I've worked at a contracting company for almost a year now and my contract is about to expire. If your employer issues a new purchase order, they basically do this autorenewal of your contract. This means that there are really no negotiations of wages every time your contract is renewed.

I asked and they said that they don't issue a pay increase unless the company you are contracting at issues an increase. Has anyone else been in this same situation? Has your contracting company ever offered to take less money out of their pocket because you are a really good employee? Or do they refuse to give you an increase unless the company you are working for gives them more money?

12/21/2005 10:08:23 AM

like anything else?

12/21/2005 10:12:37 AM

Yes, your contract agency can opt to pay you more. I can all but guarantee they are just holding out on you and they can afford to take the hit. Whether or not they will is another story...Those companies don't always really care about their employees because they know you'll leave as soon as you get a better offer or a fulltime position. There is no such thing as employee loyalty in the contract world.

In addition you can ask for an increase in pay from the client company...Write a proposal telling them how you are better able/more efficient than a year ago when you were hired. Have the contract company pass it to their client. More than likely, the company has flat rates that they pay, so you will be asking for a "skill level increase." Higher skill level = higher pay.

[Edited on December 21, 2005 at 10:25 AM. Reason : s]

12/21/2005 10:24:56 AM

^ That was pretty much the answer I was looking for.

When I asked about pay, they just switched all responsibility off to the client company. I'd like to know how commonplace it is for a contracting company to opt to pay you more.

If this rarely happens, maybe it isn't something I should pursue too hard.

[Edited on December 21, 2005 at 11:41 AM. Reason : edit]

12/21/2005 11:40:27 AM

I've had some luck with negotiating rates with Contracting companies after the offer...and they are very difficult to deal with when it comes to these matters, but they can very much afford to give you a raise, and they will if you play your cards right. Key is to do the negotiating before signing or renewing your contract obviously, and making sure you are in a position that both the contracting agency and the client company you will be working with want you really bad. Negotiating becomes easier with the contracting agencies if they are smaller and less established.

12/21/2005 12:02:53 PM

I've had some luck as well, but ultimately it's going to come down to the particular company that you are working for. Just be persistant. Send a proposal for a raise every 6 months until you get one and every year after that.

12/21/2005 12:57:29 PM

Make sure that if the client issues a raise, that you actually recieve it.

I've heard of some companies that withhold that shit until you catch them.

12/21/2005 3:03:08 PM