IT pay holds steady

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The average pay for IT professionals was unchanged in the third quarter of last year, despite the growing cost of living.

While rates saw a boost in the early part of the year, they held firm at about £40 an hour for contract workers and £35,000 a year for permanent workers, according to the iProfile Skills Survey released by recruiters SkillsMarket and the Association of Technology Staffing Companies (ATSCo).

The report showed annual salaries and hourly rates had both remained essentially unchanged for the three past quarters, after a jump at the beginning of the year showed solid demand for those in the sector and plying their trade throughout industry.

Ann Swain, chief executive of ATSCo, said that this year "seems to be concluding the same way that it started with strong demand for contract and permanent IT staff. Our members predict this trend to continue into 2008 with those possessing niche skills more likely to see a rise in pay rates".

Indeed, the survey showed IT staff with skills experiencing a shortage - including C++, Java, Oracle, SAP or Unix - were more likely to see a pay raise of the period, compared to those with C or Lotus Notes skills, or those working as programme managers, technical support staff and web developers.

As well, IT professionals working in the East Midlands saw a boost in average pay, while those in the West Midlands and East of England saw their pay fall. The engineering and manufacturing sectors also bucked the trend, and reported higher earnings.

Another survey released early this week showed demand for IT professionals was at a six-year high.

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