7. Database Administrators and Managers
In its annual salary report, Robert Half Technology recently pinned database administration and management as one of the key growth niches in IT, particularly in light of Bureau of Labor Statistics predictions that this sector will outpace the growth of all other occupations through 2014.

This year Robert Half expects the biggest salary bumps in this category to benefit data modelers (7 percent) and business intelligence analysts (6.6 percent).


8. Infrastructure Pros with Strong Backgrounds in Virtualization
Most organizations these days are trying to find a way to leverage virtualization deployments into bottom-line savings.

“Virtualization is the biggest thing going on in the data center right now,” Martineau says. “It allows you to deliver the same number of applications with a quarter of the servers, saving space, money and power, so people with virtualization skills are in high demand.”


9. Web 2.0 Developers
As business finds more ways to utilize Web 2.0 and service-oriented architecture (SOA), the need for developers with appropriate skills will continue to rise, Ostrowski says. 

“There's a lot of interest in the Web 2.0 type applications and development, so people who have some sort of ability in that arena certainly have a leg up,” he adds.


10. Wireless Networking Experts
Although wireless professionals may not be in very strong demand today, the need for their skills will soon outstrip the supply, many experts believe.

“Wireless IT skills are going to be critical in the not-too-distant future,” Ostrowski says.

A recent CompTIA survey of more than 3,500 IT managers found that wireless and radio frequency (RF) mobile technology is the skill set they expect to increase most in importance over the next five years.

 
*Is there really an IT labor shortage? Some say no.