Tech Workers Slightly Better Off

02 Apr 2013

Australia's IT jobs market is slowly gaining strength against a continually difficult IT economy, according to a salary report released by an IT recruiter.

Peoplebank's Salary Index charts wage levels across Australia in over 50 IT sector roles.

The survey concluded that demand for jobs was slightly higher than at the end of 2012, with demand for skills “reasonably sound”, and good in most states aside from the ACT and Queensland.

“There has been a solid ICT jobs market in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia over the past three months. However, hiring in the ACT has been constrained by a perfect storm of end-of-financial year budget constraints to be followed by a Federal election,” Peoplebank CEO Peter Acheson said in a statement.

“In South Australia, the market has been impacted by slower investment and State Government spending constraints; while Queensland continues to experience difficult conditions in the ICT sector and broader economy.”

Rates and salaries remained steady across NSW and Victoria, but fell five percent in Queensland. Western Australia saw spot increases, Southern Australia both increases and decreases.

The ACT suffered an approximate 30 percent drop in demand for IT skills, due to spending constraints in the lead up to the federal election in September.

In NSW, IT workers are being picked up in the banking sector and regulatory projects; in Victoria the utilities sector is employing more IT staff than other industries, boosting an “otherwise subdued” market; some South Australian project managers and business analysts were given a pay rise, and Western Australia continues to outstrip the rest of Australia in economic growth.

Acheson predicted 2013 would continue to be challenging for IT workers, given global financial uncertainty and the looming Australian federal election, but said several “pivotal” IT projects in the pipeline across both public and private sectors would create opportunities for the industry.

Source: http://www.itnews.com.au/News/338114,aussie-it-job-market-steady-in-2013.aspx