US IT Salary Report: A Shifting Job Market For Tech Talent

RESEARCH REPORT APRIL 2022 | $499
NE X T
US IT Salary Report:
A Shifting Job Market
for Tech Talent
After a period of fear, layoffs, and careful budgeting during
the first pandemic year of 2020, the job market more than
rebounded in 2021, particularly for technology professionals.
Recruitment professionals say there were plenty of jobs open
and not enough candidates to fill them. Did that mean tech
pros got salary increases in 2021? What’s the outlook for
2022? Here’s what you need to know as you plan your next
career move (or decide to stay right where you are).
US IT Salary Report: A Shifting Job Market for Tech Talent MAY 2021
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Table of Contents
3 About the Author Figures
4 Introduction Figure 1 IT Salary Figure 18 Valuable Training in Career Development
5 Research Synopsis Figure 2 Changes in Pay, Benefits, or Job Figure 19 Skills for Advancement
6 Executive Summary Figure 3 Non-Cash Benefits Figure 20 Technologies That Threaten Jobs
8 How Much Did You Make in 2021? Figure 4 Reasons for Job Search Figure 21 Security of Career Path in IT
10 The Gender Wage Gap in IT Figure 5 Gender Pay Gap Figure 22 Peer Salary Comparison
13 Diversity Efforts Figure 6 Closing the Gender Pay Gap Figure 23 Overall Job Satisfaction
14 T
he Best Way To Get a Raise/Looking Figure 7 Closing the Gender Pay Gap by Gender Figure 24 Job Security
for a New Job Figure 8 Salary Parity Figure 25 Promising Career Path
16 C
OVID, Remote Work, and the Impact Figure 9 Supporting Employees of Color Figure 26 IT Outsourcing
of a Pandemic
F igure 10 Satisfaction with Total Compensation Figure 27 Impact of Outsourcing on IT Professionals
18 What Matters Most to IT Pros About Their Jobs?
F igure 11 Looking for Different Job Figure 28 Impact of Outsourcing on Career
2 0 Skills, training, and career development
F igure 12 Accepting a Lesser Title Figure 29 Working in Different Location Than
21 Tech That Threatens Your IT Job Company Office/Working Remotely Due
F igure 13 Left Workforce Due to COVID-19
22 What’s Ahead? to COVID-19
F igure 14 Impact of COVID-19 on Job
23 Conclusion Figure 30 Establishing Salary Parity
F igure 15 Workforce Changes Due to COVID-19
24 Appendix Figure 31 Respondent Job Title
Figure 16 What Matters Most
Figure 32 Respondent Industry
Figure 17 Critical Business and Technical Skills
Figure 33 Respondent Company Size
RESEARCH REPORT interop.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS US IT Salary Report: A Shifting Job Market for Tech Talent APRIL 2022
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About the Author
Jessica Davis, InformationWeek Senior Editor, has spent a career covering the intersection of
business and technology. She currently focuses on IT projects in the enterprise, IT leadership,
and the practical enterprise application of technologies such as machine learning, advanced
analytics, and other forms of artificial intelligence. Follow her on Twitter: @jessicadavis.
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Introduction
After a year of uncertainty in 2020 as the world and the economy grappled with the many impacts of a pandemic, technology workers
fared a little better in 2021 coming into the “new normal.” The year 2021 was one of transition.
After all, the pandemic had illuminated the importance of technology. Tech pros built and supported the technology that enables
remote workforces. Tech pros enabled the accelerated timetables for their organizations’ digital transformations. They facilitated more
moves to the cloud and enabled more automation. They engineered new digital go-to-market channels such as e-commerce sites.
They made sure all this new technology was secured against a rising tide of cybersecurity and ransomware attacks.
In 2021 organizations were refining these technology solutions. IT professionals found their work situations to be pretty stable over the
course of the year, even if they were sometimes required to work more hours.
The year 2021 still included a measure of uncertainty, as impacts of the pandemic continued, such as supply chain bottlenecks,
inflation, a shift in the labor market, and geopolitical unrest.
Technology has underpinned many of the fixes to the issues the world faced during the pandemic. That has only added to the need
for skilled and experienced technology professionals. While some tech workers in 2020 in highly impacted industries such as travel
and hospitality may have experienced layoffs or unpaid leave, the demand for technology workers grew in 2021 as organizations
pursued multiple priorities. In some specific areas, tech pros may have found themselves working more hours under greater levels of
stress. For instance, cybersecurity skills remain in high demand as organizations seek to fortify themselves against supply chain and
ransomware attacks.
While workers in service industries, healthcare, and education may have been participating in the so-called Great Resignation,
technology workers remained reasonably satisfied with their careers. Technology workers earned higher compensation during 2021,
with many getting raises in pay.
Did that mean most tech pros got salary increases in 2021? What’s the outlook for 2022? Here’s what you need to know as you plan
your next career move (or decide to stay right where you are).
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Research Synopsis
