Dev Jobs Outlook Bright for 2006

In 2006, salaries for software architects and devs may finally see their biggest up ticks since the bubble burst, according to CIO surveys conducted by a leading international IT recruiter. But, with higher salaries will come bigger workloads. Among the big winners: professionals who can bridge high-tech and business needs using web-to-legacy integration, analytics, SOA and security.

by Vance McCarthy

Tags: Workload, CIOs, Decreased Staff, Survey, Managers, Analysts, ESB,



In 2006, salaries for software architects and devs may finally see their biggest up ticks since the bubble burst, according to CIO survey conducted by Robert Half Technology (RHT) a leading recruiter of IT talent worldwide.



But, RHA adds, with higher salaries will come bigger workloads. Among the big winners: professionals who can bridge high-tech and business needs by using web-to-legacy integration, analytics, SOA and security.



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RHT's found CIOs expect to increase their IT hiring in Q4 2005 (and into 2006) across a wide variety of sectors. As a result, RHT predicts the following salary increases:

  • IT auditor up 11.0% ($67,000-$94,250)

  • Lead apps developer up 5.3% ($72,000-to-$98,250)

  • Network security administrator up 5.2% ($67,500-$94,750)

  • Business systems analysts up 5.1% ($58,750-to-$84,750)

  • Data analysts/report writers will rise 5.0% ($54,000-to-$71,250)

  • Developers/programmer analysts will rise 4.6% ($55,250-to-$86,750)

  • Project managers will increase 4.2% ($72,750-to-$99,250)

  • Quality assurance/testing managers up 2.6% ($67,250-to-$88,250)



    But, More Money Will Mean More Work

    But with more money, expect more work. In a related-but-separate "IT workload poll," RHT's also workload survey found that "busy IT departments are getting busier by the day."



    RHT's nationwide poll of more than 1,400 CIOs found an astonishing two-thirds (66%) said their IT teams have bigger workloads now than the same period in 2004. Only 4% said they had less work than a year ago. The vast majority of those reporting growing workloads (86 percent) attributed the increase to taking on new projects.



    As an example: CIOs were asked, "How has the workload of your IT staff changed in the past 12 months?"

    The CIO responses:

  • Workload has "increased significantly" -- 29%

  • Workload has "increased somewhat" -- 37%

  • Workload has "decreased" -- 4%

  • No change in workload -- 30%



    • Those CIOs who said they expected an increase in workload were also asked, "Would you say the increased workload on existing IT staff is more the result of decreased staff size or new projects being initiated?"

    The CIO responses:

  • New projects -- 86%

  • Decreased staff -- 8%

  • Both new projects and decreased staff -- 4%

  • Other -- 1%



    RHT executive director Katherine Spencer Lee summed up the surveys findings this way: "An improving economy has prompted many companies to move forward with business expansion initiatives. Recent government regulations requiring tighter controls on corporate data also are placing greater demands on IT departments."



    Lee also had two key pieces of advice for CIOs, managers and IT staff employees:

  • To remain competitive and avoid burnout among valued employees, companies must ensure their teams have the capacity to handle new business initiatives; and
  • Supervisors should regularly review workers' ongoing assignments to ensure their to-do lists are manageable to help determine if tasks should be redistributed or if additional contract or full-time personnel are required to support core staff."

    • Click here for more on RHT's survey/polls of CIOs.


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