IT recruiter pinpoints 'hot' contractor niches

The specific technology skills-gaps that contractors are increasingly being hired to plug with their IT niches have been pinpointed by an agency.

Robert Walters said that on top of strong demand for typical contract IT skills, like Business Intelligence, two IT specialisms had become “highly sought-after” on a temporary basis.

Infrastructure Architecture is the first, thanks to firms wanting to “upgrade and change their platforms” -- in the last few weeks and using a high-level of expertise, the agency said.

Customer Relationship Management is the second, as firms are ‘moving to recognise how CRM technologies can drive business and demystify customer behaviour.’   

“The demand [is specifically for] for contractors who have experience of implementing and developing CRMs,” said Robert Walters associate director Ahsan Iqbal.

He also told ContractorUK that the spike for niche CRM skills is linked to a new emphasis on big data, which itself is linked to the buoyancy for BI contractors, and contract Data Analysts.

“As businesses increasingly come to recognise the vital insights this analysis can provide, short-term contractors are required…to build the systems necessary to gather and analyse data.”

Iqbal added that Business Analysts, Developers and Project Managers have been sought-after too, notably in banking and finance, where “many” firms used the run-up to the financial year to review their digital offerings.