A new report from JM Digital made interesting reading this week – as it showed that umbrella IT contractors with skills in the digital arena are still extremely highly sought after, especially by the financial sector! The Q4 2011 market report, which came from the recruitment division of the JM Group, also found that day rates for digital contractors have also increased, as banks in particular are happy to pay as much as 25% more for the right umbrella contractor than a digital agency would do, for someone of the same skill level. JM Digital believes that this is because there are simply not enough digital specialists in the market at the present time.

According to the experts, this situation has come about because people are using mobile technology more and more to interact with their banks, whether using mobile phones or with the more recent uptake of tablet computing. This, plus the ongoing increase in use of social media, has led to the need for specialists in what is becoming referred to as ‘the user experience’. For contractors working through umbrella companies, this means an opportunity for those with specialist skills in Blackberry, Android, Flex, IOS and Silverlight development – and those who work as ‘user experience’ architects. David Pye, who is CEO of the JM Group, explained "Banks have been able to attract digital IT contractors due to their ability to offer significantly more money and, in comparison to the consultancy sector, often better working hours. The high level of complexity with banking systems is also a key attraction for many candidates who like the challenge it offers them."