As companies increase their focus on digital strategy, salaries are rising for professionals with expertise in this area.
According to the 2016 Salary Guide from staffing specialists Robert Half Technology and The Creative Group show that base salaries in the technology and creative fields are expected to increase 5.3 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively, in the coming year. But some roles are projected to see even bigger pay bumps.
The following eight high-paying jobs are expected to see substantial increases in average starting salary in 2016, according to the Robert Half Salary Guides*:
| Role | Salary Increase from 2015 | Average Starting Salary | |
| 1 | Wireless Network Engineer | 9.7% | $108,750 – $150,750 |
| 2 | Big Data Engineer | 8.9% | $129,500 – $183,500 |
| 3 | Data Scientist | 8.9% | $109,000 – $153,750 |
| 4 | Mobile Applications Developer | 8.2% | $115,250 – $175,750 |
| 5 | Content Strategist | 8.1% | $77,500 – $109,000 |
| 6 | Multimedia Designer | 6.3% | $61,750 – $91,000 |
| 7 | User Experience (UX) Specialist | 5.9% | $86,500 – $132,500 |
| 8 | User Interface (UI) Developer | 5.9% | $87,500 – $132,000 |
“Companies continue to struggle to find professionals who can help create seamless digital experiences – from collecting and analyzing customer data to building secure e-commerce environments to providing intuitive, easy-to-navigate websites,” said John Reed, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology and The Creative Group.
“Strong demand and a limited supply of professionals with digital competencies have put job seekers in the driver’s seat. Businesses risk losing good people to prospective employers who promise more money or new challenges.”
See: 2016 Salary Increase Trends for Employees in Asia Pacific
Deborah Bottineau, senior regional manager of The Creative Group and Robert Half Technology says, “Whether it be in creating intuitive online user-experiences, defining an optimized content strategy or developing comprehensive data-mining software, the pool for skilled creative and IT professionals is limited. Candidates now have the upper hand in the job market, with increased opportunity to explore positions that offer higher salaries and more engaging projects.”
As part of company’s hiring strategies, many employers are boosting base salaries, offering sign-on bonuses, and promoting the potential for generous merit raises and bonuses. Firms also are increasing current employees’ compensation to improve retention.
Hiring managers with knowledge of current salary and employment trends in their industries and geographies are in the best position to recruit and retain top performers.
The 2016 Salary Guide for HR professionals reveals starting salaries for professional occupations in U.S to increase at an average 4.1 percent next year.
The salary guide spans to cover five important sectors namely – legal, finance and accounting, technology sector, creative and marketing, administrative and office support.
The findings further revealed that it would take a 26 percent salary increase, on average, to compel employees to head for greener pastures.
Content strategy and mobile development will be the roles particularly in demand, as organisations focus heavily on initiatives that enable them to connect with customers anytime, anywhere.
Also read: Top 10 Hard to Fill Positions in 2016
