Benefits August 16, 2005

Western Europe Sees Fattest IT Manager Paychecks

August 16, 2005 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - IT managers may want to head for Western Europe since that is where eight of the world's top 10 highest paying countries for technology officials are located, according to a new Mercer Human Resource (Mercer HR) Consulting study.
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A Mercer HR news release said the eight nations include (with average total compensation including base pay and bonuses):

  • Switzerland ($161,900)
  • Germany ($126,700)
  • Denmark ($116,000)
  • Belgium ($109,600)
  • Ireland ($108,800)
  • the UK ($105,700)
  • Italy ($93,900)
  • Spain ($93,200).

Japan ($112,300) and Hong Kong ($97,600) were the only two nations in the top 10 not in Western Europe.

Meanwhile US IT managers ranked 14 th and earn an average of $89,100, according to the Mercer HR data.

“While the demand for IT talent in the US is growing, it tends to be focused on a subset of skills, such as project managers, security specialists, and enterprise architects,” David Van De Voort, a Mercer specialist in information technology workforce effectiveness, said in the news release. “In Europe and Asia, there is broader demand and very strong competition for experienced IT managers. The IT function is rapidly globalizing. Multinational organizations rely heavily on their global IT operations, so they need to ensure their pay is competitive.”

If Western Europe was the place to be for the fattest paychecks, at the other extreme, IT managers in Vietnam, the Philippines, and India receive the lowest pay, at $20,100, $20,700 and $26,500 a year, respectively.

The 2005 Pay in the IT Function Survey can be purchased at imercer.com or 800 333 3070. The cost is $840.

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