SQL remains most in-demand IT skill
SQL is the most in-demand IT skill in the UK, according to figures released by an IT job board.
There were a total of 20,660 permanent IT roles asking for the SQL programming language out of those advertised in the fourth quarter of last year, according to recruitment site CW Jobs.
SQL tops the list again despite seeing a 1.4-percent decrease on the previous quarter.
Meanwhile, there were 13,901 permanent IT roles asking for C# in the last quarter of 2012, up 7.2 percent on the previous quarter, and 13,781 asking for C, down 9.6 percent on the previous quarter.
Other in-demand skills that featured on the CW Jobs list include .Net (12,780 jobs), Java (10,138), SQL Server (8,918), ASP (8,824), JavaScript (6,983), HTML (6,702) and agile (6,670).
The total number of permanent IT roles increased over the course of the year from 98,459 in the first quarter of 2012 to 99,417 in the fourth quarter 2012.
"The IT industry is strengthening. The increase in companies recruiting for permanent vacancies, given the economy's current challenges, is really encouraging," said website's director Richard Nott.
"The increase in companies recruiting for permanent vacancies, given the economy's current challenges, is really encouraging" — Richard Nott, CW Jobs
The majority of permanent IT jobs are for software houses or consultancies, with 47,676 roles advertised in this sector in the last quarter of the year, up 6.3 percent on the previous quarter. The next biggest sector is finance, which advertised 15,731 roles.
"IT pros need to better demonstrate their suitability for roles if they are to compete, highlighting desirable attributes such as an aptitude for adopting new skills quickly, business acumen and an ability to manage complex relationships," said Nott.
The data is based on information from jobs advertised on recruitment websites, together with jobs lists in IT business magazines and national and selected regional press.