Higher salaries predicted for IT professionals in 2015

In one of the first glimpses at earnings potential for the upcoming year, it looks like IT professionals have something to celebrate. According to the 2015 Salary Guide from Robert Half, newly hired IT professionals in the United States can expect an average salary increase of about 5.7 percent over 2014 numbers.

Money Magnet

The sectors of highest demand for skilled IT workers are mobile, security and big data. In the mobile arena, the IT industry needs folks who can develop applications for all kinds of mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, and so forth). And this need is reflected in compensation — mobile applications developers can expect the highest salary increase, at 10.2 percent, with an annual salary range of $107,500 to $161,500. There is also great demand for systems and network security administrators and network security engineers, as well as data analysts, data architects and data modelers.

 

Although the unemployment rate for IT positions remains lower than other types of jobs, which means competition is still intense, employers are having a difficult time finding skilled workers. Robert Half's research indicates that 61 percent of technology executives report recruiting challenges. When organizations need to hire, especially to meet growth goals, you can expect them to sweeten the pot by not only offering competitive salaries, but also greater work/life balance in the workplace, professional development and the like.

 

All of this points to bringing your resume up to date and finding ways to increase your value to a prospective employer. If you've been mulling over whether to study for and attain a certification, especially in mobile, security or big data, consider that one or more credentials could very well put your resume in the "second-look" pile, and net you more money. For example, regarding security job roles, the Robert Half Salary Guide states, "Accordingly, these are positions for which many employers are prepared to offer higher salaries in 2015. Candidates with in-demand security certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) can expect to earn even higher compensation."

 

Because it's the Salary Guide's 20th anniversary, Robert Half has also included a brief but highly interesting look at the evolution of technology, and changes in salaries, over the last two decades. The company also gives it outlook for the next 20 years.

 

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About the Author

Ed Tittel is a 30-plus-year computer industry veteran who's worked as a software developer, technical marketer, consultant, author, and researcher. Author of many books and articles, Ed also writes on certification topics for Tech Target, ComputerWorld and Win10.Guru. Check out his website at www.edtittel.com, where he also blogs daily on Windows 10 and 11 topics.