Wanted: Techies with PHP and SEO skills

PHP and search engine optimisation (SEO) top the list of most-wanted tech skills, according to a survey of small businesses.

According to an analysis of projects posted on freelance marketplace PeoplePerHour.com, PHP skills are most in demand at small businesses, followed by SEO/link building, WordPress, Joomla, iPhone apps, MySQL, HTML, Flash game development, .Net skills and ASP.Net developer skills.

The research found nearly two-thirds of the small businesses questioned said they planned to increase their spending on IT in 2010, with 38 percent planning to up their use of IT freelancers over the next two years. That compares with 18 percent who said they intend to hire in-house staff.

For more on this ZDNet UK-selected story, see PHP and SEO skills top most-wanted list for small businesses on silicon.com.