Digital Transformation is a rapidly growing area with lots of employers seeking top talent. DT professionals can look forward to an interesting career, working with great organisations on great projects. IT is a career that can take them around the world and even work remote in some cases. In this article, we explore the dynamic world of IT Careers, Tech Salaries and generic salary trends in Ireland. Whether you're a seasoned IT professional or someone considering a career change in IT, this comprehensive guide will equip you with valuable insights on the current salaries and equip you with the tools to excel within the industry.
Understanding the Essentials: What Salary Guides Cover
Salary guides serve as a great resource as they offer comprehensive data on pay ranges, and in some cases, they include details such as compensation and benefits. They provide valuable information for job seekers, allowing them to gain that competitive edge for negotiations.
Full-Time and Part-Time Roles
Salary guides offer great insights into full-time, part-time, permanent and contract positions. These can be useful to understand the industry benchmark for each role.
Financial Remuneration
The main focus of these salary guides is to provide information on financial compensation, including detailed salary information. These guides also provide a clear understanding of tech career industry trends.
Industry Insights
In addition to a comprehensive focus of tech salaries and salary trends, salary guides feature excellent oversight of the tech industry. They are very useful to spot current trends related to hiring and retention of employees. These insights cover remote work opportunities, training, perks, stock options, signing on bonuses, pensions and more.
Knowing Your Worth
Especially for tech careers, salary guides offer a benchmark for IT salaries, helping job seekers on their journey. These benchmarks can be valuable when negotiating for better compensation packages.
The State of the Tech and Digital Transformation Industry in Ireland
According to CSO figures published this year, Ireland boasts over 90,000 tech professionals employed in 5000+ companies, solidifying its status as a tech hub driving innovation and economic growth. Digital transformation has become a key strategy within the Irish government as they aim for 90% of SME’s to adopt basic digital practices and 75% to embrace cloud, AI and big data by 2030, as outlined in the National Digital Strategy. The tech sector in Ireland focuses on four key pillars:
- Digital Business Transformation
- Infrastructure Investment
- Digital Skills
- Public Services Digitalization
Throughout Ireland there is significant growth of the digital transformation industry making it a highly competitive sector. As the state of the tech industry here in Ireland becomes understood, we can dive deep as to what roles are behind the thriving industry.
Types of Roles in The Tech Industry:
Role | Description |
Digital Transformation Consultant | Guides organisations in adopting digital technologies for improved efficiency and innovation.
|
Software Developers & Engineers | These professionals are sought after in various industries for creating software solutions.
|
Data Scientists & Data Analysts | With the growth of data-driven decision-making, experts in data analysis and machine learning are highly in demand. |
Cybersecurity Specialists | Given the increasing importance of data security, roles like cybersecurity analysts and engineers are crucial. |
AI and Machine Learning Specialists | With AI's increasing integration, specialists in AI and machine learning are essential. |
Digital Product Managers | To lead digital product development, product managers are crucial |
IT Project Managers | Skilled project managers oversee the successful execution of tech projects. |
Role Specific Tech Salary Insights:
The average salary in Ireland ranges depending on location, industry and the candidates level of experience. According to Brightwater those employed in the tech sector earn approx €73500. Here are some general insights:
| Salary Range |
| Low | High |
Role | € ,000 | € ,000 |
IT Director / Head of IT | 120 | 160 |
IT Managers | 90 | 120 |
Project Managers | 75 | 90 |
Data Scientists | 75 | 90 |
Data Analysts | 50 | 65 |
Business Intelligence Reporting Analysts | 60 | 70 |
IT Support Team Leads | 50 | 65 |
Exploring these salary ranges for these tech roles serves as a great starting point for jobseekers. To gain a further insight into how these salaries are determined, we can delve into the key factors that influence tech salaries in Ireland.
Key Factors Influencing Tech Salaries in Ireland
There are many factors which impact technology salaries in the Irish job market. Factors such as: Experience, skills & qualifications, location and size of the company are all influential factors in terms of salaries. Candidates that demonstrate robust experience are on the higher end of the salary scale. External factors such as the cost of living are taken into account, as those generally living in cities can expect a higher salary.
