Robert Half Technology Releases Salary Guide 2011: Research Shows Increase in Average Starting Salaries for IT Professionals

MENLO PARK, Calif., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Information technology (IT) professionals in the United States can expect starting salaries to increase an average of 3.4 percent in 2011, according to the just-released Robert Half Technology Salary Guide 2011.  Larger increases in base compensation are expected in high-demand segments such as applications and web development, data security and enterprise resource planning (ERP).

Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis.  The annual salary survey is based on an in-depth analysis of the thousands of job placements managed by the company's U.S. offices. Since compensation varies by geographic region, the Salary Guide provides regional variance data to help hiring managers adjust starting salaries for their specific markets.

"A focus on improving efficiency, managing assets and securing data has increased the demand, and base compensation for IT professionals with ERP and security credentials," said John Reed, executive director of Robert Half Technology.  "Additionally, the rise of social media and focus on customer-facing technologies have created additional demand for web professionals and applications developers."

According to the Salary Guide, web designers will see the greatest starting salary gains of any job classification in 2011, with base compensation expected to rise 5.5 percent, to between $50,750 and $83,000 annually.  "With social media being closely tied to an organization's success, there is strong demand for skilled web designers who can create customer friendly web experiences," Reed said.  

Other key findings from the Robert Half Technology Salary Guide 2011 include:

• Base compensation for ERP technical developers – who tailor ERP software for their organizations – is projected to increase 5.2 percent next year, to a range of $79,250 to $109,500.  
• Average starting salaries for business intelligence analysts will rise 5 percent, to the range of $82,500 to $116,250 annually.
• Data modelers can expect base compensation in the range of $80,750 to $111,250, a gain of 4.5 percent over 2010.
• Network managers will see average starting salaries rise 4.3 percent, to the range of $79,250 to $109,500 per year.
• Base compensation for IT auditors will increase 4.2 percent, with starting salaries of $77,750 to $108,000 annually, on average.

Industries forecasting particularly strong demand for IT professionals in 2011 include business services, transportation and healthcare.  

"There is a strong need for IT professionals in healthcare in particular. We've seen a strong demand for IT professionals, from developers to help desk, to assist with the conversion to electronic medical records," Reed noted.

Information in the Salary Guide is based on thousands of project and full-time placements made by Robert Half Technology staffing and recruiting specialists, and exclusive research on hiring trends conducted by Robert Half Technology.  Ongoing salaries are not reported since seniority, performance, work ethic and other hard-to-measure factors can affect pay as individual work histories develop.

The Salary Guide 2011 is accompanied by the Robert Half Technology Salary Center (www.rht.com/SalaryCenter), featuring additional analysis on hiring and compensation trends and the Robert Half Technology Salary Calculator, which allows users to quickly determine the starting salary range for their specific position and location.

Organizations of all sizes and industries turn to the Robert Half Technology Salary Guide to benchmark salary levels and make better hiring decisions.  In addition, educational institutions and research entities such as the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics have referenced the guide for the latest compensation data.  

With more than 100 locations worldwide, Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of technology professionals for initiatives ranging from web development and multiplatform systems to network security and technical support. Robert Half Technology offers online job search services at www.rht.com. Follow Robert Half Technology on Twitter at twitter.com/RobertHalfTech.

SOURCE Robert Half Technology