Survey Name: InformationWeek 2021 US IT Salary Survey
Survey Date: January 2022
Primary Region: United States
Number of Respondents: 550 full-time information technology (IT) professionals employed in the US. The margin of error for the
total respondent base (N=550) is +/- 4.2 percentage points.
Methodology: InformationWeek surveyed full-time IT professionals employed in the United States with questions related to salaries,
benefits, and other career issues. Ninety-four percent are steadily employed full time at an organization, with 6% saying they are either
full-time contract workers or consultants. The survey was conducted online, and respondents were recruited via email invitations
containing an embedded link to the survey. The emails were sent to a select group of Informa Tech’s audience. Informa is the parent
company of InformationWeek. Nearly half of the respondents work in management roles (47%), and just over half hold staff positions
(53%). A slight majority (54%) are from enterprises with more than 1,000 employees, and most (82%) are from companies mid to large
sized companies with more than 100 employees. Respondents come from more than 25 industries including government, technology,
education, consulting and business services, financial services, banking, healthcare, insurance, and manufacturing, to name a few.
Informa Tech was responsible for all survey design, administration, data collection, and data analysis. These procedures were carried
out in strict accordance with standard market research practices and existing US privacy laws.
A note about fielding and reporting dates: The survey was fielded from November 2021 to January 2022. The questions primarily
asked respondents to reflect on the year 2021, including their salaries for that year. Data references within this report are reflective of
2020 and 2021 trends, and are referenced in the text as such. This report is dated 2022, and the charts herein are labeled with the
years 2022 and 2021, reflecting when the data were released.
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Executive Summary
In yet another year full of turmoil and disruption, IT proved again to be a stable and steady career in 2021. This was the year that
many hoped would mark the end of pandemic restrictions, particularly since vaccines were rolled out in early 2021. We were
supposed to enter the “new normal,” with kids back in the classroom, the resumption of business travel, and all those remote
workers coming back to the office.
Instead, we got organizations talking about hybrid work, kids back at school wearing masks, and many technology and
business conferences still offering their programming online. Every time we got close to talking about bringing workers back
to the office, another variant seemed to surface, causing big tech to delay yet again their plans for a full return to the office.
Meanwhile, organizations suddenly had to grapple with several unexpected new issues that may have been indirectly caused
by the pandemic. For instance, the supply chain crisis that caused shipping bottlenecks around the world. Cyber security
threats also seemed heightened as organizations that depended on perimeter protection in the past had to find new ways
to protect their organizations from attacks.
Organizations also found themselves in the midst of an unfamiliar labor market — one in which the employees held more
leverage. Service workers who had labored hard during the pandemic were quitting. Office workers who had grown
accustomed to working remotely didn’t want to come back to the office. Pundits were talking about the Great Resignation — a
trend of workers quitting for new careers or to start their own businesses or to just take some time off. At a time when many
organizations had ramped up their investments in technology and enabling operations through technology, there were fewer
workers to hire to complete the work -- from digital transformations to cloud migrations to big data projects.
That’s the moment of the InformationWeek 2022 Salary Survey.
Here are some more key takeaways from this year’s survey:
• The median total compensation for all IT workers increased by just $5,000 in 2021 (or just over about 4%) from $120,000
in 2020 to $125,000 in 2021.
• The gender wage gap in IT was bigger than ever at $23,000 per year, according to our survey.
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• Median total compensation for men IT pros in 2021 was $128,000 compared to $125,000 in 2020 — not a big increase
in salary for the men, but still better than their female counterparts.
• In 2021, 65% of IT pros received a pay raise. That compares with 47% receiving a pay raise in the pandemic year of 2020,
but still lower than the 70% who received pay raises in 2019, the pre-pandemic boom year.
• Of those looking for a new job, 76% said higher compensation was the top motivation for the move.
• But what mattered most to IT professionals about their jobs was not high pay. It was overall work-life balance, chosen
by 46%, and that was closely followed by vacation time/paid time off (42%).
• A full 31% said their organizations were more likely to hire remote employees in 2021.
• Among those looking for a new job, 30% said they were doing it because they wanted the ability to work remotely
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How Much Did You Make in 2021? Figure 1
Given how tight the labor market is right IT Salary

