Because skilled tech talent is hard to find, some firms are relaxing hiring requirements — opting to hire and train less-experienced but high-potential candidates. They’re also engaging skilled contract professionals for critical projects, while evaluating that same talent for permanent roles. And to retain top IT staff, companies are increasing salaries, enhancing perks and benefits, and offering flexibility in when and where employees work.

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New to the role, with little or no experience; requires more than casual instruction or supervision to perform day-to-day duties.
Has the experience to consistently perform core responsibilities without direct supervision; very comfortable with processes and subject matter associated with the role.
Value to the organization goes far beyond the ability to perform normal job duties; has rare qualifications that enable consistent contribution in unique ways; ready for next career level when available.

Hiring Trends in Technology

Hiring tech talent still a priority, still a challenge

Finding skilled tech professionals is a key aim at firms with plans to increase automation, move to the cloud, and boost information security. But hiring them is a significant challenge. Retention is also an issue. Offering competitive pay helps, but employers often find that to keep valued workers they need to do more — from expanding benefits and perks to increasing vacation time. Offering professional development, including continuous training opportunities, and internal promotions are also retention-helpers. Employers facing hiring difficulties are likely to invest in training professionals already on their teams.
Cybersecurity Cloud
(computing
security
and architecture) AI and
machine learning DevOps and
DevSecOps Software
and applications
development Cybersecurity Cloud
(computing
security
and architecture) AI and
machine learning DevOps and
DevSecOps Software
and applications
development

Cloud roles especially in demand

Companies are employing technology professionals to support digital transformation and IT modernization projects. Businesses are also looking to increase their data-driven decision-making capabilities, so hiring will likely pick up for roles in data analysis and reporting as well as business intelligence. The most in-demand tech positions are those in cloud cybersecurity and cloud architecture. These positions are likely to see a pay bump. Firms are also expanding staff in operations as well as network and systems administration.
Heavy workloads Lack of manager
support and
communication Lack of resources
to do the job Unclear job
expectations Toxic organizational
culture Heavy workloads Lack of manager
support and
communication Lack of resources
to do the job Unclear job
expectations Toxic organizational
culture
of tech managers say they are planning to increase the number of contract professionals they use to access specialized skills and critical support for key projects. of tech managers say they are planning to increase the number of contract professionals they use to access specialized skills and critical support for key projects.

of these managers are bringing in contract talent because of AI and digital transformation projects. of these managers are bringing in contract talent because of AI and digital transformation projects.

of IT professionals say they’re open to interim roles. of IT professionals say they’re open to interim roles.

Software and
applications
development Technology process
automation Cloud
architecture and
operation Business
intelligence
and analysis Security, privacy
and compliance Software and
applications
development Technology process
automation Cloud
architecture and
operation Business
intelligence
and analysis Security, privacy
and compliance

Flexible work options, pay transparency key for recruitment

Flexible work arrangements are essentially table stakes for recruiting and retaining tech talent. 56% of tech professionals say the hybrid model is the ideal work arrangement for their team. Pay transparency is also important. Half of tech workers say they expect salary ranges to be included in published job postings. Two-thirds say they wouldn’t keep interviewing with a prospective employer who declined to provide salary ranges upon request.

Hottest jobs

Data engineer DevOps engineer Help desk, Tier 1 Help desk, Tier 2 Network/cloud administrator Network/cloud architect Network security engineer Software developer Systems administrator

Industries hiring most

Health care Financial services Manufacturing Professional services Retail

In-demand certifications and credentials

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified information security manager (CISM) Certified information systems security professional (CISSP) Cisco certified networking associate (CCNA) Microsoft Azure certifications Microsoft certified Power BI data analyst associate Microsoft certified solutions expert (MCSE)

Top technology skills

Cloud security Data analysis Databricks Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Kubernetes Network security

How can we help you get started?
How do we determine our salary figures? See our methodology. The salaries listed in the salary tables represent starting compensation only, meaning pay for someone new to a company in the position listed. Our estimates do not include bonuses, benefits or perks. We report salaries in percentiles and ranges, recognizing that professionals join companies at varied experience levels. Other data referenced in this Salary Guide is based on online surveys developed by Robert Half and conducted by independent research firms. Respondents included hiring managers and employees from small (less than $50 million in revenues), midsize ($50 million to $1 billion) and large ($1 billion or greater) private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across Canada.
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