We’ve all heard so much about full-time job losses in the IT sector of late that it’s almost hard to fathom the numbers. At the risk of going all “green shoots” on you, I’m here to tell you that there is a rosier outlook for tech hiring when you consider the data coming out of this month’s Elance Work Index.

More companies than ever are realizing the benefits of hiring contractors online. Facts don’t lie, and the fact is, so far in October awarded jobs on Elance are up almost 50% from the same period a year ago.

Let’s face it, online work is more than a trend. This is happening as people (both companies and workers) continue to discover and embrace the New Way To Work.

Speaking of trends, here are the trends we see in this month’s Elance Work Index:
 

• Technology Stays Hot – With PHP holding steady as the #1 skill in demand, tech skills continue to dominate, owning 11 of the Top 25 spots in the Index. Other hot IT movers include HTML up two rungs to #4, Joomla! rising15 spots to #6, and Java advancing 36 slots to #24. Proof that the holiday shopping season has begun, osCommerce (an open-source ecommerce technology) shot up 80 spots, with PayPal rising 24 places into the Top 50.


• Calling All Marketers – Businesses that thrive in changing economic times have one thing in common: they’re willing to adapt their marketing to fit new environments. On Elance, the need for marketing skills place Graphic Design (#5) and Illustrator (#8) in the Top 10 with Social Media Marketing thriving at #14. The thirst for customers is shown by Search Engine Optimization at #15 and Direct Marketing up 22 spots to #22, while Email Marketing, Google AdWords, Telemarketing and Search Engine Marketing all make strong gains.


• Writers At The Ready – Businesses have a lot to say this Fall and are turning to Elance experts to get the word out. From creative writing to proofreading, talent with words that sell is in high demand. Content Writing moves up 6 spots to #2 with Article Writing close behind at #3; Copywriting and Creative Writing move up to the #12 and #13 spots, respectively, while Academic Writing and Technical Writing both jump more than 30 spots on the chart.

To view past months’ Elance Work Index data, view the Elance Work Index tag here.