Nick Bate, a director of Blue Eskimo Recruitment Solutions, says, "The increased use of contractors is a natural response to the economic climate. There are fewer permanent roles currently, and employers are far more likely to recruit contractors than they were a year ago."

"For those permanent positions that do exist, there are more candidates chasing fewer roles, particularly in the case of senior management positions. Employers are now able to choose from a large talent pool, and whereas in the past we saw candidates with specialist skills in demand, employers right now want people to be able to cover a range of job functions and are more likely to recruit multi-skilled candidates."

Nick Bate cites instructional designers who can also manage projects, trainers who cover more subjects, and sales professionals with wider business-development skills as those most likely to succeed in the current climate. On a note of optimism, Blue Eskimo has seen a recent increase in advertised job positions during Q4 2009 compared with the same period in 2008 and is reporting that many of its clients are expecting to recruit more people in 2010 than they did in 2009.

Blue Eskimo is attending the upcoming Learning Technologies 2010 event in January. Its recruitment consultants will be available to discuss the kinds of jobs emerging in the learning industry and to advise candidates regarding the skills in most demand.