IT Salaries in 2015 Moving Up-Grab Your Share
Stacy Collett
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The lack of skilled IT workers is hurting the deployment of emerging technology, according to a new survey from Gartner. In areas from cloud to cybersecurity, this crisis is expected to last for years to come.
Average total salary plus bonus increased 3.6% in 2015, compared to 2.0% in 2014, according to the survey of more than 4,800 IT professionals. Not surprisingly, survey respondents generally feel better about IT as a career and their long-term prospects for advancement than they have in past years.
"Salaries are definitely increasing," agrees John Reed, senior executive director at IT staffing firm Robert Half Technology (RHT). "We're seeing much more movement than we had last year." The firm's own research shows IT salaries growing at just above 4%.
Reed says a Texas company in February offered a 50% increase in base salary to two junior-level application developers to entice them to come on board. The offer propelled their salaries from the $50,000 range to $75,000. "That's a huge jump, and one you don't typically see," he says.
The hottest U.S. areas for IT salaries right now are Silicon Valley, Denver, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, New York and Boston, Reed adds. Other markets coming on strong include Southern California, Chicago and Atlanta. "Salary ranges are moving, and it's very fluid," he says. "In San Francisco, my colleagues say even from 30 days ago they've seen a noticeable [salary] increase in what was already a hot market."
Money Matters
Money is the biggest motivator for IT professionals when looking for a job or deciding to stick it out with their current employer, according to Computerworld's IT Salary Survey. Nearly half (49%) of survey takers indicate that base pay is among the most important aspects of their current jobs, followed closely by job stability (44%). Of those looking for a new job, 60% were motivated by higher compensation. And 74% of all respondents — not just those looking for a new job — said a salary increase would entice them to change jobs.
Good news for them: Companies that desperately need hot IT skills are ratcheting up salaries and bonuses to lure in talent. Sal DiFranco, practice leader for the global advanced technology practice at executive search firm DHR International, says companies are rebounding after years of tight IT budgets and are looking to catch up on skills.
"Companies have recognized these huge gaps in the technical expertise they're looking for — software application experience, mobile applications, business intelligence, digital and analytics, and the ability to take those and work with digital marketing teams," DiFranco says. "Then you've got the infrastructure side where you've got to be really strong on virtualization and data center consolidation, and get creative with networking and with network operations centers."
IT employees with skills in those areas are "getting good raises internally," DiFranco says, but he notes that many are looking for extra-large gains when changing employers. "They're not going to make a move for an 8%-to-10% pay increase. Most of them want 15%, which is a huge jump."
Seek Greener Pastures
One of the best ways to nab a substantial salary increase is to switch employers, says RHT's Reed. "If you want a 20% raise this year, you're going to have a much better chance of getting that by going to a new company than by going to your boss and saying, 'I need a 20% raise,'" he says.
Employers that are on top of their game have done their research and want to be aggressive when hiring IT staffers with the skills they need. "Typically on the low end they're offering 15% to 20% increases in base salaries," says RHT's Reed.
The Case For Staying Put
But it's not always worth the hassle to leave a company. "If an employee can get a 10% raise where they are and the market is commanding 15%, it might not be worth it to jump ship for that extra 5% and leave a company, a position or a manager that you actually like," Reed says.
That sentiment rings true for a 42-year-old network manager at a college in the Northeast. He got a 3.6% raise this year and is now at $95,000. "I would like to have more money, but when you work in education, it's quality of life versus pay," says the nine-year veteran of the college. "I feel well compensated, and I'm within the pay range for my skills and experience, but I also get five weeks of vacation a year and seven to 10 holidays."
Retaining talent makes sense from the employer's perspective, too. Staff departures cost a company time, money and other resources. Direct replacement costs can reach as high as 50% to 60% of an employee's annual salary, with total costs associated with turnover ranging from 90% to 200% of annual salary, according to statistics reported by the Society for Human Resource Management. That gives companies that can afford it good reason to offer healthy raises to valued employees.
Indeed, of the Computerworld survey respondents who reported base salary increases of 10% or more, just 27% said they changed employers to get the extra money. The rest attributed their pay bumps to promotions, added responsibilities or other reasons.