now, you may be under the impression that What was your annual total compensation (your base salary and any bonuses) this year?
IT workers got big pay raises in 2021. Maybe All Respondents - U.S. IT Professionals Staff Management
you wonder if you have been left behind in the $140,000
$135,000
frenzy because you haven’t seen any kind of $125,000 $126,000 $125,000
$120,000
significant increase yourself. The truth is that $110,000 $110,000
$110,000
during 2021, the median total compensation $100,000 $105,000
for all IT workers increased by just $5,000 for $90,000
the year (or just over about 4%) from $120,000
in 2020 to $125,000 in 2021 (Figure 1).
A 4% increase seems respectable, but when

compared with the 9% increase from 2019
when median compensation was $110,000 to
2020’s $120,000, it’s significantly smaller. So,
no, you haven’t been left behind by the tight
2021 Median 2020 Median 2019 Median 2018 Median
labor market and the scramble to hire tech- Total Compensation Total Compensation Total Compensation Total Compensation
nology talent. Yet. InformationWeek interviews Note: Median dollar amounts
Data: InformationWeek survey of 550 U.S. IT professionals January 2022, and 800 in January 2021
with recruitment experts indicate that this tight
labor market and hiring frenzy is still under-
way. If that’s the case, next year’s survey could are a member of the IT staff or if you work in 2020, a difference of $5,000 or just under 4%.
reveal a higher bump in median total compen- management. If you are a staff member, that
sation for survey respondents. That means if 4% increase was lower if it happened at all. In our survey we asked all IT pros if they
you are looking to increase your compensation, The median total compensation for IT staff had received a raise in the last 12 months.
now is the time to act. members stayed the same between 2020 In 2021, 65% had received a pay raise. That
and 2021 at $110,000 per year. However, IT compares with 47% receiving a pay raise
Your experience with getting a raise may have managers’ 2021 median total compensation in 2020, but still lower than the 70% who
varied, however, depending on whether you reached $140,000 compared to $135,000 in received pay raises in 2019 (Figure 2).
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In 2021, 38% said they had received a raise
of less than 5% in the previous 12 months Changes in Pay, Benefits, or Job
compared to 29% who said they had In the past 12 months, have you experienced any of the following?
2022 2021
received a 5% or less raise in 2020. In 2019 Been given a raise of less than 5%
38%
that number was significantly higher at 50%. 29%
Been given a raise between 5% and 10%
18%
13%
Smaller numbers of IT pros received larger Had more/new training opportunities
16%
raises in the past year. For instance, in 2021, 20%
Been promoted
18% said they had received a raise of 5% 14%
9%
to 10% in the past 12 months compared to Had fewer training opportunities
11%
13% in 2020 and 14% in 2019. In 2021, 8% 16%
said they had received a raise of more than Had my pay frozen
11%
16%
10% compared to 6% who said that in 2020 Had an increase in benefits
and 7% who said that in 2019. 9%
10%
Had benefits cut
9%
Non-cash benefits for IT pros remained 10%
Been given a raise of more than 10%
relatively stable, year over year, with health 8%
6%
insurance topping the list. Nearly eight out of Had a pay cut of more than 10%
4%
10 IT pros (79%) reported that they expected 5%
Had a pay cut between 5% and 10%
health insurance to be part of their non-cash 2%
3%
benefits in the next 12 months compared to Had a pay cut of less than 5%
1%
77% in 2020 and 81% in 2019 (Figure 3). 2%
Been demoted
1%
1%
Other top benefits included 401(k) match None of the above
15%
(74%), company-paid smartphone (39%), 21%
Note: Multiple responses allowed
further education/training (32%), certification Data: InformationWeek survey of 550 U.S. IT professionals January 2022, and 800 in January 2021
reimbursement (26%), and tuition reimburse-

ment (19%). Less common benefits included
sabbatical or extended vacation (5%),
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company-paid phone/fax/cable modem/DSL
lines (5%), company car or car allowance (4%), Non-Cash Benefits
and day care or day care subsidy (3%). Please specify the type(s) of noncash and indirect cash rewards you expect to receive
in the next 12 months. 2022 2021
Health insurance
A minority of IT pros also said that stock 79%
77%
options (17%) or a stock purchase plan 401(k) match
74%
(16%) were part of their noncash rewards 71%
Company-paid smartphone
that they expected to receive in the next 39%
35%
12 months. Receiving stock options did Other further education/training
32%
not play a big part in IT pros’ plans to look 27%
Certification reimbursement
for a new job. Just 14% of those looking 26%
29%
for a new job cited the availability of stock Tuition reimbursement
19%
options as the reason why they were looking 17%
(Figure 4). Still, that was nearly double the Stock options
17%
percentage of IT pros (8%) that cited stock 15%
Stock purchase plan
options in the 2020 survey. 16%
16%
Other home office allowance
12%
The Gender Wage Gap in IT N/A
Health club membership
Is there a gender wage gap in IT right now? 11%
9%
In terms of actual compensation, our salary Company-paid home Internet access
11%
survey again revealed that there is a gender 12%
Sabbatical/extended vacation
wage gap in IT, and it got bigger over the 5%
5%
last 12 months. Median total compensation Company-paid phone/fax/cable modem/DSL lines
for women IT pros in 2021 was $105,000, 5%
12%
Company car or car allowance
the same as it was in 2020 (Figure 5). 4%
Median total compensation for men IT 6%
Day care or day care subsidy
pros in 2021 was $128,000 compared to 3%
2%
$125,000 in 2020 — not a big increase in Note: Multiple responses allowed
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Figure 4 Figure 5
Reasons for Job Search Gender Pay Gap

Why are you looking for a new job? What is your estimated annual total
2022 2021 compensation (your base salary and
any bonuses)?
Higher compensation 76% 60% Female Male
$128,000
More interesting work 41% 35% $125,000
$115,000
Seeking more personal fulfillment 39% 39%
$105,000 $105,000
Don't like present company's management or culture 32% 30% $100,000
Looking for the ability to work remotely 30% N/A
Job market opportunities are too good to pass up 27% 17%
Seeking less stress 24% 20%
More responsibility 22% 14%
More dynamic company 19% 18%
More job stability 18% 23%
Stock options 14% 8%
Personal/family needs 13% 15%
Job skills, requirements no longer match my skills or interests 12% 14%
Fear of being laid off (for reason other than COVID-19) 7% 17%
2021 2020 2019
Move to a different geographical area 7% 12% Median Total Median Total Median Total
Want to join a startup company 7% 6% Compensation Compensation Compensation
Fear of being laid off due to COVID-19 pandemic 4% 11% Note: Median dollar amounts
Data: InformationWeek survey of 550 U.S. IT professionals January 2022,
Loss of job, demotion, or reduction of hours (for reason other than COVID-19) 4% N/A and 800 in January 2021
Loss of job, demotion, or reduction of hours due to COVID-19 3% 5%

Looking for the ability to work in an office 2% N/A
Seeking onsite workplace childcare 1% N/A
Base: Respondents who are looking for a new job
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salary for the men, but still better than their Figure 6
female counterparts.
Closing the Gender Pay Gap
That puts the 2021 gender wage gap at Is your company making any effort to close the gender pay gap?
$23,000 a year, compared with $20,000 in
2020. Is it possible that there is a higher We don't have a gender pay gap
percentage of men in management positions Yes, we are working on closing the

pay gap based on gender
who have higher pay, possibly accounting 33% 36%
35% 32%
Yes, but we still have a way to go
for this difference? No. Our sample of
No, but we plan to
women IT workers were 50% management
No, we are not making any effort
and 50% staff, while our sample of men to close the gender pay gap
6%
IT workers were 47% management and Don’t know 6%
15%
3%
53% staff. 9% 13%
10%
2%
2022 2021
What’s more, that $23,000 wage gap
Base: 104 women and 420 men
marked the largest wage gap we’ve seen in Data: InformationWeek survey of 550 U.S. IT professionals January 2022, and 800 in January 2021
dollar amounts since we began to track the

