Skills Survey 2007: Big earners trending upwards

IT salaries are largely holding to 2006 levels but the number of people trousering the really big bucks continues to creep upwards, according to exclusive silicon.com research.

The 2007 silicon.com Skills Survey reveals the number of tech workers taking home up to £40k per year is unchanged on last year - at 44 per cent. But back in 2005, more than half (56 per cent) of workers were in this lower earning bracket.

The largest proportion (30 per cent) of respondents to this year's survey earn between £25,001 and £40k per year, followed by 22 per cent who take home between £40,001 and £55k. Fourteen per cent of respondents are in the smallest wage bracket (of less than £25k), while another 14 per cent earn between £55,001 and £70k, and 12 per cent get between £70,001 and £110k.

The number of top-level earners - those who enjoy an annual pay packet in excess of £110k - is unsurprisingly low: just seven per cent of respondents. But there has been an upward trend in the number earning the biggest wage since 2004, when just three per cent claimed a pay-packet this fat.

In recent years there has also been a rise in the number of workers who make more than £70k - up from 15 per cent in 2005 to 19 per cent in both 2006 and 2007.

The trend for larger IT salaries over the past few years tallies with rising demand for tech skills - the Skills Survey 2007 also reveals a deepening recruitment crisis as more employers find themselves unable to fill vacancies.

Read more Skills Survey results:

• Skills Survey 2007: Staffing crisis deepens