Recently lost your IT industry job? Relax - despite the global financial crisis, it seems you won't have much trouble finding another one.

In a predection that flies in the face of most news reports and economic commentary, at least one major industry watcher sees a very bright light at the end of the tunnel - and they reckon it's a lot closer than many people think.

The future predictors at Gartner are urging companies to get cracking on plans for new IT projects, despite the fact that much of the developed world is starring a prolonged recession in the face.

Gartner's logic, it seems, is that if a company waits for the good times to roll around, they'll be in danger of missing out on the spoils. Those which get in early and have their plans ready to roll will end up in a much stronger position in the long run.

To make things seem even more urgent, the analysis firm has nominated July 1 this year as the date such plans should be finalised. Getting these swiftly through internal approvals processes will then allow funding to be allocated and work to begin as soon as those elusive green shoots of recovery start to push skywards.

According to Gartner fellow and vice president Mark Raskino, the company's prognosis should not be seen as a belief that the bad times are over, but more as advice on how to proceed in the meantime.

“We’re not trying to predict when the end of the recession will take place, nor are we trying to speculate when credit market stability will occur, or when we will see consistent investment appreciation return to the world’s equity markets,” he says.

“What we are saying is that due to the lag in time between the point at which the economy begins to grow again, and when it’s officially declared to be growing again, companies simply can’t wait for an ‘official’ declaration before they begin planning for better times.”

So, shake off those feeling of economic dread and start planning. Your future prosperity might depend on it.