Stay at my very unstable FTE W2 or move to a 12 month W2 Contracting gig for more money
My Current job pays $115k and the company was just acquired. All of the VP’s and above are leaving and there have already been a round of layoffs. I just found out there’s two more rounds of layoffs coming next month. My co workers and I think we’re safe for at least the next 6 months but we don’t know that for sure.
401k match is 6% and I have unlimited PTO which is actually unlimited. Seriously.
The terms of the acquisition state that the new company can’t change any benefits until the end of the year but my VP said in a recent all hands (before he quit) that “the culture we have come to know is no longer”
I got an offer today for a 12-month W2 contract role through a staffing agency for $135k.
401k match is only 3 percent and doesn’t kick in until after a year, so realistically I’d never see it on the initial contract. I Don’t need health insurance since my spouse covers us there, so that’s not really a factor for me. Recruiter’s pitching the whole “we like to keep long-term people” line about possibly extending it. I don’t trust the recruiter at all though.
I’m located in Illinois and according to AI I would get unemployment if my contract ends since it’s W2.
Would I be an idiot for even considering the contract in this job market?