Dive Brief:
- Dice’s annual IT salary survey found average tech salaries in the U.S. were up 7.7% in 2015.
- In 2015, the average tech professional's annual salary was $96,370.
- Though IT salaries have steadily risen over the years, 2015 saw the biggest year-over-year growth since Dice began the survey more than 10 years ago.
Dive Insight:
Dice surveyed more than 16,000 technology professionals for its annual report and took measures to eliminate duplicate responses.
The company found that the average IT salaries in seven metro areas reached six-figures for the first time. According to Dice, tech pros in Silicon Valley were the highest paid in the U.S., earning an average salary of $118,243 annually.
The wage hikes “paint a picture of an overall solid environment for technology professionals with 62% earning higher salaries in 2015,” the report said.
“The competition for tech talent today is undeniable,” said Bob Melk, president of Dice. “Demand for skilled talent and low unemployment rates for tech professionals aren’t making the hiring landscape any easier. Employers realize offering competitive pay is a necessity.”
Salaries are expected to continue growing in 2016, with positions like data engineering likely to see almost a 9% growth in annual salary.
Tech professionals that focus on Big Data and cloud were the highest earners, as those skills are currently in greatest demand. The highest paid skill sets are for professionals with expertise in HANA, Cassandra and Cloudera.
“As more businesses look to build out their tech infrastructures, employers need solutions to securely store, manage and process large sets of data,” said Melk. “Professionals with big data or cloud expertise continue to serve as high priority candidates.”