wage gap. The gap was at its narrowest
in 2019 at $15,000. In 2018 and 2017 it was However, there may be misconceptions stark. Of female IT pros, only 12% say there
$20,000. about the existence of a wage gap at other is no gender wage gap while 39% of male
organizations. We asked IT pros in the IT pros say there is no gender wage gap
We did speak individually in phone interviews survey if their companies were making any (Figure 7). Another 40% of women said they
with some IT professionals who knew there effort to close the gender wage gap. A large don’t know if there’s a wage gap compared
was no wage gap in their own organizations percentage, 36%, said that their companies to 34% of men who said they didn’t know
because they knew exactly what their do not have a gender wage gap (Figure 6). if there’s a wage gap. Keep in mind that
coworkers made — either it was a union However, if you break out those numbers we asked these IT pros whether a wage
shop or an educational institution where by the gender of the person answering the gap exists at their own companies, not the
that information was available to everyone. question, the difference continues to be broader industry.
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Figure 7 Figure 8
Closing the Gender Pay Gap by Gender Salary Parity

Is your company making any effort to close the gender pay gap? Do you believe there is salary parity/equality
in terms of race or ethnicity within your
organization?
12% We don't have a gender pay gap
Yes, we are working on closing the Yes
pay gap based on gender No
14% 34%
Yes, but we still have a way to go 39% Don't know
40%
No, but we plan to
36% 51%
No, we are not making any effort to
12%
close the gender pay gap
4%
Don’t know
6%
8% 13%
16%
2% 14%
Women Men
Base: 104 women and 420 men 2022
Data: InformationWeek 2022 U.S. IT Salary Survey of 550 IT Professionals
Diversity Efforts organizations. The responses remained

32%
We started asking about salary parity in relatively stable year over year. A little over
terms of race and ethnicity in our 2020 half (51%) said there was salary parity 54%
survey, but we still don’t have a large enough compared to 54% in 2020 (Figure 8). Just
sample of minority IT workers to do a larger 14% in both 2021 and 2020 said their
analysis on whether salary parity exists. organization did not offer salary parity. 14%
In 2021 36% said they didn’t know if

However, we asked if our respondents their organization offered salary parity 2021
believed there was salary parity/equality compared with 32% who said they didn’t Data: InformationWeek survey of 550 U.S. IT professionals January 2022,
and 800 in January 2021
in terms of race and ethnicity within their know in 2020.

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Figure 9
Supporting Employees of Color

PREVIOUS NEXT We further asked if their companies were Is your company trying to better support employees of color in general?
trying to do a better job of supporting
employees of color in general. A full 43%
said yes in 2021 compared to 40% in 2020 Yes
(Figure 9). Another 10% said no in 2021 No
compared to 13% in 2020. The group that said 47% 43% Don't know
40%
47%
they didn’t know, 47%, stayed the same in
2021 and 2020.
The Best Way To Get a Raise/Looking

10% 13%
for a New Job
2022 2021
Ask any career counsellor or recruitment Data: InformationWeek survey of 550 U.S. IT professionals January 2022, and 800 in January 2021
pro for the best way to get a raise and they

will tell you to look for a new job at a new
Figure 10
employer. That’s because if you stay in your
current role, you may get a yearly increase Satisfaction with Total Compensation
of a few percentage points, but not the big
Overall, how satisfied are you with your total compensation package?
bump that comes with switching jobs. 2% 1%
8%
Are IT workers taking advantage of the current 13% 17%
Very Satisfied 21%
labor market to get that raise in pay? No. At Satisfied
least not yet. Neutral 24%
22% Dissatisfied
We asked IT professionals whether they Very Dissatisfied
were satisfied with their total compensation.
Most IT pros have been satisfied and re- 46%
46%
main satisfied with their total compensation.
In 2021 a total of 63% were either satisfied 2022 2021
(46%) or very satisfied (17%) (Figure 10). Data: InformationWeek survey of 550 U.S. IT professionals January 2022, and 800 in January 2021
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either satisfied (46%) or very satisfied (21%).
Looking for Different Job
Just 11% said they were actively looking for Are you currently looking for a job at a different employer?
a job at another employer, and that number
was steady from 2020 (a year when many 11% 11%
were afraid of layoffs) to 2021 when all the Yes, actively
buzz was about the Great Resignation and Yes, somewhat
a tight labor market (Figure 11). No 25%

