Indian IT Pros Among Worst Paid

Heard a lot about constantly swelling tech salaries in India and how this is undermining India’s IT edge. The rising salaries may be “bleeding” Indian IT cos, but they are still far from the global level, as the Mercer’s 2007 IT Pay around the World survey shows. Six of the world’s 10 highest-paying countries for information technology (IT) managers are in Western Europe, according to a new survey by Mercer. Switzerland pays the highest salaries followed by Denmark, Belgium and the UK. The United States and Canada are ranked sixth and eighth respectively.The survey compared the total annual cash compensation and total remuneration information for IT staff in 6,545 companies in 35 different countries.Based on gross annual total cash, IT staff at all levels are paid the most in Switzerland, where the IT Manager job pays an average of $140,960 annually. The same job level in Denmark (the second-highest-paying country) pays $123,080, while Belgium (third) pays an average of $121,170. The UK and Ireland are ranked fourth and fifth, with an average pay of $118,190 and $108,230, respectively. In the United States, the average IT manager earns $107,500 a year compared with Canada (ranked eight) at $93,340. According David Conroy, a principal in Mercer’s London office, “The globalisation of the IT function continues to develop. Companies in Europe and the US continue to be more imaginative in their remuneration strategies to ensure that they keep the best talent. Employers understand local markets and look to developing successful staff attraction and retention strategies to remain competitive.”Talking of low paying countries, Bulgaria, Philippines, Indonesia, India and Czech Republic pay the lowest annual total cash packages to their top IT personnel on a global level. The survey found that IT managers in Vietnam, Bulgaria and the Philippines receive the lowest pay, respectively, at $15,470, $22,240 and $22,280 a year. Indian IT managers were fourth from the bottom, earning an average of $25,000. The other countries on the list were Indonesia at fifth with average wages of $31,720, followed by China (Shanghai) with earnings of $33,770, Malaysia $35,260, Czech Republic $35,880, China (Beijing) $36,220 and Argentina $43,180.In the most-junior career band surveyed, defined as IT Professional – Experienced, employees in Switzerland earn the highest salaries at an average $101,510, ahead of Belgium (second), Germany (third) and Denmark (fourth). The UK ranks fifth with an average of $64,340 followed by the US (sixth). In the lower-paying countries, Vietnam again pays the least at $5,570, followed by the Philippines and India at $8,130 and $9,630, respectively.  

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