Salaries in IT and Technology rose 2.5% over the past year according to the Market Insight report from specialist recruiter Greythorn. The average salary now stands at £50,276, up from £49,027 in their last survey.*
In the same period, 25,000 new roles have been created in the IT and Tech sector[1]. The biggest rise was in programmers and software development professionals, which saw a rise of 12,000 new positions. There are also 5,000 more web development professionals.
The majority of growth both in terms of salary and headcount has been at more junior levels suggesting much of the growth has been in “newer established” industries related to emerging technologies. Salaries among IT Directors has fallen 11.5% in the past year and the number of IT managers has fallen by 6,000.
Mark Baxter, Managing Director of Greythorn said;
“IT and Tech is at the vanguard of the economy and the sector is growing year by year. It is extremely important in maintaining a global advantage for businesses in every sector and talented staff are at the very heart of this. A huge number of new roles are being created, and skilled professionals have never been more in demand particularly in emerging technologies. Those that have the skills can demand increased salaries and bonuses, knowing they hold the power in any negotiations.”
The past twelve months have been very positive for IT professionals overall. Eighty three per cent are now optimistic about the economy, compared with just 51% in the last survey. Forty one per cent have changed jobs in the past year and 32% found a new role in less than a month showing demand for IT professionals with the relevant skills.
Web tops in-demand skillsets
Web development has topped the list of sought after skillsets in the IT profession**, with half of IT professionals citing this as the most in demand skill in the industry. Mobile application development and Big Data come as the second and third most desired skills, with 26% and 23% respectively.
Mark Baxter concludes,
“Even with the increasing proliferation of smartphones, tablets and other new technology, web development still tops the list of sought after skills this year. This shows it is crucial that IT professionals keep their online skillsets up to scratch. Those who continue to refresh and enhance their web based skills will reap the best rewards given such expertise and knowledge continues to be in very high in demand across the sector.”
*Greythorn 2014 Salary Survey conducted among 70 senior IT professionals in February 2014
** Survey conducted among 133 IT professionals in March 2014