CIOs, consultants, IT pros: How much are you worth?

How much money can an IT helpdesk worker in London expect to take home on average? What about a CIO in the North West? And does the pay of a tech consultant in Scotland compare favourably with the earning clout of one in Wales?

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IT recruitment website The IT Job Board has published its 2009 salary survey which benchmarks the earning power of 16 job titles, from entry level positions such as IT support and database administrator through to systems and network engineers, web developers, consultants, project managers and heads of IT.

The survey reveals average wages plus salary highs and lows for permanent roles and contract rates across the country, along with details of typical additional benefits.

Unsurprisingly CIOs in London do best on tech worker pay with an average permanent salary of £103,700 per year, according to the data, followed by CIOs in East Anglia (£87,500) and the South East (£81,300). The fourth and fifth best regions are the West Midlands (£78,500) and the North West (£71,600).

By contrast, CIOs in Scotland get the most modest average salary: with an annual wage of £52,000. However the lowest CIO salary flagged by the research is £30k for a permanent CIO working in East Anglia. The highest is £170k in London.

However London is not necessarily the best place to be a CIO who charges by the hour: average contract rates in the capital are £57 per hour but rates are higher in the South East (£68), East Midlands (£67), West Midlands (£64) and North East (£61). The lowest average hourly rate is in the North West (£54).

Many permanent CIOs get additional benefits on top of their pay-packet - including 75 per cent who get a bonus for personal or company performance, and 61 per cent who have private medical insurance. CIO contractors are far less likely to get a bonus - just eight per cent do so - but a quarter are able to work flexibly.

From the top of the tech ladder, to the first rung: the humble helpdesk worker can expect much more modest earnings.

The best paid region for helpdesk workers is the South West, where the average permanent salary is £27,600, followed by London (£26,900) and the East Midlands (£26,250). Those in the West Midlands are bottom of the heap, taking home just £20,300 on average. Meanwhile, the highest helpdesk contract rate is £21 per hour in East Anglia and the lowest is £13 in Scotland.

IT consultants can expect an average salary of £46,200 per year in London but are better off in the South East (£49,300) and the East Midlands (£47,300).

Consultants in Scotland are the least financially rewarded, with an average annual pay-packet of £30,800, followed by those in Wales (£32k). The highest average hourly rate is £54, in the North East, while the lowest is £38 in the West Midlands and in Scotland.

Follow this link to view the full report.

In related news, the government's Women and Work Commission has found progress on closing the UK's gender pay gap has stalled.