Salary forecast: IT specialists are now just average
The demand and competition for IT specialists were high. This brought them significant annual salary increases. But times have changed.
(Image: SvitlanaRo/Shutterstock.com)
What salary development are companies in Germany planning for 2026? In August, the consulting firm Kienbaum asked around 900 companies this question to forecast salary increases for the coming year, including for IT personnel. “IT specialists and managers are landing in the middle ground in their salary forecasts,” says Dr. Michael Kind, Director, and Compensation Expert at Kienbaum. The era of exceptionally high salary increases for IT employees is over for now. Kind explains in an interview why this is the case, how much more they can expect in the coming year, and why women's salaries might increase more than men's.
(Image:Â Kienbaum)
How are employee salaries in Germany expected to develop in 2026?
The survey results indicate an average salary increase of 3.1 percent for the coming year, which is less than in the forecasts for previous years. For 2024, the forecast was 4.7 percent, and for 2025, it was 3.8 percent. With the new forecast, we are back to a level of around three percent, which was common before Corona.
What are the likely salary increases for IT specialists?
For the coming year, we expect a nearly identical salary increase as for all professional groups. So, around three percent as well.
Will the salaries of IT specialists and managers increase at the same rate?
In recent years, the salaries of specialists and skilled workers have increased by about two percentage points more, and thus significantly more than those of managers, due to high inflation: those who earn less should see their salaries increase more than those who earn more. Already in the coming year, we expect there to be no significant difference between the salary development of IT specialists and managers.
For what reason?
Inflation is decreasing, and in this context, collective bargaining agreements are lower. As a result, the salary jumps for both groups are now moving in lockstep again.
IT specialists were significantly above average for many years, now they have reached the middle ground. What happened?
We are observing a general decline in salary development dynamics. This is because the main drivers of rising salaries in previous years are losing relevance in the tense overall economic situation. These were primarily inflation and a shortage of skilled workers. This affects all job profiles, including IT.
