Well, I made a placement today as the owner of my own career management biz with a company I have worked with (on and off) for a number of years.  When I joined a staffing firm at the beginning of 2006, they were paying the staffing firm 20% of the annual salary.  By the end of 2008 they were paying 18%, and this year, they are paying between 10-12%.  Now, this might seem dismal, however I am finding that as an independent contractor I can undercut larger agencies (they probably wouldn't…