ICT salaries continue to grow: ACS

ICT salaries have grown steadily over the twelve months to May 2012, according to the Australian Computer Society (ACS Foundation).

The 2012 ACS Remuneration Survey Report of nearly 2000 ICT professionals working in Australia, showed remuneration paid to ICT professionals across the twelve-month period was 3.9 per cent – marginally down from an annual increase of 4 per cent reported a year earlier.

However, ICT professionals hired in the public sector recorded the greatest rate of increase of 4.6 per cent, a substantial rise from the 3.5 per cent reported the same time last year.

Those in the private sector reported an average increase of 3.7 per cent, a decrease from the 4.2 per cent increase reported in 2011, while education sector employees reported an average increase of 3.5 per cent, lower than the 3.9 per cent increase reported a year earlier.

Overall, the median total remuneration package for ICT professionals in the private sector was $117,500 compared to $112,459 in the public sector and $100,211 in the education sector.

ACS chief executive, Alan Patterson, claimed the findings demonstrate the continued underlying strength of the ICT sector in Australia.

“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 skill shortages and the roll out of the NBN,” he said.

ACS also mentioned that the salaries of the majority of ICT professionals have accelerated substantially ahead of general cost of living increases.

It attributed a report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which reported an increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 1.2 per cent over the same period.

Other key findings from the study include:

• ICT respondents in the mining industry reported an average salary increase of 5.6 per cent
• The communications sector also showed strong wage growth, with respondents reporting an average increase of 5 per cent.
• General management and chief information officer roles continue to be the most lucrative ICT positions based on the level of total remuneration packages.

“There are two key takeaways; the first is ICT continues to provide strong, stable and well remunerated career 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,” Patterson said.

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