The biggest raises in 2017 will go to data scientists, who can expect a 6.4% boost in pay next year. That’s well above the average 3.8% increase that’s predicted for tech workers, according to new data from Robert Half Technology.
The recruiting and staffing specialist recently released its annual guide to U.S. tech salaries, which finds IT workers will be getting slightly bigger pay bumps than many other professionals. Across all fields, U.S. starting salaries for professional occupations are projected to increase 3.6% in 2017. The largest gains will occur in tech – where starting salaries for newly hired IT workers are forecast to climb 3.8%.
Robert Half Technology analyzed salary ranges for more than 75 tech positions based on input from its North American recruiting and staffing specialists. Here are the 14 jobs expected to make the biggest gains. Note: The projected salaries for each position reflect base pay only; bonuses, incentives and other forms of compensation are not included.
Tech titles getting the largest raises
| Title | 2016 range | 2017 range | Raise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data scientist | $109,000 - $153,750 | $116,000 - $163,500 | 6.4% |
| Front-end web developer | $79,750 - $111,250 | $83,250 - $119,500 | 6.2% |
| Big data engineer | $129,500 - $183,500 | $135,000 - $196,000 | 5.8% |
| Network security engineer | $110,250 - $152,750 | $115,500 - $162,500 | 5.7% |
| Chief security officer | $140,250 - $222,500 | $145,250 - $236,750 | 5.3% |
| Web designer | $67,000 - $112,250 | $70,500 - $118,000 | 5.2% |
| Software engineer | $103,000 - $156,250 | $108,250 - $164,500 | 5.2% |
| Database developer | $103,250 - $153,250 | $108,000 - $161,500 | 5.1% |
| Information systems security manager | $129,750 - $182,000 | $136,000 - $191,750 | 5.1% |
| Senior IT auditor | $116,000 - $164,250 | $121,000 - $173,500 | 5.1% |
| Systems security administrator | $105,500 - $149,500 | $110,500 - $157,500 | 5.1% |
| Network security administrator | $103,250 - $147,000 | $107,750 - $155,250 | 5.1% |
| Data security analyst | $113,500 - $160,000 | $118,250 - $169,000 | 5.0% |
| Software developer | $91,000 - $145,250 | $93,000 - $155,000 | 5.0% |
Robert Half Technology also singled out specific skills that can boost a tech pro’s salary expectations.
The three most lucrative skills are SharePoint, Microsoft SQL Server database, and Java EE/J2EE development. Job candidates with these skills can expect to see an additional 8% bump in salary.
Skills that will deliver a 7% salary increase are: C# development, Cisco network administration, Hadoop, LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and Perl/PHP/Python), LINUX/UNIX administration, .NET development, PHP development, virtualization, and Web services development.
Skills that will boost starting salaries by 6% include: Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Check Point Firewall administration, Oracle database, Python, and Ruby on Rails.
The full report is available for download here.