26%
63% 64%
Another 26% said they were “somewhat”
looking or passively looking for a new job
at a different employer in 2021, compared
to 25% who were “somewhat” looking in
2022 2021
2020. These numbers are below the pre-
pandemic numbers. In 2019 12% said they
were actively looking and 34% said they
were “somewhat” looking. had not followed up on those opportunities Ladders, told InformationWeek that the
actively yet. Another said that the job unemployment rate for white collar college-
We followed up with several IT pros by opportunities locally were not any higher in educated workers right now is very low, close
phone in February 2022 and asked them compensation than what they were making to where we were two years ago.
about whether they were looking for a new in their current job. Another said that the
job. One said they were reaching the end of opportunities presented were for specific “It feels like everybody is hiring,” he said. “The
their career were hoping to stay in the same skills in staff jobs (and this person was a available population of candidates is restricted
organization until they retired. Many said they manager and not looking to move back to and constrained compared to the past. There’s
hadn’t seen many new job opportunities or an individual contributor roll). a lot of great jobs out there.” Cenedella said
possibilities for significant salary increases. that the current environment favors the job
But several said they had been hearing Marc Cenedella, CEO of $100K-plus salary candidates, and that environment is likely to
from several recruiters every week and just recruitment company and platform, The continue for the next 2 to 3 years.
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the IT job market yet or candidates are in an office and 1% said they were looking temporarily working remotely in 2020, and that
just reluctant to move from their current for a new job because they were seeking number fell to 29% in 2021 (Figure 14). But
positions or they haven’t tapped the remote onsite workplace childcare. some of those temporary situations may have
job possibilities yet or companies have turned permanent in 2021. Another 22% said
not raised their compensation offers by While the top reason for looking for a new in 2020 that they were permanently working
enough yet. It will be interesting to see any job was higher compensation, remote remotely, a number that grew to 30% in 2021.
changes in next year’s numbers for new work was also at top of mind. When asked
jobs and compensation when we run the for reasons they would accept a lessor There were other COVID-related job changes,
2022 Salary Survey. position or title in their new job, the top too. Looking back to 2020, 17% said they
answer was ability to work remotely at 35% received a pay increase related to the
For those looking for a new job, the top (Figure 12). pandemic’s impact versus 28% who did for
reason for the job search was higher 2021. A full 10% said they took a temporary
compensation. A full 76% of respondents COVID, Remote Work, and the Impact pay cut in 2020 versus 3% that took a pay cut
cited higher pay as the reason for their of a Pandemic in 2021. A very small percentage of others
search compared to 60% in 2020 and Perhaps the full effects of a return to a “new reported additional impacts from furloughs
66% in 2019. Other top reasons for a new normal” from the pandemic era is yet to be to new jobs to relocations, either by their
job search were more interesting work felt. Only 3% of respondents said they left choice or their employer’s choice. A quarter
(41%), seeking more personal fulfillment the workforce during the pandemic, a small of respondents (25%) reported no impact in
(39%), and don’t like the present company’s sampling that left for a variety of reasons 2020, and 29% reported no impact in 2021.
management or culture (32%). that included fear of contracting COVID,
the inability to work remotely, the need to As for the whole workforce at survey
In our 2021 survey we added some new provide elder care, other family reasons, or respondents’ companies, 46% said they have
selections for IT pros to choose from. In other health reasons (Figure 13). instituted a mix of on-premises and work-
2021 30% of those responding to the at-home schedules versus 39% in 2020
survey said they were looking for a new job We asked a few questions specifically about (Figure 15). In another nod to the growth of
because they wanted the ability to work the impact of COVID-19 on individual jobs remote work being here to stay, 31% said
remotely. Of the other additional options, and on the workforce, asking respondents to they are more likely to hire remote employees
just 2% said they were looking for a new reflect back on 2020 and 2021. Forty-three in 2021 versus 27% in 2020.
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PREVIOUS NEXT Figure 12 Figure 13
Accepting a Lesser Title Left Workforce Due to

What would influence you to accept a lesser position or title? COVID-19
2022 2021 Did you leave the workforce or quit a job due
Ability to work remotely
35% to the COVID-19 pandemic?
N/A
More job satisfaction Yes
33% 3%
38%
No
I would not accept a lesser position or title under any circumstances
31%
28%
Flexible work hours
26%
30%
Better company
23%
27%
Better fit for my skills
22%
23%
Stock options
19% 97%
21%
Location
15% Data: InformationWeek 2022 U.S. IT Salary Survey of 550 IT Professionals
22%
More challenging role
15%
18%
More job security
15%
25%
Different field
7%
7%
Ability to work in an office
1%
N/A
Workplace onsite childcare
1%
N/A
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How are these organizations handling the Figure 14

workloads brought on by the pandemic?
Nearly one third (31%) of respondents said
Impact of COVID-19 on Job
Thinking about 2020 compared to 2021, how has the COVID-19 pandemic
they are working longer hours compared and resulting effects on the economy impacted your job? Reflecting Reflecting
to 32% in 2020. IT professionals also said back on back on
they are reprioritizing some of their IT proj- 2020 2021
ects due to the reduced workforce coverage I am temporarily working remotely 43% 29%
(28% in 2021 versus 26% in 2020). My company requires reliable home broadband connection for remote employees 28% 28%
I am working remotely permanently 22% 30%
What Matters Most to IT Pros About I received a pay increase 17% 28%
Their Jobs? I took a temporary pay cut 10% 3%
Certainly, high compensation continues to I started a new job 7% 10%
top the list of reasons to look for a new job. I lost my job 6% 2%
But what matters most to IT professionals I was furloughed but have now returned 5% 2%
about their jobs overall? Hiring managers I took a permanent pay cut 4% 2%
and HR professionals should take note here I was furloughed and have not returned to my job yet 3% 1%
-- these top qualities could be leveraged to I was promoted 3% 5%
help retain your employees to stay in their I quit my job 2% 2%
current jobs if they are tempted to leave. I was demoted 1% 0%
I chose to relocate 1% 2%
The top quality chosen by IT professionals I changed careers 1% 2%
this year was a new choice we added to the I was relocated by my company 1% 1%
list of options in 2021. Overall work-life bal- No impact 25% 29%
ance was chosen by 46% of respondents as Note: Multiple responses allowed
the quality that matters most to them about
their jobs, and that was closely followed
by vacation time/paid time off which was
chosen by 42% of respondents in 2021 (and
18
PREVIOUS NEXT 32% in 2020 and 35% in 2019) (Figure 16). Figure 15
Perhaps it makes sense that these qualities

