IT jobs recover, but pay doesn't

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It should be easier to get a job in IT this year, but don't expect a pay raise.

That's the conclusion of ReThink Recruitment, whose research found that 46 per cent of IT departments planned to hire extra staff this year, with just 17 per cent looking to slash jobs.

However, those with jobs shouldn't expect to get paid more. ReThink said the "pay austerity" was already "far worse than they had to endure following the dot com collapse."

The poll found 59 per cent of IT directors would keep pay frozen this year, with just 39 per cent boosting salaries. Still, it's an improvement from last year, which saw 71 per cent of IT staffers hit by pay cuts or freezes.

The same follows for freelance contractors, with 83 per cent saying they expect their pay to stay the same as last year - not a good thing, given a whopping 98 per cent claimed their rates were frozen or cut in 2009. Again, while rates aren't set to rise, only five per cent expect to see them fall.

Michael Bennett, director of ReThink Recruitment, said in a statement: “The good news is more jobs. The bad news is IT directors intend to keep pay down."

He added: “Despite IT Directors looking to keep a tight rein on pay, this could be difficult as the job market picks up," he predicted. "Hiring eventually feeds through to pay increases as the best quality candidates get snapped up.”

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