Salaries Projected to Rise in 2012 for In-Demand IT Professionals

The newly released 2012 Salary Guides from Robert Half International show U.S. starting salaries will increase an average of 3.4 percent next year. Technology positions are projected to see the largest gains among all fields researched, with an anticipated 4.5 percent increase in base compensation. Accounting and finance professionals can expect starting salaries to rise an average of 3.5 percent, according to the research.

"Businesses seek professionals who can help them enhance their technology and accounting infrastructures," says Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. "For many firms, the question isn't whether to implement improvements but how quickly they can find the talent to do so."

Overall, base compensation for information technology (IT) professionals is expected to increase 4.5 percent in the coming year. Systems and networking engineers are in particularly strong demand as businesses look to expand their capabilities and transition to cloud computing. Mobile applications developers also are seeing demand for their services, given the proliferation of mobile devices.

Other hiring trends covered by the Salary Guides include:

• The 2012 research forecasts an average starting salary increase of 3.5 percent for accounting and finance positions.
• Professionals in creative fields can expect average starting salary gains of 3.5 percent in 2012, the research suggests. Those with interactive skills, such as user experience (UX) designers, are especially sought after as firms look to improve their web presence and transition many of their marketing programs online.
• In the legal field, starting salaries are anticipated to rise 1.9 percent, on average, in the coming year.
• Overall starting salaries for administrative professionals are expected to rise 3.4 percent in 2012. Companies that had streamlined support staff are now adding experienced executive and administrative assistants who can increase efficiencies, support key company projects and provide excellent customer service.

The newly released Salary Guides include:

• Robert Half Technology 2012 Salary Guide
• 2012 Salary Guide from Robert Half for accounting and finance
• The Creative Group 2012 Salary Guide
• Robert Half Legal 2012 Salary Guide
• OfficeTeam 2012 Salary Guide 

Information in the Salary Guides is based on the thousands of job searches, negotiations and placements managed each year by Robert Half's staffing and recruiting managers, along with the company's ongoing surveys of executives. Continuing or ongoing salaries are not reported because many external factors — such as seniority, work ethic, job performance and training — impact the salaries of full-time professionals as work histories develop.