Want a salary rise? You might get less than 3 per cent

Slightly more than half of IT and telecommunications employers in Australia increased staff salaries by less than 3 per cent last year, according to a recruiter.

The 2015 Hays Salary Guide, released Wednesday, claimed that the majority of IT workers (65 per cent) will also receive salary rises of less than 3 per cent in their next review. Only 23 per cent of employers gave rises of between 3 per cent and 6 per cent in 2014.

The guide look at recruiting trends for more than 1,000 roles in 14 locations in Australia and New Zealand. It is based on a survey of 2,610 organisations, representing almost 2.9 million employees.

Hays Information Technology’s regional director, Peter Noblet, said while IT salaries remain stable for the most part, the good news for IT professionals is that the number of job opportunities will increase.

“Employers tell us that both permanent and contract job opportunities will rise, which will present exciting opportunities for across the industry for professionals who want to advance their careers,” he said.

Almost one-fifth (19 per cent) of ITT employers did not increase salaries in their last review.

Candidates had higher hopes for their next salary increase with 32 per cent expecting a salary increase of less than 3 per cent; 30 per cent expecting a 3 to 6 per cent increase and 16 per cent expecting to receive 6 per cent or more, Hays said.

Flexible work practices are helping to bridge the gap between the expectations and employers and their staff. The most common arrangements on offer are flexible working hours (79 per cent of employers), part time employment (74 per cent), and more flexibility around work locations (58 per cent).

Meanwhile, another recruiter, Greythorn, believes market mapping can help address continuing shortages of IT workers. The company said current contract recruitment times are more than 40 days and starting hiring when a project is due to begin is too late. Its own research shows that 71 per cent of candidates have lost interest in a role because a recruitment process was taking too long.

A proper market mapping exercise enables recruiters to analyse the backgrounds of successful existing employees and track professionals in certain skill sets, knowing when they are coming off projects, Greythorn’s MD, Richard Fischer said.

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