One of the most common questions we get asked here is about the regular contractor hourly rate. Employers who have never used a staffing firm before want to know what they should expect to pay to recruit top talent. Engineers and programmers working as salaried or hourly employees want to know how contract rates stack up. The truth is that…

There has never been a better time to be an employer looking to hire engineers on a temporary basis. The rise of remote work, improvements in communication technology, and changes to the labor market have made contract engineering a viable option for a much larger segment of the population than ever before. Contract engineering solutions are now more affordable and…

From insightful blogs to helpful video tutorials, there are thousands of free resources for business owners and hiring managers available on the internet. The content addresses all sorts of topics and varies significantly in quality, but one thing is consistent across the board – the vast majority of the advice is tailored to people running small businesses or departments in…

There’s nothing fun about an economic recession, but if history has shown us anything, it’s that business downturn does not last forever, and that, though many of the doors you have grown accustomed to will close, other, new ones will open. For forward-thinking business owners and HR departments, one of those newly opened doors is improved access to contract engineering…

In recent years, the United States has seen a massive change in the way work gets done, as companies have shifted towards more of a project-based workflow with contract and freelance work now prevalent than ever. We saw a huge shift in this direction after the 2008 recession and it is likely that the coronavirus pandemic will have a similar…

“Can a company hire a contractor direct?” We get asked this question from time to time here at Expect, so I thought we’d focus today’s blog on it. The short answer is yes, but a better question to ask is whether your company should hire a contractor direct, and the answer to that depends on your access to quality candidates,…

On the surface, resource extraction and app development share very little in common. Lumber, oil & gas, and mining are some of the most established, longest-tenured industries in North America, while the majority of apps developed this year are very much products of this day and age. Mining conglomerates typically don’t design dating apps or food delivery services. The only…

Hiring contract engineers is a savvy way to do business in the best of times, but the practice is even more beneficial to employers when business is slow. During the lean years of early-stage growth, hiring the right contract engineers will help cut costs while still delivering a high-quality product. The same benefit can be unlocked during economic recessions and…