One good thing a recession brings to companies that still have jobs to fill:

There may be more talent available than usual — especially when it comes to hiring IT staff.

Officials at oDesk, a job board specializing in contract IT work, says the site has been flooded recently with candidates looking to get hired.

About 20,000 job-seekers posted ads on the site in November, representing a 40% increase from the previous month, Computerworld reports.

The bottom line: Any company still hiring will have a wider pool of applicants to choose from.

Also, oDesk currently lists 4,600 temporary and contract IT jobs — more than double the amount from a year ago. More companies appear to be taking advantage of the cost savings that hiring contractors can provide in many situations.

Tags: IT staffing, job board