Contract IT Jobs are on the Increase

Latest Findings From The IT Job Board's Skills in Demand Report

LONDON, January 25 -

    - In Q4, 2009 IT Manager and IT Support Roles Represented the
      Highest Proportion of Jobs on Site.
    - Software Engineering Roles Almost Doubled Between November and
      December 2009.
    - Contract Positions on the Increase, but Permanent Jobs Still Make
      up the Majority.

The latest IT Job Board (www.theitjobboard.co.uk)
Skills in Demand figures for the last quarter[1] of 2009 indicate that there
has been a rapid increase in contract positions advertised on the site, but
that permanent jobs continue to remain the majority. Between October 2009 to
December 2009, the number of contract positions increased by 43 percent.

The IT Job Board (www.theitjobboard.co.uk/) continues
to see increases in the number of jobs being advertised on the site, as it
predicted towards the end of 2009. Today, there are currently over 19,000
positions available[2].

The main skills in demand are for IT managers, IT support,
project managers, SQL and software engineering, with each one advertising
significantly more permanent than contract positions.

The figures corroborate the findings of a survey[3] conducted
by The IT Job Board in December 2009, where respondents were asked to offer
their predictions on the market for 2010. These highlighted that:

    - 58 percent believed that contract jobs would be in greater
      demand during 2010.
    - 34 percent stated that project manager roles would be in demand.

Commenting on the latest Skills in Demand figures, Alex
Farrell, managing director of The IT Job Board said: "We have continued to
see a steady rise in the number of positions being advertised on the site,
both towards the end of 2009, and into January 2010; a real sign that the
market is looking up.

"We have also seen an increase in the number of requests to
advertise fixed-term contract roles, and it seems that this trend is set to
continue. Clearly many businesses see the job board model providing a
cost-effective way of doing this."

Notes to editors

About The IT Job Board:

The IT Job Board group of companies was set up in April 2002
in recognition that recruitment in the IT sector was increasingly dominated
by the internet.

Online technology enables sophisticated targeting - for
example by skill, region or experience - of www.theitjobboard.co.uk's
database of 800,000 IT professionals. The IT Job Board always tries to get
closer to candidates either via planned content campaigns, or through the use
of social networks.

The site also offers employers services such as branded job
postings, a featured employer zone, targeted email campaigns and guidance on
advertising copy. The managed campaign service filters responses to provide
companies with a shortlist of applicants most suitable for the advertised
position.

In December 2009, The IT Job Board launched an iPhone
application - the first of its kind in the market.

www.theitjobboard.co.uk's clients include The
Metropolitan Police, Amnesty International and moneysupermarket.com.

———————————

[1] October 2009 to December 2009 (inclusive)

[2] As at January 25, 2010

[3] 129 IT candidates surveyed on 2010 predictions, December 2009

For further information, interviews and photography please contact: Katrina Suppiah, Publicite Ltd, T: +44(0)20-8543-6582, E: k.suppiah at publicite.co.uk .