IT bonanza: salaries and offers to rise further in 2009

Lia Timson
Thursday, 26 June 2008 07:50

IT People - Enterprise

The 2008-09 Michael Page International Technology Salary + Employment Forecast released this week, shows employers expect to pay more to attract and retain IT staff in all industries as the skills and graduate enrolment crises continue.

They anticipate offering between 5 and 8% more money across all IT jobs, and up to 15% more for specialist skill sets in 2009.

Last month, the Hays Salary Survey 2008 revealed IT salaries had risen between 6 and 10% on average, with some positions commanding 20 and 30% higher wages.

But the new survey warns employers to provide more than just money to retain workers, with twice as many employees saying their main reason for leaving their last job was career advancement. It recommends training, flexible work practices and a degree of leeway in the hiring.

Factored into the predicted salary rise is the exodus of IT professionals from NSW and Victoria towards Queensland and Western Australia where the resources and mining boom is fuelling demand for staff across all sectors.

Although the IT exodus is expected to be temporary to match contract periods, candidates are being persuaded to move because of the number of opportunities and the “range of interesting and rewarding projects on offer”, the survey found.

All in all, the survey has even more good news for IT candidates looking for choice as it found more than two thirds of employers plan to hire more people. Some 62% are preparing to increase their permanent head count by 1 to 10 staff, while 7% plan to hire more than 10. Only 4% expect to decrease head count. (Continues on Page 2)