Tech job recovery

nfoworld published predictions Friday that IT jobs creation and hiring will be low-key until midyear, based on Foote Partners research analysts' opinions. Even the recent economic upturns won't boost IT hiring overall until late 2010, and more likely 2011. "Expect the length of the tail on this staffing lag to be much longer than previous economic recoveries," said the Foote Partners' report.

I really thought that jobs would be coming back more quickly than that. Let's hope they're the doom and gloom prognosticators.

Just in case they're more right than wrong, how do we position for a continued hiring pall? The report says companies are focusing on their needs for employees with very specific skills. That means:

• Training will continue to be a valuable commodity.
• Outsourcing and offshoring will be used.
• Managed services will continue to be important in company plans.

Any way you can take advantage of any of those points will be a plus on your resume and in your job search.