Foote Partners, which tracks pay premiums for hundreds of IT skills, this week released its most recent findings that show pay for noncertified and certified skills at nearly 2,000 U.S. and Canadian employers declined an average of 0.6% and 1.5%, respectively. The firm attributes the decline in pay for some 46 IT skills to the continued .

“There is no sugar-coating this dreary economy and its impact on commerce,” said David Foote, co-founder, CEO and chief research officer at , in the firm’s recently released research.

Yet the research also revealed some skills that despite the downturn. Foote says that 28 IT skills and certifications saw increases in value over the time period.

“The evidence is clear from six full months of 2009 trend data now available that employers are depending on IT’s leadership and ability not only in running operations efficiently and cost effectively, but in developing and delivering products and services that keep their companies globally competitive in very uncertain market conditions,” he says.