Web design is a burgeoning area with many opportunities for IT contractors and other professional in the sector, one expert has said.

Richard Nott, website director of CWJobs.co.uk, has said that the demand for web developers is reflected by the skills employers are seeking such as Java and SQL.

He explained that C, C#, SQL, .NET and SQL Server were still the top five skills asked of those looking to fill permanent IT positions.

"The latter half of the year also saw a number of emerging skills increase in demand, such as development tool Scrum used with Agile and Google's mobile device operating system Android," he explained.

This comes after Mark Staniland, managing director of career transition services at Hays, said that contractors should educate themselves in private sector language in order to acquire a job.

He explained that those used to working in the public sector should adjust their goals and way of thinking in order to focus on the end product of their work.