But what IT skills are most in demand? And what will be most sought after in 2012?

Java and .NET were high in demand. We found the most highly sought-after skill was SQL programming language, while ASP was the skill that witnessed the smallest increase in demand. The methodology that witnessed the biggest rise was Agile, increasing by 92% since 2011.

So what does this mean for 2012? Will SQL gurus continue to be high in demand or will project managers dominate the space with their experience of Agile methodologies?

Based on this, it seems fair to say, as the IT arena continues to evolve and more technologies and methodologies emerge, such as smartphones, cloud computing and social media, a new generation of positions and skills will become more in demand, such as developers using SQL.

But it’s not all about the technical skills. Non-technical skills are becoming equally favourable in the workplace. As hiring managers compete for the top talent, business skills, such as problem-solving, are becoming an important way for candidates to differentiate themselves from other qualified candidates.

Technology is constantly developing and it’s only natural that technical skills will need to be augmented with higher level skills such as communication and business. Perhaps 2012 could witness a transition from software engineer to business engineer?

These are just a few of the key trends in IT and an insight into the skills in demand. In summary, it seems the market favours the skills that are better to suited to the changing nature of the business – people want solutions, quickly and cheaply whilst receiving an enhanced customer experience.

And for those of you wishing to enter the field of technology or enhance their IT career – this highlights the fact that there will always be a need for specialised skills so make sure you stay one step ahead of the ‘programme’.

According to research, interestingly, the vast majority of IT job hunters (57%) are most likely to search for an IT career offering career development prospects. Whereas only 18% of surveyed candidates agreed that salary is the stand-out benefit when searching for an IT role.

Further results revealed that 10% of applicants were eager to join a company offering a training programme. 2% are looking for good working hours and 10% searching for other benefits, such as relocation packages.

So how can this help inform attracting the best candidates for your business’ IT recruitment campaign?

Career development is an attractive benefit to IT job seekers, especially those in junior-mid level positions. However, some IT job adverts are unable to promote the benefits of working for the company. They use recycled, outdated copy that neglect to mention why someone should want to join the team.

Offering potential candidates the opportunity to develop their skills, use the latest technologies and develop their careers long-term is a great way to get talented candidates through the door and, most importantly, retain them.

If you offer career prospects, ensure to include them in your recruitment advertising. Mention the opportunity to cross-train, learn new skills, or fast-track to more senior levels to identify the career-hungry applicants.

Competitive rates of pay will always be high on the priority list for jobseekers, but it’s not always the most important factor in IT recruitment our survey demonstrated.

IT salaries have risen by 2% in the last year, which means ensuring you are offering a salary that is commensurate with skill set and level of seniority is a must for any recruitment campaign.

You can also see what others are offering by looking at other IT vacancies advertised in your area, using job boards or social media sites, such as LinkedIn.

Of course it depends on your business requirements, but with 10% of candidates saying it is what attracts them to a role, if you do not offer training, you could be missing out.

If you offer the chance to obtain industry qualifications, study leave and support, ensure to communicate this as soon as you commence your IT recruitment campaign. Talk to training providers or businesses which run incentives such as these, to find out about their benefits first-hand.

Whilst there are a lot of unemployed people currently looking for work, the key to having a dedicated, motivated and successful workforce is to value employees and make them feel happy to work for your company. Maintaining an effective team is the key.

If you know you’re guilty of not valuing your employees, or know you could do more to improve motivation within your workforce then it’s time to brush up on your people skills.

Whilst highlighting errors and advising employees on areas of work to improve on are essential elements of managing an organisation, it’s equally important to acknowledge employees’ achievements and hard work.

A simple but personal email to thank the employee for their hard work ensures their achievement doesn’t go unnoticed. Awards within different departments can spark a bit of friendly competition between employees, encouraging them to work harder whilst rewarding their efforts.

When you manage a team it’s important to treat everyone fairly, but that doesn’t mean you can’t treat your employees as individuals.

Everyone has different needs and methods of working, just because someone wants to do a certain job differently it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s wrong – they may find this way of working to be more effective for them and bring you better results.

Show your employees that you take an interest into their lives. Remembering information that an employee has told you in conversation demonstrates that you care about your staff. Asking if a sick relative’s feeling any better or how their children performed in their GCSEs are simple, personal questions that show you’ve listened to them.

In order to have a dedicated workforce, you’ll want employees who have a genuine interest in the progression and development of the company.

Being honest with employees is incredibly important, leaving them to hear important information through the grapevine says that you’re either disregarding their input or trying to hide something from them can shake confidence.