As a candidate, it is important to be aware of salaries paid for your role/location/years of experience and know your worth. If you are inexperienced at negotiating, watch some Youtube videos and try to negotiate small issues with family members/friends. It's not all about salary, experienced technology professionals can expect a very good benefits package which can include medical insurance, employer PRSA contributions, an annual bonus and, in some cases, stock options. As a candidate it’s also important to find the right role which suits your needs.
Candidates who do well will typically have both the technical skills and the transversal skills. According to the Bank of Ireland, 94% of businesses in Ireland struggle to find suitable experienced tech staff and 83% of businesses are struggling to meet the rising salary expectations. 38% of organisations said that candidates are receiving higher salary offers from other employers. In response, more organisations are hiring freelancers or outsourcing some work. According to CPL, 91% of people who avail of flexible working arrangements and 80% would turn down roles that do not meet my flexible working needs.
Navigating Digital Transformation Careers
Digital transformation can be a rewarding career path allowing candidates to work with lots of different organisations, across various industries, countries and projects. Some professionals will gravitate toward technical roles such as Data Scientist/Analyst, Process Analytical Technology Specialist, ERP or Automation specialist, Cloud Solutions Architect, Software Developer etc. Others will take on more business or commercially focused roles such as Digital Transformation Consultant/Advisor, Program Manager, Business Analyst, Sales Professional, Change Management Specialist etc.
While it's important to have up to date skills and an in-depth knowledge of your industry, many employers look for candidates with a relevant digital transformation qualification. Relevant qualifications show that candidates have deep knowledge and are capable of working to a very high standard.
Bonus Tip! Building A Personal Brand & Setting Goals
LinkedIn can be a very resourceful tool if it's utilised properly. If you have a LinkedIn profile, focus on building your connections and post once per week. If you get more confident, try writing some articles and sharing them on your Linkedin profile. This builds your personal brand and (if done right) can mean that jobs/employers will come to you. Become educated in the field and study online courses in digital transformation. Goal setting can also be a great habit to get into. Try setting yourself several professional development goals per year. For example, keeping up to date by taking additional online courses, writing articles for industry and delivering webinars are great ways to stay informed, especially in an ever changing industry.
Tips to Negotiate a Higher Salary for a Technology or Digital Transformation Role
Negotiation is a common part of everyday life. Rather than an exercise in asserting one's ego (like in some movies) negotiation is a means of finding common ground or agreement between two or more parties. Here are my top tips:
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Your Worth:
Use salary surveys, Glassdoor reviews, industry research and other sources of information to find out what you are worth and calculate a commensurate salary for it.
Make Tradeoffs to Get a Better Package:
While a high salary may be attractive, consider how important other benefits are to you such as stock options, pension contributions, medical insurance, annual leave days etc and incorporate these into your negotiation. For example, you may be willing to take a 10% lower salary in exchange for pension contributions.
Always Have a BATNA:
A BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) is a Plan B. This can be staying with your existing employer, having another job offer on the table or even setting up your own business. Having a BATNA allows you to walk away from a bad deal and remain calm while negotiating towards a good one. It's also good to know when a good deal turns bad (i.e the compensation & benefits pack are too low for you) and be willing to walk away.
Don't Be Greedy:
We all may want a €1 million per annum salary but the hiring manager still has their budgets to manage, don't price yourself out of a good job because you are asking for too much.
Provide Evidence:
A job interview and negotiation incorporate elements of a sales pitch in them. This means that you will need to showcase why you are worth what you say you are. Use specific examples and logical arguments to achieve this. For example: Having worked with XYZ company for 3 years, I lead the implementation team which brought in a new ERP system which yielded €500,000 in cost saving and productivity gains per annum.
Conclusion: Preparing for Success
Despite turbulent labour market conditions, there are a wide range of great digital transformation roles available. Salary guides and surveys give a broad indication of salaries available for different roles, they are just a guide and not a guarantee of the salary you will get. Candidates with experience and qualifications are highly sought after. Having a digital transformation qualification will elevate you to the next level and allow you to negotiate for a better compensation and benefits pack. Find a course that teaches you about the key digital areas such as data analytics and current technology. A good course should also teach you about the non technology areas such as strategy, business and operational excellence. Innopharma’s Digital Transformation courses are designed and delivered by industry experts and give you the well rounded skill set you need to succeed.
Get the job you want and succeed in your next salary negotiation by gaining indemand digital transformation skills. Our digital transformation courses are designed and delivered by leading industry experts. Take your career to the next level by studying with Innopharma Education.