Paychecks for accountants, finance folks, IT staff and administrative pros will likely be flat or decline over the next year, but workers with some specific skills may be in luck, according to the 2010 Salary Guides from Robert Half International.

Research for the guides provides insight into compensation and hiring trends within each field, and identifies positions where national average salaries are holding strong or seeing slight gains.

“A focus on cost control will continue to shape the hiring landscape next year, and starting salaries clearly are being influenced by that trend,” said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. “At the same time, companies recognize the need to invest in staff members with specific expertise who can help them capitalize on emerging opportunities.”

Added Messmer, “In the current environment, some firms are taking advantage of the large pool of top talent now available by selectively adding full-time staff in key areas.”

In the IT sector, look for these niches to have the best prospects:

Network administrators: Cloud computing, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Software as a Service (SaaS) have significantly increased the complexity of and requirements placed on networks. Further, chief information officers interviewed for the fourth-quarter Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report cited network administration as the most in-demand skill set. Network administrators can expect to see starting salaries in the range of $54,500 to $80,250 in the coming year.

Information systems security manager: Protecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information from internal and external breaches is a must-have for companies of all sizes, making security professionals integral to the IT department. The salary range for an information systems security manager is expected to be $96,500 to $130,750.

Systems engineer: As companies implement new technologies, technical service roles remain critical to the organization. Systems engineers are in demand to help companies develop and maintain technical infrastructure, hardware and system software components in support of a variety of IT projects. Base compensation for these professionals is projected to range from $64,250 to $93,250.

To see the full story on jobs with the best prospects, visit here.

Tags: IT, Robert Half Technology, salaries