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Female CIOs boast top salaries - IT Salary Survey 2014

Kirsten Doyle
By Kirsten Doyle, ITWeb contributor.
Johannesburg, 15 May 2014

The ITWeb Salary Survey 2014 has revealed the top earners to be female chief information officers (CIOs), boasting an annual salary of R1 173 333 - nearly 95k or 9% higher than their male counterparts at R1 077 821. However, of the 42 CIOs that participated, only three were women.

There were several roles in which women command significantly higher salaries than men in this survey. These include training managers, systems architects, IT managers, IT engineers and Web developers - with women being paid on average 10% to 40% more than the men in the same job function.

The number of women entering the IT industry is still relatively low, but the findings of the survey clearly indicate the absence of the proverbial glass ceiling - those who make it in the demanding world of business IT, can and do command top money.

High-flying execs

At the executive and strategic level, the average salary reported by all CIOs (43) at R1 084 643, was 32% up from the average of R820 000 last year - a testimony to the higher profile of this year's CIO population in our sample.

"The sharp rise in salaries for CIOs demonstrates that South African companies recognise the important role that technology has to play in driving their business strategies," says Anton van Heerden, MD of Sage VIP Payroll & HR.. "The role of the CIO is clearly becoming as influential and important as that of the chief financial and operating officer in large businesses."

Next highest at the top level, were the chief security officers at R1 061 000, chief technology officers with R944 000, and sales directors with R906 720.

Presenting an anomaly, in last place were the MDs, reporting an average of R739 23. However, this is due to the company size they work for - smaller, entrepreneurial companies, while the top-paid C-level execs mostly work for large corporates.

One level down, operational management top earners remain, as in previous years, enterprise architects with R754 872. They are followed by business development managers at R696 989 and data warehouse managers at R649 385. Sales managers came in fourth with R640 348 and project managers fifth with an average of R635 379.

When it comes to staff level - IT professionals who have no managerial responsibility and therefore no one reporting to them, architects once again top the charts - the average software architect earns R699 021, the systems architect earns R647 220, with ERP consultants in third place with an average of R579 359.

At the bottom end of the scale, the lowest average salaries are reported by customer support and helpdesk technicians, with R166 848, and IT technicians on R174 595. Web designers with R212 550 and software testers at R262 526 are slightly better off.

About the survey

ITWeb's 14th annual IT Salary Survey captured a total of 5 385 valid responses - more than double the 2013 sample.

A marginal positive change is seen in the male/female ratio - 79% of the respondents were male and 21% female, compared to 82% and 18% respectively in last year's survey.

The majority (82%) are permanent employees and include C-level executives, business managers, consultants, IT practitioners, developers from all around the country, ranging in age from under 20 to over 50, and from organisations with under 10 people, to enterprise giants with over 5 000 staff. Those aged 31 to 35 made up the bulk of the survey, followed by respondents in the 26 to 30 range, and 36 to 40 range.

This survey was conducted online in late 2013 and early 2014, and as such, it does not have a controlled sample. The results report is meant to serve as an indicator of local IT salary trends.

"The annual ITWeb IT Salary Survey offers a fascinating window into IT employment trends in South Africa and shows how the salary landscape is changing," says Anton van Heerden, MD of Sage VIP Payroll & HR.

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