Contracting as an IT pro can still be lucrative, but it does depend on where you live. New data suggests that you're going to earn a lot less in Victoria than South Australia -- but you'll still typically get twice the hourly rate of a permanent employ. Plus: which roles are the most likely to be hired?

Hi Lifehacker, Currently I am working as a systems administrator under a contract which ends in mid-January 2015. I have an offer to work as a support officer in another company, but for a lower salary.

Uncertainty over how much Federal government policy will get through the Senate appears to be affecting hiring plans across all sectors, including IT. According to Hudson's Employment Trends report, only 21.2 per cent of organisations intend to hire new staff this quarter.

Hi Lifehacker, I've been working as a contractor to my current boss for the past three months. He has offered to employ me full-time, which gives me all the benefits of holidays and so on and less hassle with invoices and budgeting, but that would result in a pay cut of roughly 20%.

I'd never claim working as an IT contractor was easy. But if you're between jobs, looks like you have more chance of being hired than in most other contracting areas -- and more chance of getting a job than someone seeking a permanent tech role.

Working as a contractor can mean flexibility and the ability to work on a diverse range of projects -- but it can also mean uncertain job prospects and dodgy bosses. Some simple strategies can ensure your life as a contractor goes more smoothly.

Seeking out freelance IT work? The most useful skills to have right now are JavaScript, site development and SEO skills, and iOS app building.

Freelancing hub Freelancer.com compiles a quarterly roundup of job categories where it sees the biggest growth in job postings. The big growth areas in the last quarter of 2012? Web hosting, software testing and website testing.

Looking for work as an IT contractor? Your best bet might be to brush up on your business intelligence skills and move to Canberra.

Not everyone wants to work for a large company. The traditional approach of a big corporation (fixed hours, central location, clock watching) can seem entirely pointless in terms of productivity. But would you happily work as a contractor for a business where you wouldn't want to work for full-time?

Working as an IT contractor can be rewarding, but you have to match your skills to what's currently in demand. According to the most recent SkillsMatch research by the Information Technology Contract and Recruitment Association (ITCRA), there's a serious mismatch between the most frequently offered skills and what employers are actually looking for.

If your career was a reality TV show, which one would it be? If you're an independent contractor, the most popular answer turns out to be MasterChef.