Berlin  - IT specialists have been hot property in recent years partly because too few young people entered the field over the last decade, meaning that not enough graduates with degrees in hand have been reaching the other side.

"That situation hasn't changed significantly," says Maurice Shahd from the BITKOM, the German association for the IT industry. It's just one of the reasons why IT specialists have less to fear from the hard current economic times than other workers.

"IT workers are still in demand, even if companies are being more careful with their hiring policies," confirms Soerge Drosten, head of IT and telecoms at Kienbaum Consultants in Cologne. The companies are in a wait-and-see mode, he says. The first quarter of this year will be decisive in determining how the remainder will go, the consultant feels.

"We'll know more in the spring," Drosten says.

None of the experts believe that hiring in the IT branch will collapse. "Now as before, IT specialists have a key qualification for the digital economy, even if the party is over," says Marco Zingler from the German Association for Digital Economy (BVDW) in Dusseldorf.

"Yet in comparison to other careers in the services industry, IT specialists continue to enjoy good prospects," he says.

"Salaries will be good - but the crazy money of the New Economy is long gone," Shahd says. There may be certain specialists who possess highly specific knowledge that is in demand, Drosten says, adding, "They'll still be earning a lot of money."

That is partially because some market sectors have been cleaned out.

The corporate doors remain open to young entry level workers, the experts report. "You shouldn't be put off by these bust-and-boom cycles; IT specialists are in demand, have been in demand, and will always be in demand," Drosten emphasises. That said, a degree isn't enough. The ability to offer prospective employers experience beyond paper credentials is far more important.

This may include international experience, a foreign language, and a feel for marketing and commerce. Good grades do not hurt, either. Yet the most important thing is experience.

"The more experience you've gathered as a graduate, the faster you can be deployed and the more contacts to companies you possess," Drosten says. (dpa)