are so important now when IT pros have Workforce Changes Due to COVID-19
In what ways is your workforce changing or has it changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic?
cited working longer hours in response to 2022 2021
the pandemic. We have instituted a mix of on-prem and work-at-home schedules
46%
39%
We are working longer hours
Tied as the third choice in 2021 was “my 31%
32%
opinion and knowledge are valued” and We are more likely to hire remote employees
31%
“telecommuting/working at home” that 27%
We’ve had to re-prioritize some of our IT projects due to reduced workforce coverage
each were chosen by 40% of respondents. 28%
26%
(Respondents were able to choose up to We are cross-training employees to ensure maximum coverage across multiple disciplines
20%
7 options.) Next on the list for 2021 was 20%
We are investing more in automated services such as chatbots/automation/other non-human assistants
base pay, chosen by 39% of respondents, 14%
10%
followed by benefits, chosen by 37%. Job We are investing more in “remote hands” maintenance services from third parties 10%
and company stability were chosen by 36% 8%
We are outsourcing more
and a flexible work schedule was chosen 10%
8%
by 33%. Other 4%
5%
What didn’t matter that much? Qualities Our workforce hasn't changed due to COVID-19 19%
18%
that ranked low on the list included potential
for promotion (12%), geographic location Data: InformationWeek survey of 550 U.S. IT professionals January 2022, and 800 in January 2021
of job (11%), prestige/reputation of the

company (4%), and ability to work in an
office environment (2%). Almost no one positions. One of them said that they just Still another said that they got four to five
cared about these qualities. felt a sense of commitment to the mission weeks of vacation a year and it was hard to
of their organization. Another said that imagine going back to the standard two
In telephone interviews, some of our survey they were nearing retirement age and if weeks of vacation that comes with being
respondents provided some other key at all possible, wanted to complete their the new person at a new job.
reasons for staying put at their current work years at their current organization.
19

Skills, Training, and Career
What Matters Most Development
What matters most to you about your job?
2020 2021 We asked IT professionals which business
Overall work-life balance 46% N/A or technical skills were critical to their jobs
Vacation time/paid time off 42% 32% and let them make multiple choices. Busi-
My opinion and knowledge are valued 40% 42% ness and collaboration skills topped the list
Telecommuting/working at home 40% 31%
of choices. Tied for first place were “align-
Base pay 39% 38%
Benefits 37% 32%
ing business and technology goals” and
Job/company stability 36% 38% “collaborating with internal stakeholders”
Flexible work schedule 33% 36% both chosen by 58% of respondents
Liking the people you work with 31% 35% (Figure 17). Other top choices included
Challenge of job/responsibility 25% 29% interacting with customers (47%), building
Having the tools and support to do my job well 24% 27% vendor relationships (40%), experiment-
Recognition for work well done 23% 23%
ing with cutting-edge technology (40%),
Job atmosphere 23% 24%
My work (job) is important to the company success 22% 29%
preparing reports (39%), and managing
Corporate culture and values 19% 29% vendors (38%).
Skill development/educational/training opportunity 18% 17%
Working with highly talented peers 18% 24% A list of technology areas followed these
Ability to work on creating "new" innovative IT solutions 17% 25% other top choices and was led by cyber
Bonus opportunities 15% 13% risk management (38%); managing network
Ability to work with leading-edge technology 15% 18%
and systems infrastructure (37%); data
Effectiveness of immediate supervision 15% 15%
Commute distance 15% 17%
infrastructure (37%); data management
Involvement in company strategy setting and determining goals 15% 17% (35%); supporting desktops and user ap-
Potential for promotion 12% 11% plications (33%); data governance and pri-
Geographic location of job 11% 12% vacy (32%); analyzing, integrating, normal-
Prestige/reputation of the company 4% 7% izing, or cleansing data (31%); integrating
Ability to work in an office environment 2% N/A enterprise applications (30%); and cyber
Note: Maximum of seven responses allowed
Data: InformationWeek survey of 550 U.S. IT professionals January 2022, and 800 in January 2021 resilience and business continuity (28%).
20
Figure 17
PREVIOUS NEXT Critical Business and Technical Skills We asked IT pros what training would be
Which of the following business or technical skills are critical to your job? Check all that apply.
most valuable for developing their careers
2022 2021
Aligning business and technology goals and “training on new technologies” topped
58%
55% the list, chosen by 67% of respondents
Collaborating with internal stakeholders
58%
60%
(Figure 18). Certification courses came in
Interacting with customers second with 47%.
47%
51%
Securing data and applications
42%
55% When asked about what skills would most
Building vendor relationships
40%
40% benefit individual advancement and/or
Experimenting with cutting-edge technology
40%
41%
salary, 33% of IT pros said cybersecurity
Preparing reports and 32% said leadership skills (Figure 19).
39%
46%
Managing vendors Cloud integration/management was third at
38%
Cyber risk management
46% 21%. Skills chosen by 3% or less of those
38%
N/A surveyed included mobile app development,
Managing network and systems infrastructure
37%
44%
unified communications, serverless com-
Data infrastructure puting, data storage, IT service assurance,
37%
N/A
Data management robotics, software-defined networking,
35%
Supporting desktops and user applications
N/A wireless, virtual/augmented reality, and
33%
N/A software defined storage.
Data governance and privacy
32%
N/A
Analyzing, integrating, normalizing, or cleansing data
31% Tech That Threatens Your IT Job
N/A
Integrating enterprise applications We asked IT professionals about technol-
30%
Cyber resilience and business continuity
39% ogies or trends that could be a threat to
28%
N/A their jobs, and 55% said outsourcing of IT
Leadership development
28%
N/A
operations was a threat, a slight increase
Building project teams
27% from 2020’s 51%, but down from 2019’s
34%
Developing/programming applications 66% (Figure 20). The second top choice was
27%
Seeking out new business opportunities
32% a new option we added to the survey this
15%
19% year — technology spending/management
RESEARCH REPORT interop.com Note: Multiple responses allowed
21
Figure 18
PREVIOUS NEXT being subsumed by business units — cho-
Valuable Training in Career Development sen by 29% of those surveyed. Additional
What type of training would you find most valuable to you in developing your career? choices this year included artificial intelli-
2022 2021 gence (15%), cloud computing (14%), auto-
Training on new technologies
67% mation (14%), and low code/no code devel-
57%
Certification courses opment (citizen developers (10%).
47%
42%
Training on risk and cybersecurity
43% What’s Ahead?
N/A
People-management skills training This year 45% of the IT pros we surveyed
22%
17% were 55 or older and therefore possibly
Project-management training reaching a time when they could retire in
15%
15% the next 10 years. (That compares to 42%
Communication skills training
15% last year and 39% in 2019.) If organizations
8%
Business skills training (e.g., finance, marketing)
12%
are experiencing a shortage of technology
10% talent now, what will happen in the next de-
Statistics or analytics training/courses
10% cade as more experienced IT pros retire?
10%
College courses How are recruiters and hiring managers
7%
8% planning for the next generation of technol-
MBA
7% ogy pros inside of organizations?
8%
Other
2%
2% These are important questions for CIOs and
Note: Maximum of three responses allowed other IT leaders as they plan their resourc-
es and workforces for the years to come.
This is also important information for more
junior IT staff looking to move into roles of
more responsibility. What are the skill sets
that will be needed in the years ahead?
How can you prepare yourself to move into
these roles?
22
Figure 19
PREVIOUS NEXT Skills for Advancement Conclusion

