The technology sector is projected to see the greatest pay gains next year among the five fields tracked by Robert Half International Inc.’s (NYSE: RHI) 2016 Salary Guides. Information technology professionals’ starting salaries are expected to increase 5.3% in 2016, according to the report.
Starting salaries for all professional occupations in the US combined are projected to increase by an average of 4.1% next year.
Firms in a variety of industries seek big data engineers, mobile applications developers and data security analysts to remain competitive, improve customer experience and keep information secure, the report found. Wireless networking engineers will see the highest starting salary increase of all the positions included in the 2016 Salary Guides, with projected starting compensation levels rising 9.7% in the coming year.
IT positions also garnered spots the report’s list of the “Top 10 roles to watch” for the largest salary increases in 2016:
- Big Data engineer: +8.9%
- Mobile applications developer: +8.2%
- Content strategist: +8.1
- Data security analyst: +7.1%
- User experience (UX) specialist: +5.9%
- Compliance director: +5.8%
- Business systems analyst-manager: +5.2%
- Staff accountant: +5.1%
- Certified medical coding manager: +4.8
- Lawyer: +4.7%
