The soothsayers at Forrester Research have been consulting their tarot cards and are convinced that businesses and governments around the world are set to resume IT spending in 2010. In the past they saw the 10 of swords which they think shows a dismal 2009, however the other cards for this year are a lot more fortunate.

Global IT spending is forecast to rise 8.1 percent in 2010 to more than $1.6 trillion, following an 8.9 percent decline in 2009, according to Forrester. It says that US IT spending is projected to grow 6.6 percent to $568 billion in 2010 after an 8.2 percent decline in 2009. Andrew Bartels, Forrester Research vice president and principal analyst, in a statement that the technology downturn of 2008 and 2009 is unofficially over and all the pieces are in place for a 2010 tech spending rebound.

The tech recovery in the US will be much stronger than the overall economic recovery, with tech spending growing at more than twice the rate of gross domestic product in 2010. Software and computer hardware will see the greatest growth. Global purchases of computer equipment will be up 8.2 percent this year. Communications equipment buying will be up 7.6 per cent, software spending up 9.7 per cent, purchases of IT consulting and systems integration services up 6.8 per cent and IT outsourcing services up 7.1 per cent.

Europe will be the strongest growing region for IT spending this year, led by Western and Central Europe, where tech purchases will rise by 11.2 percent. This is thanks to the dollar's decline against the euro. IT purchases in Canada will grow by 9.9 percent, Asia Pacific by 7.8 percent and Latin America by 7.7 percent, the firm predicted.

The weakest market will be Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, rising by just 2.4 percent, Forrester said.