Federal IT pay stagnant, but still higher than industry -- or is it?
Government IT workers see compensation decrease.
Federal IT professionals are far from immune to the belt-tightening in government, as evidenced by a new survey by InformationWeek.
Nextgov reports the pay for federal IT workers stagnated, and even decreased, due to the two-year salary freeze for feds. By polling more than 730 federal IT workers, the survey found that the average compensation for federal IT staff had stayed at $97,000. IT managers, on the other hand, saw a slight dip in their total compensation: from 2011’s number of $125,000 to the current level of $120,000.
The survey also pointed out that those government IT professionals are nonetheless earning more than their industry IT colleagues, who average around $90,000. Those in management positions make around $116,000.
However, previous surveys, such as this one, contradicts the notion that federal IT pros are better compensated than those in the commercial sector. Robert Half Technology's Salary Guide from October 2011 showed that a new-found focus on big data, cybersecurity and mobility has fueled IT hiring in the private sector, thus pushing starting salaries higher.
The InformationWeek survey cited in Nextgov polled 480 federal IT staffers and 253 federal IT managers.