Yes. Bus/tube drivers have similar salaries to what many companies are offering to software engineers. So it's a bit ridiculous situation. Often the same company which offers low perm salary will hire contractors with high daily rate (which roughly translate to 2-3x money after taxes) without blinking an eye.
Any idea about why? I could understand a big difference if firing employees was very difficult for employers, but AFAIK after Thatcher firing people in the UK is pretty easy.
IMO, in the UK the FT employment (for "senior" roles) is for suckers who don't realize their actual value. If companies can't find enough of them, they bite the bullet and supplement with contractors. Hence the two separate pays for the same job.