Which skills would most benefit your individual advancement and/or salary?
The IT industry continues to provide stable
2022 2021 high-paying jobs even amid a global crisis
Cybersecurity 33% 33% such as a pandemic. While there may be
Leadership skills 32% 29% a lot of buzz about a labor shortage, IT
Cloud integration/management 21% 24%
professionals have yet to see the benefits
Project management 18% 18%
of it, either in terms of job offers or higher
Business skills 17% 15%
pay. Experts say that the current labor
Application development 14% 12%
shortage will continue for the next few
Artificial intelligence/machine learning 13% 16%
years, providing more time for IT pros to
Programming skills 13% 12%
consider their options for job changes.
Automation 12% 11%
Many IT pros are getting closer to retirement
Data analytics 11% 12%
age, something that could create a more
Enterprise architecture 11% 13%
acute labor shortage than the industry is
Network engineering/operations 9% 8%
currently experiencing.
DevOps 8% 12%
System engineering/operations technology 7% 7%
Knowledge about my company’s industry 7% N/A
Containers 6% 5%
Data engineering 5% N/A
Mobile app development 3% 5%
Unified communications 3% 2%
Serverless computing 3% 3%
Data storage 2% 2%
IT service assurance 2% 3%
Robotics 2% 4%
Software-defined networking 2% 3%
Wireless 2% 4%
Virtual/augmented reality 1% 2%
Software-defined storage 0% 1%
Note: Maximum of three responses allowed
23
PREVIOUS NEXT
Appendix
Figure 20
Technologies That Threaten Jobs

Do you view any of the following technologies as a threat to your job?
2022 2021
Outsourcing IT operations
55%
51%
Technology spending/management being subsumed by business units (Shadow IT)
29%
N/A
Artificial intelligence
15%
24%
Cloud computing
14%
13%
Automation
14%
19%
Low code/no code development (citizen developers)
10%
N/A
DevOps
5%
6%
Internet of Things
5%
4%
Robotics
5%
6%
Data analytics
4%
6%
Software-defined networking
3%
6%
Virtual/augmented reality
3%
2%
Consumer technology
3%
7%
Software-defined storage
1%
1%
RESEARCH REPORT interop.com Note: Maximum of three responses allowed
24
PREVIOUS NEXT
Figure 21
Security of Career Path in IT

Do you believe a career path in IT is . . .
6% 6%
More secure than

most others
As secure as most
others
50% 44% 50%
44% Less secure than
most others
2022 2021
25
Peer Salary Comparison

Are you aware what your most comparable peers earn?
21% Yes 20%

30%
31% Sort of/rumored
No
48% 50%
2022 2021
26
Overall Job Satisfaction

Overall, how satisfied are you with all aspects of your job, including compensation, benefits
and other aspects of your employment relationship?
1% 1%
8%
11% 17% Very Satisfied
22%
Satisfied
Neutral
25%
21%
Dissatisfied
Very Dissatisfied
50% 44%
2022 2021
27
Job Security
How would you rate your present job security?
2% 1%
8% 11%
I feel very secure
I feel somewhat
secure
39%
48% I feel somewhat
insecure
42%
I feel very insecure
49%
2022 2021
28
Promising Career Path

Do you believe that a career path in IT and the potential for salary advancement is as promising
today as it was five years ago?
6% 6%
It’s more promising
today than it was 19% 27%
19%
five years ago
37%
It is as promising
today
Not as promising
Unsure
38%
48%
2022 2021
29
IT Outsourcing
Is your organization outsourcing some of its IT jobs?
9% Yes, outsourced to a 7%
17% company/companies in 18%
the US
Yes, outsourced to a
company/companies
14% offshore 14%
43%
44% Yes, outsourced to
a combination of
companies both in
16% the US and offshore
18%
No
2022 Don't know 2021

