Technologists See Biggest Salary Raise in a Decade

Technology salaries in the U.S. saw the biggest jump in 2012 in more than a decade, according to the latest salary survey from Dice, a career site for technology and engineer professionals.

Tech professionals in the financial industry - including capital markets, banking and insurance sectors - recorded an average 2012 salary of $93,599, up 3% compared to 2011.

Overall, tech professionals across all industries saw a 5% boost in their salary last year to $85,619, up from $81,327 in 2011.

Bonuses were more frequent than before, with 33 percent of respondents earning an average bonus of $8,636, Dice said. Although bonuses were actually slightly higher in 2011, at $8,769, more tech professionals received the extra payout in 2012.

Meanwhile, technologists looking for the biggest increase in salary might like to consider moving to Pittsburgh, given that the city’s tech professionals saw the largest boost in wages in the U.S, up 18 percent year on year to $76,207.

Silicon Valley is still the only market were tech professionals average six-figure salaries ($101,278). But seven markets saw double-digit increases in average tech salaries year/year: In addition to Pittsburgh, San Diego, St. Louis, Phoenix, Cleveland, Orlando and Milwaukee all made the mark.

Wondering what tech skills will get you the biggest salary?

According to Dice, big data skills are key, with professionals who use Hadoop, NoSQL and MongoDB topping $100,000 annually.

Despite the shaky general economy, a majority (64%) of tech professionals said they are confident that they could find a favorable new position in 2013.

Their positive mood comes at a time when the tech unemployment rate stands at just 3.8 percent. As such, employers are doing their best to retain and motivate staff with more challenging assignments, increased compensation and the ability to telecommute, the survey confirmed.

“Employers are recognizing and adjusting to the reality of a tight market,” Scot Melland, chairman, president and CEO of Dice Holdings, noted. “The fact is you either pay to recruit or pay to retain and these days, at least for technology teams, companies are doing both.”

Melanie Rodier has worked as a print and broadcast journalist for over 10 years, covering business and finance, general news, and film trade news. Prior to joining Wall Street & Technology in April 2007, Melanie lived in Paris, where she worked for the International Herald ... View Full Bio