Top IT Skills to cope Recession

Today’s globalized environment not only provides greater job opportunities but also ever keener competition that churns by the minute from any corner of the world. But in the recession, when jobs are scarce and witnessing cuts altogether, there are certain IT skills that will never go out of style.

According to a study done by Linda Leung, the Microsoft software keeping IT professionals constantly in demand, here is the top hot skills that will take us from a down economy and beyond.

Virtualization: It is hot and happening, as vendors are pushing each other for lead position in the virtualization stakes and user organizations are seeing its benefits through increased efficiency, lower costs, quick return on investment (RoI) and a more flexible computing model. It encompasses the entire IT infrastructure, from the desktop to servers and storage systems. According to a recent report, the number of jobs required in 2008 increased by 43% and 37% for VMware and general virtualization skills, respectively.

Web 2.0: Beside establishing their websites, organizations have done more for their brands. Currently, they are embracing social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, where you can find such household names as Ford and AT&T. Each company has been demanding IT professionals who can keep them with the fast-moving Web 2.0 world.

According to reports, the typical salary for a Web designer in the U.S. range from $37,285 to $59,070.
 
Networking/Windows Administration: According to the various reports, the networking and Microsoft Windows administration skills will likely never go out of style and these skills consistently appear in the top slots every year in various surveys. The skill most in demand in Q209 is desktop support, according to the survey. It can fetch around $65,000 to $75,000 in the US as there is a limited supply of qualified workers in that profession.

Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL): It is a business framework that was developed by the U.K.’s Office of Government Commerce. It has been in constant news, as various firms like DHL and General Motors adopting the IT services efficiency framework. Surveys suggest that its experts can get salaries ranging from $50,000 to $130,000. In 2009, there is a sharp increase in pay and demand for ITIL, CoBIT and similar expertise.
IT Architect/Project Management: The report also notes that nothing has been hotter than IT architect and project management skills and will still be hot commodities long after the economy improves. Analysts have reported a pay increase of at least 10% in the last 12 months to January 2009, according to the report.
IT Security: Various firms require to pursue regulatory controls and data protection requirements, therefore security will never go out of style, even during an economic recession, as hackers continue their assaults no matter what the economy is doing. The survey reported that 79% of respondents saw no cuts to their security staffing levels. Hence, the skill has seen significant gains in pay.