Salaries for Digital Experts Expected to Rise in 2016

Workers with digital expertise stand to earn higher salaries in the coming year.

Base salaries for workers in the technology and creative fields are expected to increase 5.3 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively, according to the 2016 salary guides of specialized staffing firms Robert Half Technology and The Creative Group.

John Reed, senior executive director of both firms, explains in a news release that increased demand for professionals with digital expertise is driven partly by companies’ increased focus on their digital strategies:

“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.

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.”

Some positions in the technology and creative fields are projected to see higher salary increases than others. Those expected to see significant rises, according to the salary guides, include:

• Wireless network engineer: 9.7 percent increase
• Big-data engineer: 8.9 percent
• Data scientist: 8.9 percent
• Mobile applications developer: 8.2 percent
• Content strategist: 8.1 percent
• Multimedia designer: 6.3 percent
• User experience (UX) specialist: 5.9 percent
• User interface (UI) developer: 5.9 percent

These positions also have high starting salaries to begin with. Their national averages range from $61,750 to $91,000 (for multimedia designers) to $129,500 to $183,500 (for big-data engineers).

Are you surprised by the increased demand for these types of positions? Would you consider learning new digital skills because of it? Let us know below or on Facebook.