As the calendar year comes to a close, we here at Elance have come to one conclusion: 2009 is the year of IT.

The Elance Work Index revealed its December rankings along with a year-end snapshot of top hiring trends for 2009. In contrast to recent data showing that technology job loss has risen in the last quarter to 5 percent, technology hiring continues as the strongest and fastest growing category on Elance, with IT managers posting more than 100,000 IT jobs and more than $30 million of IT services delivered on Elance in 2009. The “IT Top 10” skill list include PHP, HTML, Joomla!, CSS, WordPress, MySQL , AJAX, Adobe Flash, Java and Google Website Optimizer.

Meanwhile, with revenue growth weighing heavily on each marketer’s mind this past year, marketing managers posted more than 150,000 jobs across the Design, Writing and Marketing categories, as more businesses hire talent on Elance to boost customer acquisition. Graphic design, content writing and online marketing have consistently
been amongst the most sought after marketing skills on Elance in 2009. The demand for technical writing, blog writing, and translations also continues to gain momentum, particularly as businesses realize the strong talent pool available to them across numerous specialized subject areas.

Despite the difficult economic environment, hiring on Elance continued to grow in 2009, with employers posting 300,000 new jobs and Elance service providers earning nearly $70 million through the Elance workplace. Key trends for December include:
 

• The 2009 MVP – PHP’s domination of the Elance Work Index continues in December as it maintains its number one spot while also cementing its status as the most sought after skill for 2009.
   
• Android is in the Air – The popularity of Android reaches an all-time high due to the onslaught of Google phones across telecommunication carriers. The “robot phone” shoots up 40 positions to number 35, moving right past the iPhone. The Mobile skill set makes a strong first appearance on the Index by rising 103 slots to number 67.
   
• The Writing On The Wall – Many writing-related skills continue to be in high demand with Article Writing and Content Writing remain solidly in the top 10 and Children’s Writing making its first appearance on the Index.
   

* The Elance Work Index is calculated using data from more than 100,000 new jobs posted on Elance over recent months. The Elance Work Index is a leading market indicator with respect to business and hiring trends.