August 6, 2026

Why Kiwi Tech Talent is Choosing Contracting

4 min read

The way people build successful tech careers is evolving, and contracting is playing an increasingly important role in that journey. Greater numbers of tech professionals are purposefully choosing the contracting life, convinced by the attractions of greater career control, more flexibility, and a lot more variety in the work itself.

In this blog, I’ll break down the reasons why contracting has become a deliberate career move for many tech professionals in Aotearoa New Zealand, and what it actually takes to make it work.

A Smart Move in Today’s Market?

It’s understandable given all the headlines about our tight job market and high unemployment, that contracting may seem like a risky option. However, it’s worth a reframe: a tighter market doesn’t always mean less demand and fewer contract opportunities. Sometimes, it’s the opposite. Hiring freezes typically hit permanent headcount, and not always contractor budgets. Case in point: in our 2026 IT Job Market & Salary Report, based on a survey of tech employers conducted in December 2025, 64% said they’d hired contractors in 2025, up from 44% the year before, and 17% planned to hire contractors within the first 1-3 months of 2026.

Skilled tech contractors are still very much needed, and in demand. Having a strong contractor network behind you is also a factor in taking the risk out of the equation, through keeping your pipeline of next roles moving.

You’re Back in Control as a Contractor

When you’re a contractor, you choose your clients, your projects, and how long you stick around. Because clients are hiring you specifically for your expertise, you get pulled straight into meaningful work from day one, rather than needing to prove yourself, or work your way up first.

If a client or project isn’t the right fit, you’re not locked into it for years. You can course correct a lot faster than in a permanent job, which is a form of control most permanent roles just can’t offer.

More Balance, Less Waiting Around

Because you choose the timing of when you work next, you can build proper breaks into your life, whether that’s an OE, more time with family, or just resetting before the next role. There’s no waiting for annual leave to line up or being restricted to certain points in the year. Flexible hours mean you can shape your life around your work, instead of the other way round, and you’re not tied to one employer’s leave policies or restructures. It also means you can be more selective about what you take on next, rather than feeling stuck saying yes to whatever comes up.

The Money Side of Contracting

The contracting daily rate is often higher than an equivalent salary, and there’s no long-term wage compression either. Plus, instead of waiting on a yearly review, you negotiate fresh with every contract, which means your pay can keep pace with your skills and the market.

Even after accounting for gaps between contracts, that adds up to significantly more earning potential on the contract side. Of course, day rates don’t include sick leave or holiday pay, so it’s important to factor that in too.

Variety That Builds Your Career

Variety is the standout benefit of contracting. It exposes you to different tech stacks, industries, and teams, and grows your professional network rapidly. This is exactly why it’s become a genuine career path in tech, not a fallback from permanent work.

Our IT Job Market & Salary Report found the top reasons employers hire contractors in 2026 are project work, business flexibility and skills availability, and the ability to start quickly. As the contractor, that works the other way. Those same reasons are exactly what give you the variety and fast-paced experience contracting is known for.

What It Takes To Thrive as a Contractor

It’s not always a smooth ride. New clients, new teams, workplaces and systems every few months can take a bit of adjustment. Not everyone loves the pace, nor is everyone suited to this lifestyle. Contracting tends to sharpen certain traits such as being a self-starter and comfortable with change, strong communication, being organised and career driven. It also pushes you to keep developing new skills, since every contract brings a different tech stack, or way of working.

Having a strong network behind you makes a big difference. At Absolute IT, we handle the admin side, invoicing, contracts, and helping to secure your next role before the current one ends. This means your focus can stay on the work itself, rather than the logistics around it.

Pre-Contracting Recommendations

If you are considering a move from permanent to contracting, here are my top five recommendations:

Budget for gaps between contracts. Build a decent buffer, bigger than just your day rate.
Get clear on your tax and ACC obligations as a contractor in NZ.
Keep your CV and network warm, don’t wait till the end of contract to update them. Our recent piece on common job search advice is a good place to start.
Nail down your rate, and negotiate it before you start, not partway through.
Lean on a recruiter who knows the market, rather than going fully independent.

Ready to Start Contracting?

Thinking about contracting? Get in touch with myself or the team to find out more about joining the Absolute IT contractor network.

Simon Meehan

Senior Consultant

Having worked in various roles within the New Zealand Telco industry, Simon decided a change was needed and joined the Absolute IT team as a Consultant in 2021.