One of the hardest tasks for management teams is trying to inject some motivation into a lifeless squad. If you notice an employee’s not hitting targets or failing to pull their weight then approach with caution – struggling to complete their work could be the reason behind their lack of motivation. Continuously failing to hit targets can really drain an employee of motivation as their self-confidence levels drop.

Managing a team effectively can be hard work, but ultimately it all boils down to communicating with your staff. If you respect and listen to them, they’re more likely to return the favour.

So the recent economic turbulence has come as a bombshell sending shock waves around the world. Back in October the Financial Times reported that many expatriates were losing their jobs while property construction slowed to a standstill amid mounting debt and waning demand.

In the first half of 2009 Dubai was suffering along with the rest of the world, with the number of jobs fast decreasing. This continued until July/August when things slowly started to pick up.

Now, obviously recruiters are still cautious given that we have just witnessed one of the worst recessions since records began, it would be foolish not to be. But businesses are still winning new contracts and there are projects that still need to be finished. So if companies need IT professionals they are going to have to hire. And that’s what they are doing.

Although Dubai has felt the effects of the economic crisis it could be possible that the situation has been exaggerated in the media. Yet even if this is not an elaboration it seems the IT industry has not been hurt as badly as other sectors. Construction, property and even tourism industries are bearing the brunt of the recent economic unrest.

But despite the recent bailout by neighbouring Abu Dhabi, there have been plenty of positive predictions for 2010 across most industries both in Dubai and here at home. The Financial Times reported on Monday that economists are describing a very optimistic outlook for Dubai in 2010 with their financial reserves poised to help the region to continue to develop. And with the opening of the world’s tallest tower this week, re-named Burj Khalifa, following the financial rescue, it seems Dubai is keen to show the world it hasn’t lost its sparkle.

Increased competition for jobs means differentiating yourself, and keeping up-to-date with the IT market is becoming a key factor to success. Fewer opportunities also means IT professionals need to make the most of all job hunting tools available.

Whilst we understand it is difficult for some, we recommend investing more time into jobs that are truly relevant to your experience. This will ensure your application stands out and is a far better approach then investing less time per job but spreading your CV to roles that vaguely matches your experiences.

Job hunting has become so time-consuming job that it is important to know where to focus your energy to get the best outcome for your efforts.

However whilst many found their previous role through agencies there are some considerations to make. In the current economic climate many organisations need to reduce their recruitment budgets thus are looking to utilise both direct methods and job sites more actively.

As a result it is important to ensure you are not solely relying on an agency to find the best job for you. If you want to go direct, make sure your online profile is strong i.e. LinkedIn profile reflects your experience and contact is not just by email but through a follow up call to introduce yourself. And make sure that you are benefiting from all of the tools i.e. email alerts and CV upload facilities available on IT specific job sites.

Keeping up to date with developments in the market is proving essential when job hunting. It is important to stress that having knowledge about the company you are interviewing for is no longer a minimum requirement, greater market knowledge is key. Recruiters want to see candidates who can display specialist knowledge about the market as well as having an impressive skills portfolio.

With the current trend of Off-shoring, and the pressure of the recession, it has changed the landscape of business. But how has the IT industry been affected?

Nearly 76% of people state that Brain Drain of the UK IT professionals is a threat to the IT industry.

68% of people have cited off-shoring as one of the most significant factors contributing to the Brain Drain, most said this would not impact their decision to move.

Some say that a reduction in contract rates is a major issue contributing to Brain Drain in the UK. An alarming fact is that many IT Contractors have been made redundant over the past year and companies are cutting costs wherever they can, therefore it is no surprise that this is a key concern pushing people abroad.

Furthermore, the majority of respondents stated that the long-term prospects of the industry itself will have a significant or very significant impact to the IT Brain Drain.

The majority of those considering a move would leave the country for more than five years. This not reinforces the undeniable lack of confidence in the UK IT industry but also means we could be looking at a shortage of IT professionals than is already projected.

Considering the state of the UK economy, it seems people are going to further lengths to find work. This includes relocating, and not just within the UK and Europe but also the rest of the world.

According to the ONS, in 2006 32% of emigrants from the UK went to live in Australia or New Zealand, the most popular destination. The second and third countries Brits are emigrating to are Spain and France.

So what does this mean for the future? When the economy does eventually recover, will the UK need to drive IT candidates from overseas to fill the void? Or will off-shoring trends continue to average out until the balance is maintained?

It is difficult to say, however the economic recovery will take quite some time, therefore all anybody can do at the moment is simply speculate.

However, there are some that say that if at this moment you can remember any of your passwords at all, you are potentially at risk.

