IT bosses aren't worth their high salaries - poll

IT chiefs are taking home more money than they are worth, according to research conducted by silicon.com into the opinions of their peers.

Whether this is good old-fashioned jealousy, a reaction to news of a select few fat cat CIOs, or a genuine reality check for paymasters is unclear but an overwhelming 64 per cent of respondents to a poll run on silicon.com over the past two weeks said IT directors and CIOs are paid too much.

Furthermore only 12 per cent of the 351 poll respondents said the wages claimed by the top earners in the IT department are justified, while 13 per cent went further saying the top IT chiefs should be taking home even more money each month.

The results of the poll follow silicon.com's recent Skills Survey 2006 which revealed 22 per cent of UK CIOs earn more than £110,000 while 26 per cent earn between £70,001 and £110,000.

It also follows revelations that NHS IT director Richard Granger earns £280,000 per year, while Philip Clarke, global IT director at Tesco claimed a package worth £2.2m last year.