This is a very trying time for IT Companies and as well as for the workforce. A large number of workforce is gradually growing old and finding that their skills are no longer relevant.

Seeing the writing on the wall, some people have quickly moved onto emerging skills that are short of manpower and hence there is growing demand in those skills.

A word of caution is warranted. One needs to understand that these are not based on any methodology and do not have solid numbers to back them up. That is the reason, you will find multiple such lists floating around in the internet. One needs to read them carefully and understand their implications and take an informed decision based on one's own situation and career ambitions.

Below is a reproduction based on 'Economic Times' article. There is another list published by Linkedin which can be found on this site as well.

Skills that will help you stay relevant in the job market

It’s a fact that no one is indispensable. Enterprises and individuals will always find a way to survive and thrive if your services are no longer available. Here's a list of top 10 skills that can help you stay relevant in job market.

1. User Interface (UI) design

JOBS AVAILABLE: User experience designer, user interface designer, user interface designer (computer software applications), creative director
MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY RANGE: Rs 5-10 Lakh

2. Mobile development

JOBS AVAILABLE: Android and iOS developers, technical architect, lead software engineer, project manager (IT).
MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY RANGE Rs 4.5-9 Lakh

3. Web architecture & development framework

JOBS AVAILABLE: Web developer, software engineer, programmer, project manager.
MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY RANGE Rs 3-10 Lakh

4. Automation Testing using tools like Selenium, Appium, JMeter etc.

Testing is a critical function in any application development methodology. Companies are cutting down on costs and one way is to reduce headcount and work using open source tools. But Testing is an area where companies cannot afford to cut back costs. Hence they are adopting Open Source Automation tools like Selenium which have become very popular and are considered hot skills in the market.

JOBS AVAILABLE: Tester, Senior Testing, Testing Architect
MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY RANGE Rs 4-8 Lakh

5. Cloud Computing

JOBS AVAILABLE: IT architect, cloud software engineer, software architect, technical consultant.
MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY RANGE Rs 5-20 Lakh. 

6. Storage systems and management

JOBS AVAILABLE: IT consultant, principal software engineer, test engineer, system engineer, system administrator.
MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY RANGE Rs 4.5-10 Lakh.

7. Network and information security

JOBS AVAILABLE BASED: Network security engineer, network security analyst, information security analyst, information security officer
MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY RANGE Rs 4-10 Lakh.

8. Algorithm design /coding

JOBS AVAILABLE: Software development engineer, lead software engineer, software developer.
MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY RANGE Rs 6-10 Lakh.

9. Statistical analysis & data mining

JOBS AVAILABLE: Data scientist, senior business analyst, data analyst, statistician data scientist.
MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY RANGE Rs 3-7 Lakh.

10. Digital, SEO/SEM marketing

JOBS AVAILABLE: Digital marketing manager, online marketing manager, SEO marketing strategist, SEO manager, SEO analyst
MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY RANGE Rs 3-6 Lakh.