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Wages Soaring for IT Professionals Over Last Five Years

ABS Census data obtained by ITPA shows that IT incomes have received an above average boost across most categories since the previous 2011 survey led by ICT Security Specialists, ICT Project Managers and ICT Managers.

SYDNEY: Monday, November 27, 2017 - Australian Bureau of Statistics data collected in the 2016 Census shows that while IT wages grew very modestly between the 2006-2011 returns, there has been significant growth in average incomes from 2011-2016.

Average incomes grew by over 30 per cent in the last five years in high demand categories such as ICT Security Specialists (up 31 per cent to $112,996), ICT Managers (30 per cent-$120,900) and ICT Project Managers (30 per cent-$121,576) while CIO wages grew at a slightly slower rate (22 per cent-$120,328).

There was also healthy but slower average wages growth at the lower end of the income scale in the last five years with entry level categories such as ICT Customer Support (up by 14 per cent to $73,320), Web Developer (up 18 per cent to $77,584) and ICT Support Engineer (up 17 per cent to $86,112) showing positive movement.

Robert Hudson, President of independent industry association, ITPA, said there has been positive wages growth across the board which reflects the growing value of IT professionals as a community in the national employment structure.

“As public and private enterprises turn to IT as an operating mechanism to improve productivity, expand market-places, enhance service delivery and impact the bottom line, a skilled and well-remunerated work-force is critical,” Hudson said. “It is no surprise that specialists in areas such as cyber security, project management and IT management are reaping the rewards as IT’s role in operations becomes critical.

“If we take ICT Security Specialists as an example, the Census data shows that incomes for IT professionals working in this area have accelerated substantially over the last five years.

“While average wages in this category only grew by 8 per cent between the 2006 and 2011, in the following five years the growth was an impressive 31 per cent and that trend of a big boost over the last five years is repeated across most categories of IT employment.”

Meanwhile, broader income data drawn from consecutive Census surveys shows that where the national average across all income types has risen by 16 per cent in five years (to $78,832), the average income for all ICT categories has risen by 19.6 per cent (to $101,272).

According to Hudson, the previously reported above average jobs growth is complemented by these income growth rates that are ahead of national averages but he warns it should not be taken for granted and could be better.

“It’s a good time to be an IT professional based on how the rest of the economy is performing,” Hudson said. “Employment and income statistics are key economic indicators on the health of an industry and the positive numbers emerging about our industry from this latest Census data should really be ringing some bells in the halls of government.

“Imagine what sort of growth the IT industry could deliver if we had a genuine bi-partisan approach to developing infrastructure, encouraging innovation, employing local professionals and supporting STEM teaching and learning at all levels of education.

“At the moment, hovering menacingly over the industry’s local potential, we have an appalling NBN fiasco, a faux innovation plan, attacks on education costs and a skilled foreign worker visa scheme that is open to exploitation as a cost reduction mechanism for large organisations.

“The industry is a political football and large amounts of money and human resources are being deployed in the wrong places.

“In an economic outlook largely devoid of good stories on jobs and wages growth, IT is a beacon industry that deserves much higher priority in political discourse and focus on making informed decisions at the highest levels of Government so that the industry can continue to prosper.”

“In the digital age, commerce is increasingly being conducted online. It is a new era for IT professionals.

“People working in the industry who want to reap the rewards of increasing wages will need to stay abreast of new technology through training and education schemes like our CPM program are set to keep advancing their careers and drive competitive advantage for their employers.” 

High End Wages:

Low End Wages:

National Averages:

More details of the IT industry employment and wages growth trends extracted by ITPA from the 2016 Census data are available on request from Gerard Norsa. For additional comment on changing employment trends plus wages and jobs growth in the industry, contact Robert Hudson.

For more information or comment, contact:

Gerard Norsa, Schmooze Communications - gerard@schmooze.com.au - 0427 563 442

Robert Hudson, President, ITPA - president@itpa.org.au - 0408 860 595

ABOUT ITPA:

The Information Technology Professionals Association (ITPA) was formed in 2016 as an evolution of the System Administrators Guild of Australia (SAGE-AU), which was founded in 1993. Since launching, ITPA has grown to now include over 17,000 members. Led and populated by IT professionals who are currently working in the industry, ITPA aims to be a trusted source of advice, knowledge and information about the IT industry for enterprise, government, media and society. It is in tune with the latest industry developments, focused on growing career opportunities for Australian IT professionals and willing to challenge government policy that inhibits the growth of the Australian IT Industry.

www.itpa.org.au

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