IT jobs stable amid economic uncertainty

Amid global economic fears, IT workers were in top demand in the last quarter but bosses weren't willing to cough up much extra cash, according to the latest survey by IT recruiter Peoplebank.

The latest in the company's quarterly survey of 50 IT roles in Australian capital cities found that in the last quarter to the beginning of this month, pay rises in those roles were in line or just slightly better than the CPI (consumer price index). Peoplebank noted that the pay rises tended to be in roles that had not had a pay rise in the last year, and were most common in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Adelaide.

In Sydney and Melbourne, demand for IT contractors grew by 10 per cent, with the highest demand in business analysis and project management. The pay rises in Sydney were mostly reserved for senior positions, while Melbourne saw no growth in pay in this quarter.

Peoplebank reported that Perth has seen a 100 per cent growth in demand for IT workers in the past year, though salaries in the city were flat overall in the last quarter. In Adelaide, there was a 15 per cent growth in worker demand, with pay increases in line with the CPI. Canberra had experienced a downturn in the previous three months, but demand in this quarter returned to levels seen a year ago.

In contrast, demand in Brisbane went down slightly for the quarter, but the city still saw a 5 per cent increase in wages for jobs in development, web and support.

Peoplebank CEO Peter Acheson said that although employers were being cautious about IT recruitment, businesses were continuing investment in IT staff as part of system upgrades and business expansions.

"This was especially the case in the enterprise and resources sectors, as well as in the utilities sector in New South Wales and Victoria. This investment in new capabilities was also evident in the types of jobs in hottest demand, such as for IT workers with business analysis, project management, .NET and the next generation web skills," he said in a statement.

Despite consumer confidence being consistently down in Australia, and looming economic troubles in Europe and the United States, Acheson said IT was going to be important for ailing businesses.

"On the one hand, growth in the domestic economy is clearly weakening, and as a consequence business confidence is lower. However, business today recognises that IT is a key enabler — and with the vast majority of organisations seeing organic growth as a priority for the next 12 months, there is the potential for continued IT investment providing new opportunities for Australia's IT workers," he said.

Capital city salary rates