Starting salaries for technology professionals are expected to rise by an average of 2.7% in 2017, according to the latest salary survey by recruiters Robert Half. Cyber-security specialists, software developers and business intelligence professionals will get the highest pay rises in terms of starting salaries. Here’s how much the top tech professions are expected to make this year.
According to analysis by Robert Half, the most competitive salary increases are being offered in Melbourne with an average annual rise of 4.1%. This is followed by Brisbane at 3.2%, Sydney at 2.2% and Perth at 1.1%.
“The technology market continues to thrive,” says David Jones, senior managing director at Robert Half Asia Pacific.
“As the industry becomes more customer-centric, and concern over persistent cyber-security threats increases, demand for specialist IT skill sets is rising.
“Because of demand consistently outweighing supply, top IT talent in many functional areas are able to negotiate higher salaries, and sometimes even above-market averages.”
The 2017 Robert Half Salary Guide identifies several highly specialised IT roles that can expect a pay jump.
Big Data/ machine learning, customer-centric technology and cyber-security dominate the IT landscape.
The salary guide says candidates in the development and cyber-security/IT security space will typically receive multiple job offers, leaving them well-placed to drive pay negotiations.
Here are the top 10 jobs with the biggest gains for starting salaries:
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- Cyber-security Specialist: A minimum of $118,000 and a maximum of $160,000 for a 6.2% rise. The growing fight against cyber-attacks. Robert Half says: “This has resulted in rising salary growth for top cyber-security specialists as companies vie for the best talent.
- Senior Developer (Front-end Development): A minimum of $117,000 and a maximum of $149,000 for a 5.1% rise. Companies are increasingly focused on customer-centric technology. This means an increase in starting salaries for software developers with a solid knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript who can also demonstrate project management, analytical and leadership skills.
- Developer (Front-end Development): A minimum of $87,000 and a maximum of $125,000 for a 4.9% rise. Developers are in demand as companies move to a web-based platform.
- Junior Developer (Back-end Development): A minimum of $68,000 and a maximum of $93,000 for a rise of 4.4%. Demand for junior developers is high for those with well-developed programming skills, are database-savvy and who have a thorough knowledge of web services.
- IT Security Specialist: A minimum of $121,000 and a maximum of $161,000 for a 4.8% rise. Companies are being confronted with additional security concerns, including mobile, application, and Big Data analytics security. Robert Half says: “The most sought-after candidates, who are able to negotiate above market salary increases, are those who are familiar with new security software and hardware, have an understanding of emerging systems and are able to confidently use devices and related applications.”
- Senior Developer (Full-stack Development): A minimum of $113,00 and a maximum of $148,000 for a 4.5% rise. Those who can develop innovative and market-leading software tailored for companies are in demand. IT professionals need a blend of specialist technical skills, creative thinking and business acumen. The recruiter says: “These professionals need to be comfortable working across both back-end and front-end technologies — making their area of specialisation highly desirable and placing upwards pressure on starting salarie:.”
- Business Intelligence Analyst: A minimum of $89,000 and a maximum of $120,000 for a 4.0% rise. Big data has big job potential. Robert Half says: “With companies realising the power of big data and the impact of using data to make informed, strategic decisions that benefit operations in all departments and impact a company’s bottom line, business intelligence analysts are finding themselves in high demand.”
- Junior Developer (Front-end Development): A minimum of $71,000 and a maximum of $95,000 for a rise of 3.9%. Robert Half says junior developers specialising in front-end development will continue to be in demand as businesses increase their focus on customer interaction through an impressive company website.
- Business Intelligence Manager: A minimum of $121,000 and a maximum of $133,00 for a rise of 3.6%. Big Data is here to stay. Robert Half says: “Business intelligence managers, among many other duties, plan and design enterprise level Business Intelligence (BI) solutions, which add significant value to a company’s bottom line.” The recruiter says companies are finding it hard to find highly skilled BI nalysts.
- Database Administrator: A minimum of $83,000 and a maximum of $133,000 for a rise of 3.6%. Robert Half says: “Professionals who can properly utilise big data are able to make informed and strategic decisions for their organisation.” The recruiter says database Administrators will find themselves in increasing demand.
The story originally appeared on Business Insider.
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