SQL Skills And IT Architects Are In Demand

London unsurprisingly has highest demand for IT jobs, and SQL skills are most sought-after

Skills in SQL and SQL server are the most sought after, and IT architects command the highest salaries, according to a live salary monitoring tool for IT jobs in the UK.

The largest amount of jobs are in London, according to the tool, produced by IT Job Board, which pulls in data about jobs advertised on the IT Job Board and IT Jobs Watch, and shows users average salary and skill demand for permanent and contract IT jobs around the country.

London is it for IT

Skills in SQL and SQL server are the most sought after, with 47,751 permanent jobs advertised across the UK, and 13,620 contract positions, said the company in a statement, with the highest permanent salaries going to Architect roles in London at £70,000, and the highest paid contracted jobs going C++ specialist in London at £575 per day.

According to the tool, London based IT pros had 219,103 permanent positions, and 88,459 contract roles to apply for. The largest number of permanent jobs are for developers in London (18,710), and for contract roles, developers in London (7,980) are also the highest in demand.

“Clearly it is not surprising that London is the place advertising the largest number of IT jobs, at the highest salaries and rates. And, SQL represents a core skill for techies, as we move into 2012,” said Alexandra Farrell, managing director at The IT Job Board.

The tool, which pulls in  permanent and contract jobs and breaks them down by region and skill, shows data in the form of info-graphics, or regional ‘Heat Maps’.

According to Farrell, the company’s research showed a need for comprehensive and interactive analysis. “The tool will help those advertising IT roles to agree relevant salary levels and gauge supply and demand within a given area,” she said.

“The IT Salary Monitor also provides a benchmarking tool, which highlights that there are currently 1.52 million people in the IT sector, one in every 18 employed people. It also highlights market trends, indicating the ‘hot topics’, which include NoSQL, social media, cloud computing and mobility. The tool also provides insight into industry trends, with current analysis indicates that although recruitment hasn’t left the economic downturn unscathed, IT is an industry set to grow at 2.19 percent per annum, which is nearly five times faster than the UK average,” said the company.