2016 Salary Trends in Technology

2016 Salary Trends in Technology2016 Salary Trends in Technology2016 Salary Trends in Technology ConlanCompared with competitive salary trends in finance, healthcare and transportation, no industry can hold a candle to tech hiring, says Katie Bardaro, vice president of data analytics at PayScale.When it comes to IT jobs, theyre hiring like crazy and wages are rising like crazy, says Bardaro. And its not just at tech firms any business that wants to recruit tech talent and hire for IT jobs is facing strong wage pressure.While that may sound daunting for many employers, there is some good news. Recruiting experts expect salary growth to remain hot, but it may actually slow slightly in 2016.Jonas Johnson, senior researcher at the Economic Research Institute, says his organizations salary expectation found that tech employers expect salaries to rise 3.2 percent compared to 2.9 percent over the past year.Here are the factors that will most impact salary trends in technology in the year a head.Competition for Tech TalentWith everyone hiring for technology skills, theres simply a much larger demand than there is for the current supply. And its not just tech companies that are facing a crunch all tech skills are in demand across all industries.Its the key thing we talk to employers about, Bardaro says. Even if youre not a tech firm, if youre hiring tech workers, youre going to be facing competition from those firms for candidates. The key is understanding the market and competition for the industry youre in.William Uranga, director of technical and corporate recruiting for GoDaddy, says employers that are facing higher salary pressures because of a tight market can offer other benefits to qualified candidates.With more demand than supply for tech talent, weve learned salary is important, but a company has to have more than a great financial package, he says. Employers have to offer a open culture where women and men can thrive and where employees can make a difference, where they are recognized, promoted and part of a team.Job Location Go Where IT Talent LivesJob location is a big variable in successfully hiring tech workers, Uranga says.While GoDaddy is still headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, it has 14 offices around the world, including in technology hotspots such as Cambridge, MA, as well as Los Angeles and San Francisco.We adjust our kusine pay depending on the cost of living in a given location. In fact, we took the approach a couple years ago of going where the talent is. The company established a growing office in Kirkland, near Seattle, because it was such a strong center of tech talent.Evaluating Tech SkillsTech experience is another key factor when evaluating a candidate, Uranga says, but it can mean more than just the number of years in the industry.We look at the what and the how that come with a candidates experience, he says.In other words, looking at candidates focus, discipline or soft skills and how they go about getting goo d results often matters more than years of service.