IT Salary Increases: What Professionals Want, What Bosses Offer

More modest times could be ahead for IT professionals in terms of salary development. This is according to the current market study by the personnel consultancy Robert Walters, which is exclusively available to the iX editorial team. Companies are acting more economically and can no longer keep up with annual salary increases, explain the HR experts. This does not yet mean a decrease in income, but a "stabilization of salaries".

On average, salaries in the IT sector could increase by 3.6 percent according to HR managers surveyed for the study, which would exceed the current inflation rate of 2.3 percent. The increase is slightly below the average of 3.74 percent for all surveyed industries. And significantly below what the surveyed IT professionals would like. On average, they want a 6.94 percent increase on their salary. In 2024, the increase for IT professionals was according to figures from the Federal Employment Agency, it was 3.85 percent.

Increases not likely everywhere

However, the average value does not mean that such increases are to be expected in every company. 71 percent of respondents in the IT field stated that salary increases are likely (46 percent) or very likely (25 percent) in their companies. However, for 29 percent, this is unlikely or very unlikely.

The most important factor in salary decisions for most HR managers (43 percent) is the company's business development and financial situation. For around a quarter, it is the shortage of skilled workers and the competition for them. Only around 17 percent named the salary expectations of employees as the strongest factor.

However, the chance of good salaries is also a question of specialization. The demand for classic software developers is declining, for example, as many projects have been discontinued, explains Arne Fietz, IT Manager at Robert Walters. In his view, attractive remuneration opportunities are available for solution architects, data and AI specialists, and infrastructure experts. Crisis-proof industries such as banking, real estate, or defense also continue to invest in their IT infrastructure and thus guarantee above-average salaries.

Recruiting and retention: Salary is key

According to the study, the salary issue repeatedly proves to be a significant obstacle to attracting or retaining staff. 62 percent of HR managers reported excessively high salary expectations preventing hires – only a lack of qualifications on the market is a bigger recruiting hurdle at 65 percent. And among the factors that make it more difficult for companies to retain their skilled workers, insufficient salary increases or bonuses due to the economic situation rank high with 55 percent. Only increased workload due to staff shortages seems to drive more people out of companies with 60 percent.

For employees, salary is the most important argument for their employer anyway. 40.4 percent stated this – among all other factors, only the opportunity for independent work had the same number of mentions.

According to its own statements, the Salary Study 2026 by Robert Walters is based on an analysis of internal salary data and a survey of 644 HR managers and 856 specialists and managers from various industries in Germany. For the IT sector, 136 candidates and 250 HR managers were surveyed.

(axk)