Telecoms skills will continue to be in strong demand in 2008, according to research by Technojobs – the IT and telecoms recruitment website.

The study found that while overall the telecoms market shows static pay, there is a continued growth in overall contracting rates in the sector, up 4% year-on-year. It found that higher pay is driven by the significant UK-wide investment in next generation comms infrastructure, which will bring quality and high-speed benefits, as well as new related services and content, to businesses and consumers. 

Additionally there is further demand in mobile wireless platforms and subsequent wireless technology skills such as Bluetooth. The demand for the Apple i-phone, now launched in the UK, will help drive the market for mobile specific content, despite it being a 2G device. VOIP technology may not be considered new, but VOIP and indeed now SIP related skills are very much in demand and will be for the years ahead.

The research found that the average salary in the sector is £45,388, up 0.02%. The average salary for a telecoms engineer is £35,711, Avaya jobs command an average of £44,723, VOIP jobs command £43, 578, Cisco jobs earn an average of £43,068 and network managers £51,443.