Competition for technical talent is on the rise – and so are salaries.
Companies in hiring mode say there’s a shortage of tech talent, and IT pros are upping their expectations for pay and benefits. Overall, the jobs outlook is positive for IT pros as the new year gets underway.
When asked about hiring plans for the next six months, 19% of CIOs said they plan to expand their teams in the first half of 2015, according to Robert Half Technology (RHT). That’s a sizable gain compared to mid-2014, when 14% were planning to add more staff to their departments. (Another 68% of CIOs expect to hire only for open IT roles, 10% plan to put a hold on hiring, and 3% expect to reduce their IT staffing levels in the first six months of the new year.)
On the salary front, IT workers can expect bigger pay bumps than many other professionals are getting. Across all fields, U.S. starting salaries for professional occupations are projected to increase an average of 3.8% in 2015, Robert Half predicts. The largest expected gains are in tech – where the average starting salary for newly hired IT workers is forecast to climb 5.7%.
Within IT, certain titles will be getting the biggest salary hikes, according to the recruiting and staffing specialist’s 2015 Salary Guide. At the top of the heap, based on percentage gains, are mobile application developers and big data engineers, who can expect a 10.2% and 9.3% increase in starting salaries, respectively, RHT reports. (Only base salaries are calculated; totals don’t include bonuses, perks or other compensation elements.)
The 15 positions expected to see the largest salary gains, percentage-wise, between 2014 and 2015 are:
1. Mobile applications developer
2014 salary range: $100,000-$144,000
2015 salary range: $107,500-$161,500
Net: 10.2% increase
2. Big data engineer
2014 salary range: $110,250-$152,750
2015 salary range: $119,250-$168,250
Net: 9.3% increase
3. Wireless network engineer
2014 salary range: $91,500-$125,250
2015 salary range: $99,000-$137,500
Net: 9.1% increase
4. Business intelligence analyst
2014 salary range: $101,250-$142,250
2015 salary range: $108,500-$153,000
Net: 7.4% increase
5. Data security analyst
2014 salary range: $100,500-$137,250
2015 salary range: $106,250-$149,000
Net: 7.4% increase
6. Data architect
2014 salary range: $111,750-$153,750
2015 salary range: $119,750-$164,750
Net: 7.2% increase
7. Lead applications developer
2014 salary range: $99,750-$137,750
2015 salary range: $106,250-$148,250
Net: 7.2% increase
8. Database developer
2014 salary range: $92,000-$134,500
2015 salary range: $98,000-$144,750
Net: 7.2% increase
9. Software engineer
2014 salary range: $89,750-$137,250
2015 salary range: $96,000-$147,250
Net: 7.2% increase
10. Chief security officer
2014 salary range: $126,750-$189,750
2015 salary range: $134,250-$204,750
Net: 7.1% increase
11. Software developer
2014 salary range: $80,250-$127,250
2015 salary range: $85,500-$136,250
Net: 6.9% increase
12. Senior web developer
2014 salary range: $97,750-$135,250
2015 salary range: $104,500-$144,250
Net: 6.8% increase
13. Network security engineer
2014 salary range: $99,750-$131,250
2015 salary range: $105,000-$141,500
Net: 6.7% increase
14. Data modeler
2014 salary range: $97,250-$134,250
2015 salary range: $101,750-$145,250
Net: 6.7% increase
15. Information systems security manager
2014 salary range: $115,250-$160,000
2015 salary range: $122,250-$171,250
Net: 6.6% increase
