That's how much IT specialists earn in different countries

That's how much IT specialists earn in different countries

IT specialists are in demand. This is also reflected in the salary: The earning potential in this important and emerging sector is good. We looked at how much IT professionals earn. We not only looked at the German market, we also took a look abroad. After all, IT specialists are in demand worldwide.

IT study with almost 11,400 data sets

The analysis company Compensation Partner carried out an extensive study on salaries in the IT sector in 2018. 11,375 data sets were included in the study. 910 of them come from companies and 10,465 from IT specialists and executives.

It becomes clear that there are very different job profiles in IT. Not everything that has to do with computers is IT in the strict sense. Anyone who sometimes plays online slots like Ramses Book privately is not yet an IT specialist.

The study sees the highest salaries for IT specialists in the field of IT security. The specialists in this area earn EUR 74,637 gross per year. IT project managers follow with EUR 72,527. According to the study, SAP consultants - often associated with very high incomes - earn EUR 72,140 per year. This means that salaries in popular IT professions are well above the average income in Germany.

Is the earnings abroad better?

However, there are also big differences in the IT area. In many professions less is paid. System administrators, web designers and other service providers earn significantly less than specialists from IT security and SAP consulting. If all professions are included in the statistics, the picture is somewhat different.

According to a study by the Interventure portal, IT specialists in Germany earn an average of EUR 42,295 per year. This information relates to May 2017. This was around 10% more than the average earnings of salaried employees in the same year.

In other countries, salaries were significantly higher. The United States came out on top with EUR 76,487 per year. Switzerland followed with EUR 69,357, followed by Denmark with EUR 58,874. In Norway, IT professionals earned an average of EUR 57,302, in Great Britain it was still EUR 49,324. In Israel, Canada and Australia, too, earnings were better than in Germany. Colleagues in France and the Netherlands earn less.

Income statistics only tell half the story

However, like all income statistics, these statistics should be interpreted with caution. The information on the salary is only partially meaningful because there is no relation to the price level. If many IT workers work in particularly expensive cities such as Montreal, New York, San Francisco, Munich or Tokyo, this increases average salaries - at least on paper. If IT specialists are spread across the country in a country, you may earn less nominally - but without necessarily having to sacrifice real standard of living.

One problem with income statistics, especially in the IT area, is professional status. Not all IT specialists are permanent employees. Many earn their living in a freelance position. The gross annual income can then be significantly higher. For this, the freelancers have to bear a lot of costs themselves and also live with a greater risk.

How much IT specialists earn does not only depend on the exact segment in the IT area. Training also plays an important role. The following applies here: With a diploma or master's degree, you earn more than with a bachelor's degree. The Bachelor, in turn, promises a higher salary than an in-company training. In addition to formal qualifications, professional experience plays a key role. The more experience an IT specialist has, the higher his income.