ICT salaries increase by 3.9 per cent

Salaries for ICT workers grew by 3.9 per cent overall for the 12 months to May 2012, marginally down from 4 per cent a year earlier, according to the annual survey of Australian Computer Society (ACS) members.

Overall, the median total remuneration for ICT workers in the private sector was $117,500, an increase of 3.7 per cent, down from 4.2 per cent the previous year. IT staff in the education sector were paid an average of $100,211, an average increase of 3.5 per cent, down from 3.9 per cent a year earlier.

Wage growth in the public sector was strongest, with ICT professional earning an average of $112,459 over the 12-month period, an increase of 4.6 per cent, up from 3.5 per cent a year earlier.

Not surprisingly, general management and CIO roles continue to be the most lucrative. The mining industry performed best over the year with respondents reporting an average salary increase of 5.6 per cent, the ACS said. The communications industry also reported an average increase of ICT staff wages of 5 per cent.

“There are a number of factors at play when it comes to ICT salaries in Australia including the continued emergence of the Digital Economy, specific skills shortages and the roll out of the National Broadband Network,” ACS chief executive Alan Patterson said in a statement.

“There are two key takeaways from these findings – the first is that ICT continues to provide strong, stable and well remunerated carrier paths for professionals. The second is that to help meet the continued business and government demand for suitable ICT professionals, more must be done to engage young people in ICT.”