Lorenc, the senior infrastructure security architect who got a 30% pay increase after his company split into two, says his broad set of skills helped earn him that big raise. "I'm a security architect who's very broad but very deep, too," he explains.
His advice to IT pros looking for big raises is to beef up communication with IT managers, business units and company leaders, and be willing to take on challenges. "Be flexible, research those new technologies, and reach out and work across different towers of the business," he says.
The Road to A Better Salary
Despite strong salary gains overall in 2015, slightly more than half (54%) of survey respondents said that they feel underpaid based on their roles and responsibilities — up slightly from 52% in 2014 and 51% in 2013 and 2012. That sentiment may be the result of years of corporate belt-tightening, when salaries barely inched up while IT staffers were asked to take on more responsibilities and heavier workloads.
"There are many people who have been hunkered down at their current job, maybe since the last economic downturn, and they don't know what's happening in the marketplace," Reed says. "They might be worth much more than they're receiving."
If you're looking for a big raise, it's important to do some research and know what your value is. "Look at job listings online, see in what ranges companies are paying, talk to your peer network — that's where it all starts," Reed says.
If, after doing the research, you've decided you're worth more than you're earning, try approaching your current employer. "Before throwing yourself out in the marketplace, go to your existing employer, armed with your salary research, and ask for a raise," Reed advises. "There may be an opportunity to get a pay increase where you are."
But don't challenge your employer with big demands, he cautions. "Just because the market is paying higher than you're making doesn't mean you're necessarily going to find a new job that pays you that much," Reed says. Issuing an ultimatum "is a huge mistake that has blown up on people many times."
Skills Assessment And Training
The next step, says Reed, is a skills assessment. Identify the hottest skills in the market, the ones that will help drive up your salary. If your expertise is lacking or outdated, take a course, even online, or get a certification.
Nothing — not even training or a certification — replaces hands-on experience in a hiring manager's eyes, he notes. But if a company can't find someone with years of experience and "it comes down to you and another candidate with comparable skills, [a certification] will give you a leg up," Reed says.
For his part, DHR's DiFranco sees courses and certifications as a long-term strategy. A new skill certification alone won't impress a headhunter, he says. "A search firm is already bringing in people with three to five years of experience [in a particular skill] to a company," he explains. Instead, he advises IT employees to figure out the newest technologies that their current company needs, then get the appropriate training and ask to be involved.
"You're already a proven commodity" at your current employer, he says. "They're going to give you a chance if you have the credentials, more so than someone on the outside giving you a chance." Putting your new skills to work at your current employer will give you the experience you need to compete in the job market — and might land you a raise or a promotion at your current company.
If you're really ready to take the leap to a new job, don't just throw your résumé out on an Internet job board — your boss or someone else from your company could see it. "It doesn't take long for someone on the inside to find your résumé posted, and it may backfire on you" Reed says. "Your loyalty comes into question, and you might find yourself looking for a job because now you don't have a job."
Instead, tap into technical user groups and professional organizations, participate in networking events, and communicate with IT people who travel in the circles that you do. That's the way to find out who's hiring, what skills they're seeking and what they're paying. "Those are the things that will lead you to a better salary," Reed says.
Finally, recruiters or staffing firms can help you find a higher-paying position quickly, says the Chicago-based senior design and development engineer. He used two different recruiters to find each of his last two positions, and he emphasizes that the second recruiter found him his current job in just two days and "was able to get me what I wanted in terms of salary."
Mostly Sunny Skies Ahead
The IT career outlook is improving from year to year, according to the Computer World survey. Asked where they expect to be five years from now, 52% of this year's respondents said they anticipate being in higher-level positions, either with their current employers or at new organizations. In contrast, just 37% of the 2014 survey respondents said they expected to move up the ranks within the ensuing five years.
Recruiting firms are also cautiously optimistic, expecting the IT labor market to remain strong over the next 12 to 18 months as companies seek to innovate and gain a competitive edge through technology. "They're not backing off their investments in technology, and that's why it will be a pretty solid [employment] picture," Reed says. "You have to have the people to execute it."
That means IT professionals have a chance to position themselves for big raises. "In my company, when they think of security, they think of me — I'm their first call," Lorenc says. "Once you're in that position, it gives you a lot of opportunities."
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