IT contractors could find work in dealing with social media campaigns, as these are set to grow in importance.

Jacob Morgan, principal of business consultancy at the Chess Media Group, claimed that the information which informs these initiatives is crucial as they allow firms to communicate far more effectively with their customer bases.

He said that the key platforms IT contractors can expect to deal with are Facebook and new services expected to be released by Google.

"Large companies are also still trying to figure out where the real value comes from. Some brands such as Coca-Cola swear by their Facebook page, others are still testing the waters," he stated.

Mr Morgan noted that brands must continue to provide interactive, valuable and unique content to their customer base in order to keep their online communities strong, which could suggest opportunities for IT contractors.

Recent research by Resources on Demand suggested that cloud computing could also lead to a spike in IT contractor recruitment, with an estimated rise in job opportunities of 233 per cent predicted in the next 12 months.