Demand for IT skills continued to grow throughout November, bucking a general softening in employment growth as interest rates, and uncertainty surrounding the change of government begins to bite.

According to the Olivier Internet Job Index, demand for staff flattened across various sectors throughout November with 13 of the 21 industry sectors surveyed actually falling. As a result, the index recorded the smallest increase in demand for workers since August 2006, just 0.46 percent.

"IT certainly outperformed the rest of the market in November," said Bob Olivier, CEO of the Olivier Group and author of the monthly Olivier Index. "Anywhere where there was a bit of uncertainty, building and construction, marketing and retail, felt the pressure, but IT seems to be cocooned from all of that, and it really hasn't felt the impact."

However, according to Link Recruitment general manager Ben Cass, November was marked by a seasonal switch from full-time positions to part-time, and project based roles, as IT managers attempt to make the most of the traditionally slow Silly Season.

"You've still got a lot of companies trying to complete projects now or having things ready to go live in the New Year," Cass said. "From an infrastructure point of view this is the best time to do general maintenance, disaster recovery testing, the sorts of things that are disruptive during busier times of the year."

And although Cass is looking forward to a brief break over Christmas, he fully expects demand for IT jobs to continue to grow through December and January.

"There's often a softening in January, as people take stock and decide what they are going to do in the coming year, however they will still be looking for staff over the period, I don't expect to get much of a break," Cass said. "With a new government there will be a lot of new project and project management opportunities around the January and February timeframe."

According to the Olivier report, demand for IT workers as reflected on online ads increased by just below 4 percent in November, with most of the strength in the areas of software development and management and sales. However, one area that has performed strongly throughout the year is Internet graphics and multimedia, which is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance after several years wallowing in the doldrums.

This is good news for IT professionals looking to branch out into more creative fields. Currently participating in the Australian Computer Foundation's scholarship program, Ross Richardson believes the rebirth of roles in multimedia and Web design will result in some interesting opportunities as he transitions into the work force.

"I'm in the third year of my IT degree majoring in software engineering and business information systems, but I'm keen to expand my skill set beyond the traditional degree," Richardson said. "Most of the graphics work I do is self taught, but I want to expand my skill set beyond the traditional degree, because I'm keen to find a role where I can have some creative input."