J2EE and .NET skills will continue to be in demand in the applications space and as many companies make upgrades, integrate projects and make new systems go live this year, test engineers will have no trouble finding work. Business analysts, compliance and security professionals will also be highly sought after, he said.

"Skills in emerging technologies will quite likely be required later in the year, and when Windows Vista comes out there will be demand for the relevant skills to support it," he said.

Zonnevylle predicts that companies will be increasingly converting a lot of their contract roles into permanent positions for day-to-day operational jobs.

"On the flip side of that, we believe that companies will lean more heavily on contractors for the short term and specialized skills," he said.

The demand for IT professionals this year will not just be at the technical level.