As noted in Motion Recruitment’s 2023 Tech Salary Guide, even with some of the economic uncertainty that persists in the IT sector, many tech workers saw big salary gains in 2022. With the tech unemployment rate still well below the national average, with some tech sectors reaching nearly 0% unemployment, top-tier job candidates that are looking to grow their careers (and bank accounts) have plenty of options to do so.
In the United States, the average tech salary grew by 6.7% in 2022 year-over-year, but some job titles saw much larger jumps than others. After combing through the data, here are the five IT job titles that had the largest pay increases in 2022.
1. Firmware Engineer: 39.9%
Having extensive knowledge in both the hardware and software side of things in an industry that is becoming more and more specialized, a quality firmware engineer is an extremely hot commodity in the IT job market. Someone who can bridge the gap between the physical product and the programming behind it, a firmware engineer can also be helpful in quickly detecting what is going wrong with a product if it’s not working as intended during a launch.
A skill set that is becoming increasingly difficult to find, firmware salaries jumped nearly forty percent year over year. While a substantial jump might not be a yearly constant, the demand for this role will continue well into the future.
Read More: 3 Ways You Can Overcome the Tech Talent Shortage - Beyond Compensation
2. Data Scientists: 33.1%
With Big Data being a key tool in implementing strategies for businesses in and out of the tech world, data scientists remain an important part of a company’s team. Having a person that can collect, synthesize and find the patterns and trends that can help increase a company’s profits in a massive trove of data is vital, which is why data scientists continue to see salary raises that go above others inside the tech world.
3. React Native Developer: 31.7%
Since created by Meta, React Native has been a popular tool in the mobile space, with numerous popular apps being rewritten in the framework like Uber, Soundcloud, and unsurprisingly, Facebook and Instagram, among others. With the ability to develop an app for multiple platforms using a singular code base, React Native Developers can help a company’s app reach a wider audience quickly, with is especially important for international companies, as Android holds over 70% of the global market, but in the United States, iOS takes over at just over 55% of the market share.
4. iOS Developer: 31.0%
With the aforementioned majority of the US market, those that work in the Apple format continue the trend of big salary gains for those in the mobile space. (Note: Android developers also did very well this year, seeing 30.6% pay raises year-over-year, just missing out on the top 5.) Many companies are making mobile experiences a priority, and with over 1.8 billion active Apple devices currently in the ecosystem, developers that can work within Apple’s unique system are being handsomely rewarded.
5. Data Engineer: 30.7%
Similar to the mobile space, multiple job titles in big data saw large salary jumps, with Data Engineers joining the previously mentioned Data Scientists in the top 5. Working in conjunction with but earlier in the workflow than a data scientist, data engineering is another job in tech where demand is outpacing the supply of qualified candidates. As businesses continue to build out analytic programs, data engineers will always be the foundation of those plans and continue to see their pay rates go up.
As data engineering is becoming more of a cloud-based role, those in the field that are looking for the over 30% pay jump should be comfortable working in a distributed computing environment.
To see how much your tech job title is making across the United States and Canada, make sure to download your copy of Motion Recruitment’s 2023 Tech Salary Guide. With salary data for over 120 specific job titles, analysis of the current IT job market, and expert insights and predictions based on over 30 years of experience in the technology industry, this guide is what you need to set yourself up for success in 2023.
