In recent times we have all heard from the media of the doom and gloom surrounding companies making X number of people redundant. In the last 6 months we have seen redundancies, take-overs and mergers all in the name of cost savings. Though this maybe the case, we've seen that the reality is that only certain sectors have been affected. Some of the most affected industries have been financial, high street retailers, manufacturing etc. So where do all these highly-skilled redundant workers go? The answer maybe contract as since the new tax year, new budgets have been signed off and we've seen some of those 'recruitment freezes' start to thaw. It may be somewhat of a cliche' but with spring there comes new growth in a market desperate for sunlight. Having said this, with clients still nervous in the financial climate, investing in a permanent candidate could be a risky gamble. Contract staff offers the flexibility to the client to get highly trained staff to work on potentially short term projects without having to commit to a long term investment. And for candidates, it offers possibly the same amount of job security as a permanent role in this market will do. With 3-6 month rolling contracts becoming more readily available at higher pay rates, could contract be the new permanent?

The answer I am afraid is probably not, although as a contract consultant I would dearly love to see 100% of the market become contract but simply put, it wouldn't work. The obvious reason is that companies could simply not afford to employ everyone on contract. More than that a company needs a compliment of around 80% permanent staff in order to keep its identity. Without this 'compliment of staff' companies would simply lose sight of their goals and business relationships. Contractors will always be a fantastic way to bolster an existing team or project in order to meet deadlines but would not work being solely responsible for 'the project' or 'the team'. With this in mind we look to the future, in a market that's improving day by day, Ashton Consulting offer the consultative approach to recruitment that means whether you're a manager looking to solve a resource problem or a candidate looking for the next perfect role, we can help.

Laurens Taylor - .Net Consultant - Ashton Consulting (UK) Ltd