"The growing popularity of Facebook and mobile media shoots up the demand for app developers for smartphones, cloud, and social media," said Cheah. Companies with regional IT teams in particular are looking for candidates with strong finance or IT business knowledge, according to him.

The banks set their eyes on pros with strong Java skills and experience, said Hudson, adding that candidates with the flexibility to integrate different systems will also be sought after as there is a key trend moving towards single legacy systems that will provide banks with comprehensive and easily accessible view of customer activities. Banks also look for front office software developers with skills in C#, AGILE/SCRUM, and Struts, Cheah pointed out.