First the good news: the jobs market within IT remains fit and well. A survey by Talent Q, the assessment company, found that 56 per cent of IT businesses plan to increase their investment in graduate recruitment this year.

The Recruitment & Employment Confederation adds that the demand for staff within IT and computing ranks second only to the nursing, medical and care sector.

There is, however, a catch. There may be plenty of IT jobs, but the competition for them is hotter than ever. While the IT jobs market has held firm during the downturn, the same cannot be said of other sectors.

The Association of Graduate Recruiters estimates that vacancies for graduates are about to fall for the first time since 2003, with a projected decrease of 5.4 per cent this year.

The banking sector alone is expected to reduce its graduate intake by 28 per cent. Alan Bourne, director of Talent Q, believes that many graduates who would have been applying for banking jobs are now looking at careers in IT. “The IT companies that we have been speaking to are reporting applications from graduates are up by something like 50 per cent.”

Graham Hewitt, marketing and communications manager of Elan, the IT recruitment consultant, has also noticed the upsurge in applications. “One of our major clients had 450 applications from graduates last year. This year they have had 800 already and we are only halfway through the year, so it is very noticeable that there are far more candidates out there.”

Another reason for the rise in IT applicants is the broadening of the criteria required to land a job. The computer industry is no longer the preserve of the techie geek. This is a trend that is welcomed by the industry. Andy Moverly, UK graduate recruitment manager at IBM, says: “What we are finding more and more is that the breadth of applications is growing. It’s no longer just those from computer science courses but from those with a background in the arts, psychology, history, philosophy, right across the board.

“We think that is good because the key thing is not the technical skills – we can provide those once you get here – it’s often the softer skills such as adaptability, team working and communication.”

He adds that the best candidates have those skills, which they have demonstrated through experience acquired outside their studies, whether it be from a year out, involvement with clubs or through some commercial experience.

Anthony Bowden, a support analyst at Cubit Technology, estimates that his role requires technical and communication skills in equal proportion. “My job involves meeting clients face to face so I need to be able to communicate well with them. Obviously you need to know what you are talking about but if you can’t explain it to the person standing next to you, it’s useless.”

A survey of young people by BCS, a professional body for IT workers, found that more than a third viewed IT as an attractive career option, with web development, computer games and teaching the most popular choices.

David Clarke, chief executive of BCS, welcomes this trend but does have concerns that a neglect of pure computer science could lead to a skills shortage. “If you want to go into the research and development labs, then you will need a computer-specific degree because you will need those hard technical skills,” he says.

“There are still plenty of dedicated computer courses – we accredit over 1,000 – but if people don’t apply for these courses there is a real risk of a skills shortage in the future.”

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