Six of the world's 10 highest-paying countries for IT
managers are in Western Europe, according to a survey by Mercer.
Switzerland pays the highest salaries, followed by Denmark, Belgium
and the UK . The US and Canada are ranked sixth and eighth
respectively.
Mercer's 2007 IT Pay around the World survey compared the total
annual cash compensation and total remuneration information for IT
staff in 6,545 companies in 35 countries. Multinational companies
use the survey to benchmark salaries, bonuses, and other forms of
pay, and to allocate global IT budgets.
Based on gross annual total cash, IT staff at all levels are
paid the most in Switzerland, where the IT manager role pays an
average of £74,150 a year. The same job level in Denmark pays
£64,750, and Belgium pays an average of £63,760. The UK and Ireland
are ranked fourth and fifth in the global IT salary league, paying
IT managers an average of £62,180 and £56,950, respectively.
In the US, IT managers earn an average of £56,550 a year. In
Canada the average is £49,370.
The survey found that IT managers in Vietnam (£8,140), Bulgaria
(£11,700 ) and the Philippines (£11,720) receive the lowest pay.
Indian IT managers were fourth from bottom, earning an average of
£13,150.
David Van De Voort, IT workforce specialist at Mercer, said,
"The impact of outsourcing and offshoring on IT roles in North
America and Western Europe helps explain the pattern of global pay.
Lower-level roles are being moved to regions where talent is
cheaper the jobs that remain in Western Europe and the US may be
fewer in number but are more demanding and complex roles like
vendor relationship manager, internal consultant and IT business
partner."