Salaries not top way to keep IT staff: survey

More companies believed that strong leadership and clear communication - not a salary review - would help them keep IT staff, found a survey by recruiter Michael Page.

The salary and employment forecast found 37 percent of about 800 firms it spoke to thought leadership and communication were the best ways to keep people.

About a third said the best retention strategy was a "salary review", reflecting those that would give IT workers a pay rise in the next six months.

About 42 percent said a rise was on the cards; 30 percent were unsure and the rest ruled out salary increases.

Just under half planning to hand out raises said it would be in the order of 3 percent to 4 percent.

And a quarter expected increases of 4 percent to 6 percent.

The bright news could be that more jobs would be available in the next six months, potentially allowing IT workers to chase bigger pay packets in new jobs.

More than half those surveyed would hire more workers in the next six months.

"Industries such as financial services, utilities, resources and telecommunications are all hiring more actively," the recruiter said.

"In other markets, some hiring decisions continue to be on hold until companies witness more sustained business growth, particularly within infrastructure roles at all levels from helpdesk to management."

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