The technology field is known for job growth, opportunity and often enviable salaries, but are the numbers doing the job for the job being done? Maybe not!

In a new survey from staffing firm Robert Half Technology, three in 10 chief information officers (CIOs) said technology professionals’ salaries are too low given their workload, while 53 per cent believe salaries are fair due to the shortage of talent. A strong majority (91 per cent) of CIOs reported that the amount of pressure on technology professionals has increased from five years ago.

“The past five years have seen incredible growth in technology-driven business trends. This is particularly true within specialized areas of security and big data, resulting in increased pressure on IT professionals to evolve their skills for efficiency and speed in an effort to meet greater demand,” said Deborah Bottineau, senior regional manager of Robert Half Technology.

Here are some quick tips on hiring for tech team managers and key decision makers in IT:

1. Stay current on salary trends. Keep track of compensation levels for professionals in your area – not only for new hires, but also for current team members. In a tight candidate market, when recruitment and retention are top of mind, offering a salary that meets or exceeds industry standards gives you an advantage.
2. Manage stress effectively. Most CIOs agree that pressure has increased for their teams. Have regular check-ins with team members, offer time management or prioritization advice and ask what other help you can provide to relieve growing responsibilities.
3. Provide support. If new projects or implementations are putting a strain on teams, consider bringing in project professionals. Using consultants can help your full-time team meet deadlines and avoid burnout.

“As the need for technology skills increases, businesses looking to recruit and retain top IT talent must be open to offering, not only a wide variety of work perks and benefits, but also developing compensation packages that demonstrate an awareness of current trends, and meet or exceed industry averages.”

According to Forrester Research CIO Predictions for 2016, “CIOs in Asia Pacific (APAC) are still investing less in business technology (BT) as a percentage of total tech spending than their counterparts in the US, but BT spending is growing much faster than IT spending. To make sure these investments pay off, smart CIOs will commit to human-centred design in 2016.”

See: Global Opportunities and Disruptions Impacting the World of Work in Future

HMG Strategy recently revealed six strategic trends that will shape the CIO agenda in 2016:

1. Empowering the CEO’s Vision. In order to move the enterprise forward, the CIO needs to dial into the CEO’s strategy for the company. In support of the CEO’s tactics for entering new markets, driving innovation, delivering exceptional customer experiences, and generating revenue and earnings, the CIO must marshal the people, processes, and technology needed to execute on this vision. To make this work, the CIO also must cultivate effective, two-way communication to foster an open and trusting relationship.
2. The Risk Guardian. Given the increasing risks facing the enterprise, the CIO needs to communicate clearly and regularly with the C-suite and board about how the nature of cyber security threats are changing and intensifying. The CIO can play a critical role in providing executive management with greater visibility into cyber security threats, including opportunities to become more proactive about potential risks to better insulate the enterprise.
3. Growing a Top-Tier IT Team. In order to deliver on soaring business expectations, the CIO needs to develop a deep IT team that requires finding, recruiting, nurturing, and retaining the right people with the right skills. This starts with having a thorough understanding of the company’s goals and building the skills and competencies needed to achieve the mission.
4. Simplifying IT. To position the enterprise to respond to emerging market opportunities and threats with speed and dexterity, CIOs need to reduce IT complexity. This includes working behind the scenes to make data accessibility easier for end users, while improving interconnectivity between applications and systems.
5. Partnering with the World. The best leaders recognize that everyone is a potential partner. Savvy CIOs will expand their relationships with industry associates by forming digital connections, collaborating with HR for talent, and teaming with the C-suite to identify opportunities for driving business value and results.
6. Leading a World-Class Culture. Peter Ducker famously said “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” The CIO is uniquely positioned to enable the enterprise to drive cultural transformation through speed to performance and by differentiating the IT organization around speed to relationships.

Also read: Top 5 HR Technology Predictions for 2016

Image credit: gigaom.com