People’s passwords are often in regards to their wife, children or other loved ones; if this scenario starts to sound familiar, you must realise that you must stop.

There are hundreds of computer software tools that are incredibly capable of decoding passwords, potentially within minutes.

This obviously means that using the same password for email, bank accounts and other important accounts will mean that somebody with malicious intentions could cause you a lot of unnecessary stress.

The most worrying fact is how often passwords are breached; the most common setting being Facebook.

At some point, everybody has seen their friends posting highly irregular things, and then saying they had no recollection of doing so. It is clear some form of hacking has taken place.

What has usually happened is a person was fooled into typing log-in information into a rogue application and that application was controlled by a person or another application intending on wrecking havoc. If personal information was located in any of the emails within the Facebook account, the hacker now has more information to exploit using his newly found password.

#There are steps you can take in order to create a secure password.

You can check out the strength of your current password by clicking here, and constantly amend it until it is strong enough.

Or, you can use a WPA encryption generator. This does not necessarily have to be used just for creating WPA security encryption for wireless Internet access. It can actually be used to create a secure password in any process.

Hopefully, this has helped to raise your awareness of just how necessary a secure password is. Hopefully you can now keep all of your accounts private and protected.

Ian Livingston, President of games publisher Eidos has called for major improvements in computer teaching in schools.

He cites the problem as people assume that these children are able to use technology efficiently due to the constant presence of mobile phones and computers. Livingston actually says “”In fact, the narrowness of how we teach children about computers risks creating a generation of digital illiterates, and starving some of the UK’s most successful industries of the talent they need to thrive.”

He states that whilst there are indeed computers in schools and they are being used more, they aren’t being used effectively. Instead, he points out, students are not taught Computer Science but a “hybrid of desktop-publishing lessons and Microsoft tutorials”.

Livingston is not alone in this opinion, as this issue has been echoed by many influential people in the industry, including industry leaders themselves.

Steve Furber, designer of the ARM chip, stated that many of the courses are in fact mundane.

The whole phenomenon is very worrying for this industry in particular, as it relies on a skilled workforce, and according to Livingston: “the education system has not kept up with the changing world and is not meeting the needs of creative digital industries.”

Recently, there have been demands up down the UK from education and industry groups to put more emphasis on training their professionals in computing.

Given the rise of the uses of computers in schools, it is now necessary for teachers to be up to date with the applications available to them, and also be able to provide solutions should their pupils struggle.

Next Gen Skills are championing the initiative, and have received backing from the likes of the gaming industry and the British Computer Society.

Following this campaign, the government has decided to adjust the curriculum to allow more room for a greater focus upon computer programming and more advanced computer literacy skills.

Therefore the computer literacy skills and the aptitude of the teachers is greatly stressed by the campaign, as  research by the Royal Society has shown that there is only 35% of teachers who hold a relevant enough degree in the subject, which at this moment in time is not nearly adequate enough, as by the time students are qualified enough to be professionals, computer literacy is likely to be a necessary requirement.

The initiative is outlined in a letter directed at Chancellor George Osborn, which outlines the aims, courses of action and what will be required of the government.

It’s for this reason that going through a recruitment agency may very well be the best solution for finding a suitable job that maximises your skills; whether it be an Android developer or an IT engineer.

Why use a recruitment agency? One of the main reasons is that most of the efficient recruitment agencies have already built staunch relationships with certain businesses that cater to your qualifications. Had you gone for an interview completely independently, you may still have a chance of acquiring the job. However, if the employer sees that you are from a partnered recruitment agency, you will become that much more employable as you will have been referred to by a reliable source.

Another benefit of a recruitment agency is that they will be able to iron out the details of a new employee’s contract coherently.

There have been many cases where web developers, after landing an ideal job, feel they are being short-changed for the amount of skill that they have, which can lead to unnecessary tension in the workplace.

A capable recruitment agency will be able to provide you with the best job opportunities from companies with a budget that can facilitate your skills and make the terms of your contract clear.

There are also agencies that only deal in recruitment in specific fields. This is much more efficient than other services as it provides a wider range of opportunities for niche categories. For example, a Java developer may have difficulty going through certain establishments that deal with a wide range of businesses. The most efficient IT businesses in this case would consult the niche recruitment agencies in order to filter out the white noise, which in turn could result in you receiving a better suited job faster.

A good recruitment agency is fast becoming the key to getting the job best suited to you, and more and more businesses are relying on these agencies in order to find the best and most efficient candidates for their needs. It is for this reason that every potential job candidate should always consider going through a recruitment agency.