Companies looking to hire information technology professionals should expect to pay higher salaries in order to attract these candidates. At the same time, employers searching for IT talent may find a somewhat less competitive environment.
Pay Up
Salaries for information technology professionals have increased by 5.32 percent, in comparison to this time last year, according the 2017 Mid-Year Salary Survey from Janco Associates, a consulting and research firm specializing in information technology.
The median annually salary for positions surveyed stands at $87,175, compared to $82,775 in 2016.
Job Growth
Janco now estimates that, on average, 6,500 new IT jobs will be created each month in 2017, resulting in approximately 77,200 new U.S. IT jobs.
Total IT job growth is not nearly as high as originally forecasted.
“The recent election initially created a positive outlook for job growth in general and information technology in particular. However, the drama associated with the conflicts between the president, the media, and the Democratic Party is eliminating the probabilities for implementation of the president’s policies. This in turn is causing companies to hold back,” said M. Victor Janulaitis, CEO of Janco Associates.
But while hiring has slowed from the pace set in early 2017, it’s worth noting that it has not petered out altogether. Janco’s forecast of 77,200 new IT jobs still exceeds the 71,500 jobs that were added in 2016.
More News to Use
Here are other survey findings that may prove helpful in planning for IT hires.
- The greatest salary increases have been among middle manager in midsized companies. These salaries have increased, on average, by 6.65 percent.
- In the first two quarters of 2017, middle management positions at small and midsized companies had the greatest demand for new IT hires.
- Chief information officer (CIO) median tenure has increased by a month, to 4.5 years, as fewer CIOs moved on to new positions.
- Positions in highest demand are associated with security, training, large data center management, big data, distributed/mobile system project management, quality control, bring your own device (BYOD) implementation, capacity planning, and service level improvement.
Additionally, Janco research finds that onshore outsourcing and H-1B visa jobs appear to have peaked. The America first campaign has resulted in more infrastructure functions being moved in-house.