There's also a demand for telecommunications skills. "The shortage in the telecommunications space for engineers, specifically optimisation, network designers and network performance engineers continues, with many resources having to be drawn from overseas."

Looking to the future, "We envisage a slow but steady increase in the level of recruitment activity in the market as we approach 2010, especially by the second quarter of next year.

"We anticipate that this increase in recruitment will eventually lead to greater skills shortages and ultimately herald a return to the market becoming controlled once again by candidates.

"Managers will therefore need to move quickly on good CVs to ensure that they are getting the best candidates in the market."