When the economy clearly signals a downturn, the one factor that is discussed often is the state of the job market. How bad will it be? Will the companies hire at all? If yes, what kind of people would be in demand? And what skills should people equip themselves with to grow in a highly volatile market?

It wouldn't be wrong to say that 2001 was a year which brought in a serious correction in the market, prompting experts to talk about a severe downturn. Was this actually a downturn or
a correction whose time was due? Any which way one looks at it, it has to be accepted that the mindset today is one of right expectations, especially in the context of the job market.

Given the current mindset, it wouldn't be easy to list the top jobs for Indian professionals. Having said that, it is definitely possible to look at current trends and make predictions that are more likely to happen than not. In a market that could change its course drastically with a little dose of optimism, it might not be wise to make some daring predictions of the top jobs but here goes.

SECUTIRY ENGINEER

The likes of IBM have been talking of disaster recovery systems for a long time now but the need for secure data might not have been felt more strongly than after the September 11 attack. An increased number of companies will invest in security-related systems, which, in turn, would lead to demand for professionals qualified in security software as well as people who are skilled in building security devices.

NETWORKING SPECIALIST

With the world getting increasingly wired up, there's never been a better time for the Networking specialist. This is one job which might have been one of the top jobs in 2000 and 2001 and will probably remain there for the next few years.

BIOINFORMATICS ENGINEER

Bioinformatics could well become the next big thing which will drive economy growth. And just as the software brains propelled the Information Technology revolution, in the case of bioinformatics the researchers will create the shape of things to come. An ideal bioinformatics researcher would be multiskilled in biological sciences and mathematics or computer sciences.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

The job of business development goes by various names: sales, consultant, channel and at times, even marketing. These are the people who bring in the revenues and, therefore, will never be out of fashion. This job entails superior selling attitude, a perfect understanding of the industry dynamics and great relationship-building skills.

SPL F/X SOFTWARE ENGINEER

No one can dispute India's pre-eminent position in the entertainment business be it films or television software. As the viewers become savvy, the producers are looking at newer ways of adding zing to their entertainment products. Added to this is the increasing potential for computer games. Gaming software would be in demand in the next few months. Special effects to be increasingly used for entertainment and gaming will spur the demand for developers skilled in C++ and Visual Basic.

PROJECT/TEAM LEADER

On the face of it, this job might not look as glamourous as some of the earlier ones but its criticality in today's businesses is rated very high. Most of the services outsourcing is done on a project basis and the onus of taking the project through to its fruition as per plan and deadline lies with the project/team leader. The person needs to display a very high degree of team management skills apart from an excellent understanding of the project scope.

INSURANCE ADVISOR

With the opening up of private sector insurance, one of the jobs that will create huge opportunities would be that of insurance advisers or consultants. While it was very easy to become an "agent" earlier, today's insurance adviser, whether in a private or a government company, has to clear a qualifying examination conducted by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA). This certificate apart, an insurance adviser needs to possess the attitude of a caring financial consultant with excellent communication skills and loads of common sense.

TEACHER

The severe shortage of teachers in the US, the UK, Australia and West Asia in primary and secondary schools has opened up a new wave of opportunity for Indians. The favourite destination for the employers in this segment is likely to be India because Indians possess internationally transferable skills-good language skills and a high quality of education. Added to this is the aspect of mobility that Indians have now grown used to and actually aspire to. Mathematics and science teachers can hope to be in demand this season.

DIRECT MARKETING SPECIALIST

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)-and eCRM-is here to stay. Companies looking for long-term business success will not be able to do without an effective CRM initiative. It would need a specialist direct marketing professional who understands the dynamics of the market, has a close understanding of the customer/consumer and who knows how to communicate with the customers to strategise a complete CRM programme.

WIRELESS ENGINEER

People have given their acceptance to move towards a wireless world. The fast penetration of mobile phones, the fad like popularity of SMS and the need to be connected on the move will drive the development of wireless connectivity for office and home devices. Telecommunications software and hardware professionals can look forward to a highly rewarding career when the wireless world explodes.

One of the key trends emerging is that professionals need to equip themselves with more skills than one. Having looked at the skills trends, one thing that one can reassure oneself of is that 2002 would be better than 2001 as far as the job market is concerned.