In a job market that's proving to be difficult for a once sought-after skill such as writing code, expertise in niche areas or specialised domains like analytics, mobile apps, cloud and big data, could well turn out to be the answer.

Staffing companies that FE spoke to pointed out that the Indian IT industry, which once hired from multiple streams of engineering, is now steadily veering towards professionals who have skills that would match their future requirements. These emerging technologies have become even more lucrative for tech professionals, commanding premium remunerations, in an otherwise dull job market.

'We see that candidates with a good knowledge of web technologies, analytics, business intelligence, social media technologies are highly sought after due to increasing focus on innovations and opportunities in the mobile and online space,' Randstad India president (staffing) Aditya Narayan Mishra said.

According to a Bangalore-based recruiter, an IT professional with expertise in mobile technologies was recently offered a package of over R1 crore, well above his compensation of Rs 60 lakh, by a leading MNC company.