[gumby]

What? A consultant is more likely to bail on a moment’s notice if a better deal comes along. One reason for hiring an FTE is the inherent hysteresis.

Of course it’s bad for a consultant to get the reputation of being unreliable so there’s some moderation on the practice.

[devdad]

A decent consultant would never leave from one day to the other. If the employer/customer is doing their part, a consultant is reliable. The money's better, the reputation is what earns them more gigs. Also, there's not anything inherently bad with letting them go with zero notice, since that's what you pay for.