Looking for a raise? Breathe easy, because you’re going to get one.
According to the latest report from Robert Half Technology, if you’re in the high tech sector in this country you are more than likely to get a raise this year. The study, which surveyed 1,600 CIOs in Canada and the U.S., found that a perfect storm is happening in the Canadian high tech sector. Lara Dodo, regional vice president of Robert Half Technology, said IT hiring has shifted into higher gear with many firms, while within some specialties there are a lot of openings and not enough skilled candidates, especially in sectors such as manufacturing, professional services, and non-profit.
Related: CDN‘s IT Sales Job Board
“We need to get more talent into the market,” Dodo said.
She also pointed out that the average for IT employment is 2.3 per cent, which is well below the national employment average of 7.5 per cent.
Employers are also looking for people with a blended skill set. For example, people with know-how of systems, networks, and software are hard to find and in high demand. “Hiring for .Net, SilverLight, MySQL and Java and if you can add Sharepoint will boost your compensation,” Dodo added.
Speaking of pay, on average, starting salaries for IT positions in Canada are expected to increase 4.4 per cent this year. The top end salary for a Canadian IT professional will be anywhere from $59,750 to $111,250. A data warehouse analyst will have a pay range between $81,750 to $11,250, while a software developer, depending on experience and skills, could net between $59,000 to $108,750.
Other pay ranges include:
Business intelligence analyst $70,750 to $98,500;
Mobile application developer: $72,500 to $102,750;
Network engineer: $75,000 to $98,250; and
Systems security administrator: $73,000 to $102,000.
The top technical skill in demand is network administration at 64 per cent, followed by database management at 51 per cent.
“There are bidding wars out there to get these people and they’re not sure they’ll be able to keep them. Possessing specialized skills can provide candidates with additional pay on top of their base salaries,” Dodo said.
For example, wages increased in these specific areas:
Sharepoint skills increased by 12 per cent:
Virtualization skills were up by 10 per cent;
.Net development skills rose by eight per cent;
VoIP development skills also rose by eight per cent along with Cisco networking admin skills; and
Java development skills increased six per cent.
But what CIOs said really kept them up at night was security. The Robert Half Technology study found that security will continue to be a big issue, especially as more businesses move into the cloud. The study showed 25 per cent need to move to new portals and protect data.
“If you think you’re not in the cloud you’re wrong because your department is in the cloud, and an average $1.2 million is spent by large companies who thought they were not in the cloud. Department heads and CIOs are also looking for SaaS solutions, even against policy. Speed of delivery and sense of urgency have created a scenario that departments do what they have to do,” Dodo said.
Dodo said it’s time to hire for business, but that the average number of weeks its takes to hire is five, and seven if that position is in management.
Employees also are not just in IT for the money. They also look at company stability, having a strong sense of job security, work/life balance and things such as respect.
Meanwhile, employers are looking for soft skills too such as leadership, customer service, ability to work under pressure, verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to align business and IT goals.
Another interesting finding was if tablet adoption would increase or decrease in the next two years. Of the 1,600 CIOs polled, 41 per cent said there would be no change; eight per cent said they didn’t know, while 48 per cent said it would increase. Only three per cent of the respondents said it would decrease.
