If you’re an IT manager or an experienced IT staffer, it’s a shame you’re not living in Switzerland, because according to a report released Oct. 17 by human resources consulting firm Mercer, their IT salaries tower over the rest of the world.
An IT manager in Switzerland averages an annual pay of $140,960 and an experienced IT staff member averages $101,508. Other European countries topped the IT pay list for both managers and staff-level employees, with Denmark, Belgium, and the UK in the top five of both lists.
The United States came in sixth internationally for IT manager pay and fifth for experienced IT staff pay, at $107,500 and $60,000, respectively. However, the dollar’s falling value (0.7 against the Euro as of noon today) was not taken into account, something that favors European IT salaries significantly.
The lowest paying countries for both IT managers and experienced IT staff reads like a who’s who of Offshoring 2.0. Vietnam (lowest paid IT managers and staff), the Philippines (third lowest manager pay, second lowest staff pay), India (fourth lowest manager pay and third lowest staff pay), Indonesia (fifth lowest manager pay and fourth lowest staff pay), China (sixth lowest manager pay and fifth lowest staff pay), Malaysia and the Czech Republic are all considered active offshoring “hot spots.”
Harvey Nash, a recruitment firm, said in July that Vietnam would be a more popular outsourcing destination than both China and India in the next five years.
An IT manager in Vietnam makes an average of $15,470 each year (14 percent of U.S. average); an experienced IT staffer makes $5,574 (10 percent of U.S. average).