Contract project manager jobs drop 32.2 per cent

Contract IT project manager roles have dropped 32.2 per cent, according to a survey by ITCRA which analysed 1112 contract placements.

The number of the overall contract jobs dropped 15.5 per cent between March and August this year, the survey revealed.

However, Julie Mills, CEO of ITCRA (Information Technology Contract and Recruitment Association), said contract lengths have grown, suggesting the industry is committing to longer term projects.

“While it may be a temporary shift, the percentage of contracts over one year fluctuated between 5.2 per cent in March and 11.2 per cent in July,” Mills said.

Last month the Longhaus-ITCRA Australian Tech Index revealed shorter ICT contract jobs were predicted to be more popular because they are seen to be less of a “risk” to organisations.

The SkillsMatch Contractor Salary Survey also revealed ICT contractors are being paid $129,071 per year on average, with the average hourly rate $83.46.

However, the discrepancy for salaries vary significantly within the industry, with contractors in financial and insurance services companies being paid an average of $160,706, while contractors at education and training companies were paid an average of $118,190 – a difference of more than $40,000.

Analyst programmers recorded the biggest pay increase of 20 per cent.

“In the coming quarter, we expect rates for technical roles to continue to rise, while rates for support roles will fall,” Mills said.

“Overall, South Australia had the lowest average salaries, with incomes averaging 18.8 per cent lower than the national average for all roles. ICT contractors in New South Wales enjoyed the highest levels of remuneration, with incomes 7.8 per cent higher than the national average.”

Follow Stephanie McDonald on Twitter: @stephmcdonald0

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