ICT salaries continue to grow despite GFC: ACS

Salaries of ICT professionals have slowed on average over the twelve months to May 2009, a new survey from the Australian Computer Society (ACS) has found.

However, the good news is that ICT salaries continue to rise. Whereas IT salaries grew 4.9 percent on average in the 12 months to May 2008, salaries in the 12 months to May 2009 grew 4.0 percent on average.

The survey, which interview 1500 ICT professionals and was conducted by Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia (APESMA), found that public sector ICT professionals have faired considerably better than their private sector colleagues during the year: public sector salaries grew some 4.6 percent against 3.9 percent for private sector salaries, in the year to May 2009.

In relative terms, the incomes of ICT professionals were only just keeping pace with most other technical professional employees who reported increases over a corresponding period in the order of 5 percent, the survey found.

Placing this in context, the survey reported that the Australian Bureau of Statistics in the 12 months to February 2009 found that Australian Average Weekly Earnings increasing by 5.9 percent.

Breaking down salary increases by industry, the report found that the top five increases in the year to May 2009 were: Retail (5.7 percent), Insurance (5.4 percent), Transport and storage (4.9 percent), Other manufacturing (4.8 percent) and Public administration (4.7 percent).

Breaking down salary increases by job function, the survey found that the total package salaries for CIOs grew from $155-$240k in 2008 to $160-$240k in 2009 while General Manager salaries grew from $130-$225k to $155-$280k.

ICT Managers grew from $100-135k to $105-$180k, ICT Project Managers from $100-$135k to $110-$155k, and ICT Consultants from $80-$155k to $85-$160k.

According to ACS chairman, Kumar Parakala, incomes of ICT professionals employed in the private sector were increasing more slowly than other professionals employed in the industry due to the impact of the global financial crisis.

“As business and government organisations tighten their belts in response to the global financial crisis, tech budgets are being cut and major projects are being delayed or put on hold,” he said in a statement. “Whilst public sector employees have enjoyed an increase in salaries over the past twelve months, employees in the private sector have felt the greatest impact. Salary levels have however performed positively over the past two years, with all but three job functions experiencing a rise in remuneration packages.”

He said with the Federal Budget’s number of infrastructure programs and investment in RD, a positive impact on ICT employment and salaries could be expected.

Online search for 2009 ACS Remuneration Survey Report is available to ACS members here.