Time for a...

The average cost of living in London for a family of four is around £3,060 - and that doesn’t include the several £0,000 people can expect to pay on rent or mortgages. With cheaper rent promised in Manchester, and lower living costs (£2,459) many workers are put off heading “down South” - despite the higher wage average (£41,017 compared to the North-West’s £29,558). 

As the Tech industry becomes ever more competitive, it’s vital to stay on top of the latest developments to optimize output. Currently, there’s a prominent area of business growth where incorporating data has been proven to generate high success that is highly being ignored: Recruitment.

Perhaps you already understand how data can help streamline your business processes. Maybe you’re one of thousands of worldwide companies that have adopted RPA technology, using CRM systems to measure A/B testing in Marketing efforts or utilizing AI software to calculate time-tracking for ultimate Supply Chain efficiency. 

With an industry that’s booming and no shortage of start-ups and employment applications - a lot of companies may wonder “what are the benefits of utilising contract resources?” When it’s time to grow your company and hire staff, you’ll find that your entrant-level technology roles have hundreds of applications flying in. Great! But there’s a downside: full-time staff come with full-time responsibility.

Contracting can be extremely rewarding, from the potential higher earnings and the flexibility and freedom as to how and when you work, to the variety of organisations you get to work with. It isn’t for everyone of course, but for those who have taken the leap and moved away from the permanent work, the majority haven’t looked back.

For women in the tech industry, lower pay per hour and reduced starting salary rates compared to their male counterparts are a sad reality. Whether this is due to the “motherhood penalty” or an unconscious bias, employers need to transform how they act in order to reduce the disparity as well as stay ethical. Since 2017, the tech industry has been required to publish public annual reports regarding pay gaps in their workplace and this has only highlighted a previously buried problem that doesn’t seem to be changing.