The jobs that are disappearing — and the ones that aren't
Two hours, live online, with a short break. A grounded, numbers-first read of where software testing work actually stands in 2026 — permanent roles and contract work, both sides of the coin.
- A numbers-first map of where testing work stands — which roles are shrinking, which are quietly growing.
- Permanent vs contract work — what each demands, what each pays, which fits which career stage.
- Eleven hard questions, raised and answered live. No selling, no hype.
An honest read of the market, not a feed full of doom.
The software testing job market is shifting under everyone's feet — and most of the advice flying around is either panic or wishful thinking. This free, two-hour webinar gives you a grounded, numbers-first map of where testing work actually stands right now: which roles are shrinking, which are quietly growing, and what job ads are really asking for when they say "QA."
We separate the noise from the data. Is manual testing genuinely dead, or did it just lose its job title? Is "just learn to code" real advice or a shrug in disguise? Where did all those manual testing jobs actually go? And we look at both sides of the employment coin — permanent roles and contract work — including what each demands, what each pays, and which fits which stage of a career.
Whether you're about to switch employers, weighing a move into contracting, or simply want to know if your skills still have a market, you'll leave with a clear picture instead of a feed full of doom. No selling, no hype — just an honest read of the market from someone who's worked in it for fifteen years.
Eleven questions, posed from the stage.
These are the questions the session is built around — posed and answered live, with room for your own at the end.
- 01
Is "just learn to code" real advice, or the thing people say when they don't have a better answer?
- 02
Is manual testing actually dead, or did it just stop being a job title?
- 03
Where did the half-million manual testing jobs actually go — automation, offshoring, or the developers' laps?
- 04
What does a job ad mean when it says "QA Engineer" but lists a developer's skill set?
- 05
What can a tester do that a developer writing their own tests structurally cannot?
- 06
Contract or permanent — which one is actually more secure when the whole market is shifting?
- 07
What do contract rates really look like once you subtract the things a permanent salary hides — benefits, bench time, your own taxes?
- 08
Which testing skills are quietly in higher demand than they were three years ago?
- 09
If you have fifteen years of manual experience, is that an asset or a liability on today's market?
- 10
What does the job market look like depending on where you sit, worldwide?
- 11
If you wanted to switch employers tomorrow, what would the market actually offer you?
Save your seat — before someone else does.
You'll get the Zoom link the day before the session, and a calendar invite straight away.
The person who'll also answer the email.
Imola
Software-testing practitioner and quality advocate with fifteen years in the field — across product teams, agencies and in-house QA orgs. Has hired testers, been hired as one, and watched the job market change shape three or four times already.
Today Imola runs Pearly Quality from Hungary: the workshops, the monthly letter, the podcast, and the occasional honest conversation about where this profession is actually going.