30
PREVIOUS NEXT
Figure 27
Impact of Outsourcing on IT Professionals

What impact do you feel outsourcing is having on IT professionals?
2022 2021
Lower employee morale
37%
38%
Fewer IT jobs available
34%
43%
New hires at reduced salaries
32%
35%
Fewer opportunities for advancement
31%
30%
Skills valued less
30%
28%
Opportunity to work on more innovative projects as menial tasks are moved out of organization
24%
23%
It's an important aspect of global business growth
17%
16%
Salary reductions for employees
15%
21%
Skills valued more
11%
17%
New hires to support outsourcing efforts
11%
12%
31
Figure 28
PREVIOUS NEXT
Impact of Outsourcing on Career

What impact has outsourcing had on your career path?
2022 2021
Outsourcing has had no impact on my career path
64%
61%
I've gotten expanded/new responsibilities
14%
17%
I've lost my job
10%
8%
I've taken a pay cut
6%
5%
I've had to be retrained for new jobs/skills
5%
7%
I've been promoted
3%
5%
I've relocated to new city/state/country
3%
3%
I've been demoted
2%
2%
32
Figure 29
PREVIOUS NEXT
Working in Different Location Working Remotely Due to COVID-19

Than Company Office Is this due to COVID-19?
Do you currently work in different location than
where your company or office is?
39% Yes Yes

44%
No No, I always worked at a
56% different location
61%
Base: 210 respondents who work in

different location than where their
2022 2021 company or office is
33
Figure 30 Figure 31
PREVIOUS NEXT
Establishing Salary Parity Respondent Job Title

Has your company taken positive steps toward establishing salary parity among employees Which of the following best describes
of different races or ethnicities? your job title?
Yes, we are working
on eliminating the 19% 2% 11%
18%
2% 20%
inequalities that exist
2%
Yes, but we still have 37%
39% a way to go 3%
10% 11% 3%
No, but we plan to 3% 8%
3% No 3%
2% 4% 7%
5% We don’t have any 6%
salary inequities 5%
6%
Don’t know 25% 5%
25% 6%
5% 5%
2022 2021
Director/manager, IT, Security analyst
networking or infrastructure
Security analyst
IT staff
Consultant (IT)
Architect
Vice president, IT
CIO/CTO or other IT
Programmer/analyst
executive
CSO (chief security
Program manager/project
officer)/security
manager
management
IT supervisor
Security engineer
Systems engineer
Engineer/QA
Systems analyst/systems
Business analyst
admin
Other
Software/Web developer
34
Figure 32 Figure 33
PREVIOUS NEXT
Respondent Industry Respondent Company Size

Which of the following best describes the How many total employees does your
industry in which you work? company have?
2% 12%
2% 11% 12% 18%
2% 6%
2%
2% 12%
9%
2%
2% 17%
3%
11% 10%
5%
5% 11%
10% 17%
8%
9%
More than 20,000

Government - Federal, Logistics/
10,001 to 20,000
Local, State transportation
5,001 to 10,000
IT vendor Telecommunications/ISPs
1,001 to 5,000
Education (K-12, Media/entertainment
college, university) 501 to 1,000
Nonprofit
Consulting and 101 to 500
Biotech/biomedical/
business services 51 to 100
pharmaceutical
Financial Fewer than 50
Electronics
services/banking
Retail/e-commerce
Healthcare/HMOs Data: InformationWeek 2022 U.S. IT Salary Survey of 550 IT Professionals
Utilities
Insurance
Other
Manufacturing/
industrial
(noncomputer)
35

US IT Salary Report: A Shifting Job Market For Tech Talent

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RESEARCH REPORT APRIL 2022 | $499

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

About the Author

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

Given how tight the labor market is right IT Salary

A 4% increase seems respectable, but when

PREVIOUS NEXT Here’s how those numbers break down. Figure 2

reimbursement (26%), and tuition reimburse-

PREVIOUS NEXT Figure 3

Reasons for Job Search Gender Pay Gap

Loss of job, demotion, or reduction of hours due to COVID-19 3% 5%

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

percentage of men in management positions Yes, we are working on closing the

dollar amounts since we began to track the

Closing the Gender Pay Gap by Gender Salary Parity

Diversity Efforts organizations. The responses remained

In 2021 36% said they didn’t know if

in terms of race and ethnicity within their know in 2020.

Supporting Employees of Color

The Best Way To Get a Raise/Looking

pro for the best way to get a raise and they

PREVIOUS NEXT That compares to 67% in 2020 who were Figure 11

buzz was about the Great Resignation and Yes, somewhat

a tight labor market (Figure 11). No 25%

PREVIOUS NEXT Figure 12 Figure 13

Accepting a Lesser Title Left Workforce Due to

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

How are these organizations handling the Figure 14

Perhaps it makes sense that these qualities

of job (11%), prestige/reputation of the

PREVIOUS NEXT Figure 16

PREVIOUS NEXT Skills for Advancement Conclusion

Technologies That Threaten Jobs

Security of Career Path in IT

More secure than

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

PREVIOUS NEXT Figure 22

Peer Salary Comparison

21% Yes 20%

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

PREVIOUS NEXT Figure 23

Overall Job Satisfaction

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

PREVIOUS NEXT Figure 24

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

PREVIOUS NEXT Figure 25

Promising Career Path

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

PREVIOUS NEXT Figure 26

2022 Don't know 2021

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

Impact of Outsourcing on IT Professionals

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

Impact of Outsourcing on Career

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com

Working in Diﬀerent Location Working Remotely Due to COVID-19

39% Yes Yes

Base: 210 respondents who work in

Data: InformationWeek 2022 U.S. IT Salary Survey of 550 IT Professionals

RESEARCH REPORT interop.com