Mind you, generic networking and security skills are not all that is in demand according to Jane Beaumont, managing director of recruitment solutions for Spherion in the Asia Pacific region.
"We are still seeing reasonable demand for J2EE and Java across the markets," Beaumont said. "However, if you go into specific markets like Canberra, you will find pockets of demand like Cool:Gen which is a software used a lot by the government."
Like others in the recruitment industry Beaumont said she is seeing a little interest in Microsoft's .Net, although she says demand remains cautious.
"We are seeing the emergence of the intranet, and an HTML revival associated with content management," Beaumont said. "Although now HTML is being used for more than designing Web sites, companies are looking for people who can use it for interaction between businesses, it is all about being able to connect Internet sites with other sites."
Interestingly, in an industry where tech-savvy is highly prized Beaumont believes so called "soft skills" are increasingly in demand.
"About 18 months to 2 years ago the soft skills had a lot less relevance," Beaumont said. "You now expect developers to have the right soft and strategic skills as well as the technical ability."
For a more comprehensive look at skills demand in the IT sector read Staying afloat in a skills storm, this week's HR feature article.
