.
Trends point to an increase in funding in 2010 to areas like Cloud Computing, Security and Social Networking. Bigger spend is also expected in data storage, network infrastructure and server hardware. Upskilling is also an area of interest.
Overall the IT sector remains positive with a high percentage of Senior IT Managers and Executives saying they are happy with their profession and that they would recommend a career in IT.
Premier Group: Appointed Recruitment Partner for D&B
Feb/100
We are delighted to announce that Premier Group has been appointed Recruitment Partner for US Firm, D&B.
Business information firm D&B is to set up operations in Dublin, creating up to 100 jobs over 18 months.
The US-based company, formerly known as Dun and Bradstreet, provides commercial information and insight on businesses. Its global commercial database contains more than 140 million business records in over 200 countries.
Recruitment will begin in the coming months and we are very excited to be a part of this new operation.
To read more go to http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0209/breaking38.htm
Government planning PAYE crackdown on contract workers
Jan/100
Some of you may have read the recent article in the Sunday Business Post regarding proposed changes for contractors payment of PAYE. We would not be concerned at this stage that any proposed changes would have any affect on our current IT contractors. Those acting legitimately through a LTD company are unlikely to be affected.
The proposal is designed to ensure that contractors who are de facto employees cannot avoid PAYE by being paid through limited companies they establish.
The proposed changes are currently only in draft form and we will be keeping all of our contractors updated as we obtain additional information through the revenue in the coming months.
Changes were made in the UK a couple of years ago which had significant ramifications for IT contractors however we don’t anticipate the same level or amendments to legislation here.
http://www.sbpost.ie/news/government-planning-paye-crackdown-on-contract-workers-46695.html – Article from the Sunday Business Post
Contractors, how do you think this legislation could affect you? Do you think this legislation change will change the face of the IT Contract market in Ireland?
GxP Systems – Winners of Sustained Excellence – IT @ Cork
Oct/090
GxP Systems, WINNER, Sustained Excellence Company – IT @ Cork Leaders Awards sponsored by Verkom Recruitment
Laura Carroll Senior Consultant with Verkom Recruitment presents the award to John Wall from GxP Systems.
Other winners on the night included
Green Technology – EMC
High Growth Company – AMCS
R&D Project – Yougetitback
Excellence in Education - – Knockaclarig NS, Rockchapel, Mallow
IT Department Award – Musgrave Group
High Potential Start-up – Avego
Premier Group Irish Employment Monitor – September
Oct/090
“Monitoring the pulse of the Irish professional jobs market”Irish professional jobs market sees an improvement in September 09 Highlights
September 09 records highest number of new professional job vacancies in Ireland this year The Premier Group Irish Employment Monitor, which measures the pulse of the Irish professional jobs market, registered a 31% increase in the number of new professional roles coming onto the market during September 09 versus the previous month (August 09). This was the highest number of new professional job vacancies recorded in any one month so far this year. Anecdotal evidence suggests employer confidence grew over the period, albeit at low levels. However, the year-on-year comparison highlighted just how contracted the jobs market has become over the past 12 months as the number of new roles in September 09 recorded a drop of 58% versus September 08. During September 09, candidate flow showed a typical pattern for this time of the year, with the number of new professionals entering the jobs market increasing from the previous month. There were 11,105 professionals who began their search for a new role in September 09; 55% more than in August 09. While seasonal factors and a slight improvement in market confidence contributed to the month-on-month rise, the extent of the increase is a reflection of the particularly suppressed volume of candidates that came onto the market in August 09 – the lowest recorded in any one month so far this year. The annual comparison still registered 28% fewer new jobseekers than in September 08. Brian Murphy, Managing Director of Premier Group in Ireland comments: “The Premier Group Irish Employment Monitor registered a welcome uplift in new job volumes within Ireland’s professional jobs market during September 09; the highest volume of new jobs recorded in any one month this year. This rise is predominantly down to an improvement in employer sentiment, although confidence levels remain weak. The increase in demand for professionals in September arose particularly in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and ICT sectors. Within financial services, the general insurance and pensions sectors were also busier. “With the peak summer holiday season ending at the beginning of September, a seasonal rise in the number of professionals who started looking for a new role was anticipated. However, the actual increase was exaggerated by the previous month (August 09) which recorded the lowest number of new professional jobseekers in any one month this year. The number of candidates still far outweighs the number of roles coming onto the market each month and so competition between professionals for available jobs remains high. While there are early signs that confidence is returning to the hiring market, it is still too early to tell whether this improvement will be sustained over the coming months, particularly with the Christmas holiday season on the horizon.”
Chart: New jobs v. new candidates The Premier Group Irish Employment Monitor measures the pulse of the Irish professional jobs market by tracking the number of new job vacancies and new candidates within the Republic of Ireland each month. The first Premier Group Irish Employment Monitor was launched in May 2009 with data from April 2008 onwards. Statistical methodology Monthly new jobs and new candidates Job classification Geography About Premier Group Premier Group is Ireland’s leading recruitment consultancy with offices in Cork, Dublin, Kilkenny, Limerick, and Waterford. Internationally, the Group operates from 24 offices across eight countries. Subsidiary brands within Premier Group in Ireland include Accreate Executive Search & Interim, Brunel, la crème, Premier, and Verkom. Morgan McKinley and iQ selection also form part of the Premier Group outside of Ireland. Morgan McKinley London Employment Monitor Premier Group currently publishes a similar monitor in London under its subsidiary brand name, Morgan McKinley. The highly regarded Morgan McKinley London Employment Monitor was launched in 2004 and reports on the new roles, candidates and salaries within the financial services jobs market in London each month. Visit http://www.morganmckinley.co.uk/ for details. |
