Permanent employment is by far the most preferred method of working, but that doesn`t mean contractors are suffering, our survey revealed. The overwhelming majority (75%) of those surveyed say they were satisfied with their job, with 26% going so far as to say they loved their job and only 11% admitting to being dissatisfied.
The survey gathered information from 515 respondents who were contractors, of whom nearly 80% were male, while the outright majority (67%) were white.
Most of the respondents were young - 50% are aged between 20 and 30 - with only 6% older than 50.
Where the money lies
[CHART]Only 19% of contractors were involved in business consulting, as opposed to the remaining 81% involved with IT. But business consultants on average earned more (R27 700 per month) than IT contractors (R24 460).
The best-paid specialist field was business development, followed by software development and database development. The least-paid are digital design skills.
By far the highest earning was reported by a contractor performing the role of general manager of information systems for a large company (R260 000 per month). The second-best paid was a business intelligence consultant (R160 000 per month).
In terms of certified IT skills, Oracle, Microsoft and SAP specialists recorded the highest earnings at R500, R480 and R400 an hour respectively.
Investigating which certified skills commanded the highest salaries, the survey revealed that project managers earned significantly more than their peers, that is, R56 347 a month on average, followed by Sun specialists (R44 015 a month), Cisco (R41 332 a month), SAP (R40 144 a month) and Oracle (R39 316 a month).
Happy hunting ground
[CHART]Contracting may have hit a green patch, says Insource Group client development manager Susan Haiden. "It is a good time to be working on contract. The ICT industry is moving and there are a number of new projects on the go that require specialist skills and offer contract workers exciting technology opportunities."
However, Haiden warns that most contractors are working on project-based contracts, which could mean that as these projects reach conclusions within the next 18 months to two years, we could see a change in this sentiment. "Contracting will always be cyclical."
Abacus Recruitment CEO Org Geldenhuys says the market may not be as rosy for contractors as these figures imply. If someone is in a contract, then they are happy, because they are getting paid well - as much as 50% per hour more than permanent staff, says Geldenhuys.
"If so many contractors are happy, you can deduce that these people are able to find employment, but I am still not convinced that there is an abundance of contracting positions available, as companies view them as a risk."
True market value
[CHART]Respondents who are under 25 are already earning average salaries of around R13 000, but this does not mean contractors are able to easily earn large sums of money even if they lack qualifications or experience. Rather, relatively high earnings are more likely to be a reflection of short-term projects or limited contractor availability, says Haiden.
"Companies managing urgent projects are often prepared to pay a premium in the short term to ensure delivery. Therefore, these contractors are not necessarily being paid market-related salaries and, in order to understand the true market value of these employees, it would be necessary to benchmark their earnings against the 'cost to company` packages of their permanently employed peers."
It remains true that experienced contractors with specialist skills, for example, Java architects or SAP consultants, are able to sustain their income over the long term, while short-term contractors with more readily available skills, such as MCSEs, are not, says Haiden.
Contracting as a career
Contracting involves erratic work hours - and pay cheques - but this does not necessarily mean that it can`t be a lifelong career.
According to the survey, 11% of respondents say they have worked in contracting for over 20 years, while just over 10% have been involved for between 15 and 20 years. Geldenhuys attributes the high number of experienced contractors to the popularity of contracting in the past.
"Some of the older guys were contracting when it was very popular, and they made a mark for themselves. They only go the contracting route, and the companies will pay more because these guys know what they`re doing."
Geldenhuys hastens to add that these "veterans" have more than likely tied themselves down to fewer, longer contracts in the name of stability, and Haiden agrees. "The contractors who have been in the market for over 20 years have often spent most of that time with only one, or a limited number, of employers, and are generally viewed as 'permanent` employees who are paid as contractors." B
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Benefits and perks: The demise of the "dead cert" reward
Job satisfaction: Doing it with a smile
Career paths: We want to stay
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