Specialist Aussie IT pros are earning more than ever

Wages for Australian IT professionals have grown above average in the last five years due to high demand for specialist skills.

Data from the 2016 Census obtained by industry association ITPA shows average wage growth of around 30 percent for IT security specialists and IT managers compared to 2011 Census figures.

In comparison, the average salary for IT security workers only grew by 8 percent between the 2006 and 2011 Census.

Security pros are now commanding an average salary of just under $113,000, and IT and project managers are sitting on around $121,000 each.

CIO average wages also experienced growth but at a slower rate, rising 22 percent to a bit over $120,000.

At the entry level end of the market, however, growth was slower.

IT customer support workers are now earning on average 14 percent more than in 2011 at around $73,000, and web developers can command an 18 percent higher average salary of $77,584.

But the increases are smaller than that experienced between 2006-2011: IT customer support wages grew on average by 24 percent in that period, while web developer wages increased by 23 percent.

The only workers experiencing growth on 2006-2011 at the lower end of the income scale were support engineers, whose wages were on average three percent higher at 17 percent growth to sit at just over $86,000 in 2016.

Regardless, IT wages are growing ahead of the national average: the average income for all IT categories rose by almost 20 percent to $101,272 from 2011 to 2016, compared to 16 percent growth across all employment markets to an average national wage of just under $79,000.

Inflation over the same period was 9.8 percent.

“It is no surprise that specialists in areas such as cyber security, project management and IT management are reaping the rewards as IT’s role in operations becomes critical," ITPA president Robert Hudson said in a statement.

“As public and private enterprises turn to IT as an operating mechanism to improve productivity, expand market-places, enhance service delivery and impact the bottom line, a skilled and well-renumerated workforce is critical."

Jobs site Seek earlier this year said its data showed the IT sector was the fifth highest-paying industry in Australia, with an average annual salary of $102,548.