With the tech skills gap as tight as it is, permanent candidates are in short supply.
In today’s digital age technology professionals are in high demand. The need for digital products and services is growing across all sectors. Tech people were once the sole domain of tech. Today, there isn’t an area of industry untouched by technology.
The competition for digital specialists means that many organisations are adopting a hybrid workforce with a blend of permanent and short-term staff.
This trend is set to continue. Recent data indicates that 6 in 10 C-suite executives expect contract workers to overwhelmingly replace permanent employees at their company over the next three years.
If you are struggling to secure permanent employees, contract staff will help drive your business forward. There are some significant advantages to introducing temporary staff into your tech and digital teams.
The advantages of contract staff.
Skills specialists.
Contractors often work in a particular domain or with a particular techstack. Using contractors gives employers access to specific skills they might otherwise struggle to find. Not only do they have the skills, but often need no training to hit the ground running.
Agile and responsive.
Contractors are used to responding quickly. This enables them to pivot a project and rapidly effect change. For tech projects, this solution is especially useful. It’s likely that contract workers have completed similar projects and are used to being brought in to complete a specific task. They get jobs done and deliver on time.
You can then deploy your permanent staff elsewhere especially if they don’t have the good-to-go knowledge of your newest contract hire.
Tech contractors can bring projects over the finish line.
Temporary staff can be brought in to supplement teams at the last minute and get a project over the finish line. They are used to working at pace and addressing a particular need in a specific time frame.
Contractors offer diversity of thought.
Although many short-term projects end up being extended, typically contractors move from job to job every 6 months to a year. This means that they are exposed to a multitude of organisations and colleagues.
This exposure creates a diversity of both thought and experience. Diversity drives innovation and a solution focussed approach to work. Being around different people with different skills, abilities, and knowledge offers a creative attitude to work and how to best get things done.
Tech contractors will also help inject a new way of thinking into permanent teams. If your team is established, it’s likely they will have a set way of doing things. Bringing in new blood will breathe new life into legacy processes.
A solution to a seasonal need.
Not every project has an annual need. Often, organisations require seasonal support. Temporary hires can help address these requirements and allow employers to flex their teams as and when needed.
Ease of separation.
Tech contractors give employers all the skills with none of the commitment. In the current economic climate, some employers are turning to professional relationships that can be ended quickly. A contract hire will be used to this arrangement, there is also unlikely to be acrimony over ending the period of work.
A solution to medium-term problems.
Medium-term staffing issues such as maternity, paternity, or shared parental leave, sabbaticals, or long-term sickness can be solved with a short-term hire.
Contractors can start at short notice.
Typically, contract staff don’t have long periods of notice to work before they can start a new job. It’s usually much quicker to onboard and get them working.
Budgeting.
At first glance, a day rate can seem huge. However, there are financial benefits. Not only are you able to budget according to the (estimated) length of the project, but there isn’t the financial commitment that comes with permanent staff. There’s no PAYE, pension, National Insurance contributions, or holiday entitlement to factor in either.
Why use contractors for your next tech project?
Tech contractors are flexible and can often start the work very quickly. Often hired to do a particular job using a specific skill set, they require little to no training and get the job done. Their breadth of experience not only brings significant tech and digital skill and knowledge but offers diversity of thought and ways of working that can breathe new life into established teams.
Although considered an expensive option, contractors allow employers to budget the work. They can be brought in according to business or seasonal need and don’t have the financial commitments of permanent staff.
Do you need help finding your next tech contractor? We can help. Reach out to us today.
