It Contractors In Denver: What You Need To Know About This

It Contractors In Denver: What You Need To Know About This Growing Trend

by EdgeLink on Oct 26, 2015 in Job Market

Denver’s recognition as a hotspot for IT professionals has helped keep our local market dynamic. Our average IT salary is at about $94,940 and many diverse technical professionals can find work for competitive wages.

Like the rest of the nation, we are also seeing a rise in contingent IT workers, a group that is becoming an evergreen part of the talent landscape.

What types of businesses are IT contractors in Denver the most valuable and which types of IT positions can expect the greatest demand?

WHO WANTS IT CONTRACTORS: STARTUPS OR LARGE BUSINESSES?

One of the greatest values of an IT contractor comes from that person’s flexibility. When a project with set limits is completed, there’s no need to occupy them with another project. Based on that assumption, you might be surprised which types of businesses are hiring the lion’s share of Denver’s IT contractors.

Primarily, Fortune 1000s and other large businesses are more inclined to hiring contingent IT workers. There are plenty of scenarios that encourage this model. Large companies may have missed their quarterly earnings and can’t add to their permanent head count, but still have large workloads to complete. In other cases, they may have the revenue available, but have variable projects that don’t need an IT specialist to be a permanent fixture of the department.

Startups on the other hand, tend to have a slim roster and rely heavily on IT professionals that can pull double duty in hybrid positions. Because of this need, most startups hire more permanent employees who can help maintain applications and systems for the long haul as the company gets its footing. IT contractors will only come into the mix with startups if there is an application that needs to be created but doesn’t need ongoing support: an eCommerce, web feature, or mobile app.

THE MOST DEMANDED IT CONTRACTORS IN DENVER

Two disciplines in particular are more sought after than most in the Denver market: Mobile Development and QA Automation.

According to CareerBuilder, the average salary for Mobile Developers in Denver is $103,359. From our own experience, IT contractor rates can go as high as $170,000. As with most tech hotspots, Mobile Developers are needed on a contract basis to build internal and external applications, whether its iOS or Android.

QA Engineers are sought after for a different reason. According to CareerBuilder, the average salary for QA Engineers is $82,680. And from what we’ve seen, QA Engineer contractors can earn up to $150,000. The reason being? Large scale quality assurance providers have tied up many of the best QA Engineers, paying them well and keeping them on payroll. Talent scarcity exists for any business with intent to test software or create automated testing procedures (especially with Java).

Though those two types of positions are the hardest to fill now, the best IT talent may soon be even harder to find.

ALL PART OF THE HIRING CYCLE

Though IT contractors are more prevalent in the market, there’s more of a shift to come in another year or two. Any staffing industry veteran will tell you that the job market ebbs and flows in a 10 year cycle. Once again, it will become difficult to get head count approval for permanent employees (whether that comes with another tech bubble burst or not). When that happens, it will be critical to have the resources to find talent rapidly.

That is our specialty at EdgeLink. We know the Denver market inside and out and have access to highly talented Mobile Developers, QA Engineers, and other tech professionals who can sustain your business’ growth through market fluctuations. Reach out to us today to get started.