IT executive pay packets hit $100K: Salaries for experienced professionals jump five per cent

The average salary package for senior IT professionals with more than eight years industry experience has jumped to $100,000 a year in the last 12 months, according to the 2000 Australian Computer Society Remuneration Survey.

This is a 5.1 per cent increase on the previous year with average industry incomes achieved after eight to 10 years of IT experience. The preliminary results of the survey, which was compiled by the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers (APESMA), and a copy of which Computerworld has obtained, covers 2000 respondents from the Australian Computer Society.

Remuneration paid to IT professionals in the private sector jumped six per cent compared to 3.6 per cent in the public sector while education sector respondents reported a 2.4 per cent increase.

The results, which will be formally released later this month, compare to an annual 3.6 per cent increase in average weekly earnings recorded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and a 2.8 per cent rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the 12 months to March 2000. APESMA spokesman Dominique Anguame attributed significant growth in IT salaries to Y2K and the ongoing expansion of the Internet.

"Upgrading computer systems to be GST compliant will continue to push demand for IT skills throughout 2000," Anguame said.

"The rate at which increases were achieved were clearly influenced by experience and job function.

"Commencing salaries were generally around $40,000 a year and consistent with previous survey results; average industry incomes are achieved after eight to 10 years experience.

"It is also evident that noncore benefits such as performance bonuses and motor vehicles are more common among professionals in senior level positions," Anguame said.

The most lucrative remuneration packages were in IT sales and marketing positions and were assessed by base salaries, bonuses, superannuation and the value of fringe benefits such as motor vehicles.

Programmers and analysts surveyed covered a broad range of skills. Those with Cobol and Cics experience reported the highest packages at $68,400 and $67,500 a year, respectively. Other skill set remuneration was Java ($67,341), DB2 ($67,193), WinNT ($66,491), Lotus ($66,185), TCP/IP ($64,200), HTML ($63,960), Unix ($63,834), Oracle ($63,824), Win 95 ($63,824), SQL ($63,721), C++ ($60,626) and Visual Basic ($60,487).

One in five survey respondents were earning principal incomes as independent contractors and rates varied considerably from $60 to $90 an hour depending on the work undertaken.