Recruitment Myths Busted: A Fresh Take on Common Job Search Advice

5 min read

The job market is challenging right now, and there’s no shortage of advice on how to land a role. Unfortunately, not all of it stacks up. Some of the same confusing messages and assumptions continue to circulate – perhaps shared by well-meaning friends, pulled from outdated forums, or resurfacing in the occasional, badly aged LinkedIn post. As a Lead Candidate Manager, I’ve heard them all. That’s why in this blog I’ll set the record straight on five common recruitment myths, and what you can be doing instead.

Myth 1: Your CV Should Be One Page, Two Pages Max

Busted: For tech roles, the right length depends on your level, and it’s probably longer than you think.

The one-to-two-page rule has been doing the rounds for decades, and it made sense once upon a time. In industries where a CV was a brief introduction before a face-to-face conversation, keeping it tight was the right approach.

Tech roles in 2026 are different. Hiring managers need to fully understand the projects you’ve delivered, your tech stack, the environments you’ve worked in, and the context behind your experience. A CV that’s been squeezed to fit an arbitrary page limit doesn’t necessarily read as ‘efficient’, it can read as thin or light on detail.

A useful rule of thumb I suggest based on your level of experience: Junior to intermediate candidate? Aim for two to three pages. Senior professional or contractor? You can reasonably aim for three to five. If you’re cutting genuinely relevant content just to hit a page target, you’re cutting too much. On references: there’s no need to list them on your CV. ‘Available on Request’ is all you need, and it frees up valuable space for the experience that gets you in the door.

Myth 2: It’s Fine to Use An AI-Generated CV

Busted: Use AI as a tool, not a ghostwriter.

AI has genuinely useful applications in the job search process. For example, it’s a good tool to help with structuring your thoughts, to tighten up formatting or for doing a thorough proof-read. But handing the wheel entirely over to an AI and submitting what it produces is a different story.

Recruiters are seeing a significant increase in fully AI-generated CVs and cover letters, and it’s still fairly easy to spot them! A CV that reads like it was written by a language model won’t stand out in the way you’re hoping, and most importantly, it won’t sound like you. Let your personality come through in your application.

Use AI to support the process by all means, but keep your language natural, and let the real you show up on the page.

Myth 3: A Photo Makes Your CV More Memorable

Busted: Leave it off, no photos required.

It’s an understandable instinct: putting a face to a name feels humanising, and in some European countries, including a photo on your CV is often standard practice. There is a view that it signals confidence and professionalism, and helps you stand out in a pile of applications.

The reality, however, is that photos can introduce unconscious bias into the hiring process, and good employers know it. Before a single line of your experience has been read, a photo creates an impression based on factors that have nothing to do with your ability to do the job. Keeping your CV free of your likeness keeps the focus exactly where it belongs: on your skills and experience.

Myth 4: Cover Letters Are Optional

Busted: A good cover letter can be the difference between getting called for an interview, or receiving a thanks-but-no-thanks.

This is one of the most significant mistakes I see candidates make, and it’s a costly one. Treat it as your secret weapon, not a box to tick. A great cover letter does things the CV is not designed to do. It’s where you get the chance to explain why this role and this organisation are what you are looking for, and why YOU are the right choice for the employer. This is especially true for permanent roles where cultural fit, and genuine motivation, are a big consideration for hiring managers. The letter doesn’t need to be long, but it does need to be tailored to the role. Head to our website for tips on crafting a great one!

Myth 5: Cast A Wide Net and Apply for Everything

Busted: Targeted beats scattergun, every time.

There’s a tempting logic to volume applying, particularly when you’re keen to make a move and the job boards are full of kind-of-suitable options. But I always say, better to be in the top 5 for five roles than in the top 50 for fifty roles.

Generic applications are easy to spot, and not in a good way. Hiring managers and recruiters notice the difference between someone who has done their research, and someone who has hit send on the same application thirty times. When the CV is generic, and the cover letter could have been written for any role, at any company, it can signal something about how you’d approach the job itself. Bespoke applications take more time and effort, but ultimately this will put you in a stronger position.

A Final Word

Getting the fundamentals right matters more than ever in the 2026 job market. With application volumes on the rise, it’s not always the most experienced candidates who stand out. It’s the ones who take the time to present themselves well (and avoid those all-too-common myths we’ve just busted).

If you’re not sure where to start, or you’d like some straightforward advice, get in touch with the team at Absolute IT. We’re here to help.

Ben Dickson

Associate Consultant & Lead Candidate Manager

Ben Dickson has always been fascinated by IT, and recruitment has given him the chance to get exposure to a broad range of IT projects.