Tech talents are most in demand: here's how much they earn

Among tech talent, the most sought-after figures are data engineers, software developers and cloud experts. The highest paid are Cio (chief information officer) and Cto (chief technology officer) , Software Delivery Manager and Business Unit Manager. In this field, searches for professionals now account for 30 per cent of the total, almost one in three, and in the last year the demands of companies have increased by 35 per cent compared to 2022. The data are contained in the report 'The Tech Talent Explorer', carried out by the recruiting company Hays in 20 countries in the Emea region, which highlights, however, that there is also a third of workers who want to change company due to low salaries and reduced growth prospects.

Despite being the most sought-after professionals, however, Italian companies do not seem to be aligned with workers' expectations: the report shows that almost a third of Italian tech professionals are not completely satisfied and plan to change jobs in 2024. This figure is below countries such as Belgium, Spain, France and especially the Netherlands, where as many as 57 per cent of professionals are ready to change companies.

On average, their annual salary, if we consider Ral, is around 53,300 euro, rising to 66,400 euro with more than 10 years' experience. It starts at 39,500 euro with 2-5 years, rises to 54,100 euro with 5-10 years, up to 66,400 euro with more than 10 years. The top 5 highest paid positions in Italy, with more than 5 years of experience, are the Cio / Cto with a RAL of 92,500 euro, the Software Delivery Manager with 74,000 euro, the Business Unit Manager with 73,750 euro, the CISO / Cybersecurity Manager with 66,000 euro and the Cloud Architect with 65,750 euro. Low pay for more than half of the tech talents, 57 per cent, together with a lack of opportunities for professional development (52 per cent) and career advancement (42 per cent) are the top reasons for dissatisfaction.

Those who will receive a raise in 2024 are once again 30% of tech workers, a much lower figure, the worst, compared to the EMEA countries analysed, where on average a salary increase is a prospect for 68% of so-called tech talent. Italy is a long way from the growth expectations indicated by countries such as the Netherlands (84%), Spain (81%), Denmark (82%) and Germany (65%).

If we exclude salary, the other priorities for Italian tech workers are work-life balance (for 49%), adequate career development (for 47%) and benefits (for 45%). Considering the preferred benefits, Italy stands out. While in the other Emea countries in the first two places are almost always flexible working and additional days off, in Italy there are private health insurance and medical coverage (57%) and a company car (52%). Flexible working is in third place, but still with high values (51%).