20 percent of contractors to find work via web by 2005

More than 20% of all contractors will find work via an online facility in three to five years time. This is the prediction of information systems and software consultancy company Triad which has recently launched an online job search service for the contracting market.

The web site onlineITcontractors.com addresses the needs of both contractors and clients. It allows contractors to browse through the work available, choosing their required job criteria, for example, skills, rates of pay and industries of interest. Clients can place their requirements on the site and search any registered CVs placed by contractors.

Ian Haynes, managing director of onlineITcontractors.com said, "As an 'online agency' we can lower overheads and produce a cost saving. An average agency margin may be around 18 per cent, but we plan to half that to between five and eight percent."

Haynes claims that there are many benefits for contractors. "Control is the main one. A contractor can communicate directly [via e-mail] with the client. With the traditional agency model, contractors are sometimes left in the dark, and don't know who their CV has been sent to, and they are unsure of the rate that has been quoted to the client."

Contractors may also benefit from an increase in take home pay - from around five to eight percent in some situations depending on the contract negotiated.