The 10 Fastest-Growing Tech Salaries By Occupation In 2023

From a product manager to a help desk technician, these are the 10 IT roles with the fastest-growing salaries, according to Dice.

Whether it’s a DevOps engineer or a program analyst, many IT jobs saw an increased salary in 2022 despite extensive layoffs across the industry. In fact, out of 35 jobs researched 17 of them had a salary increase over the last year, according to a new Dice report.

The average tech salary increased by 2.3 percent year over year from $108,857 in 2021 to $111,348 in 2022. And the average annual salary for jobs in the IT market is more than $140,000, according to Dice.

“From a budgetary perspective, tech talent remains enormously expensive, which puts more pressure on recruiters and hiring managers to make the right hires the first time around,” said Dice in the 2023 Dice Tech Salary Report. “For any organization on the hunt for these professionals, be prepared to pay a significant amount, especially if they have ‘soft skills’ and management experience.”

The continued upward trajectory of average tech salaries shows the demand for these jobs, therefore giving individuals more wiggle room to command higher compensation, the report suggested. The report also suggested there is more demand for positions in certain areas such as data-related skills, which can be used to support infrastructure for the storage, mobility and analysis of data.

“Organizations everywhere are in the midst of digital transformation,” Dice said in the report. “For some, this means migrating on-premises tech stacks to the cloud. For others, it’s a focus on crafting the infrastructure for the storage, transit and analysis of data. Corporate and government strategies also hinge increasingly on data analytics, particularly massive data sets, which is driving salary growth in those areas.”

Whether it’s a systems engineer, an MIS manager or a cybersecurity architect, here are Dice’s 10 tech occupations with the fastest-growing salaries in 2022.

10. Network Engineer

2022 Average Salary $99,103

Increase from 2021: 6.10%

Network engineers are responsible for planning, designing, deploying, managing and upgrading a company’s network, cloud projects and applications. Required skills typically include a strong knowledge of cloud services, governance, automation and vendor management.

9. Application Support Engineer

2022 Average Salary: $96,961

Increase From 2021: 6.30%

An application support engineer (ASE) is responsible for troubleshooting software applications and responding to help desk tickets in a timely fashion. As the expert in a company’s software stack, the ASE researches and diagnoses bugs, increases user experience, documents troubleshooting procedures and follows best practices for solutions.

8. Help Desk Technician

2022 Average Salary: $55,872

Increase From 2021: 6.90%

A help desk technician assists customers with computer-facing issues be it hardware, software or applications. The technician is typically the first point of contact for customers and can respond by phone, remotely or in person. The help desk technician is usually in IT units, technical support organizations and/or call centers.

7. Systems Engineer

2022 Average Salary: $120,800

Increase From 2021: 7.50%

Systems engineers head up the design, implementation and maintenance of all IT systems for an organization or company. Their role includes designing the basic computing infrastructure, establishing networking rules for cybersecurity and troubleshooting network errors.

6. Cybersecurity Engineer/Architect

2022 Average Salary: $145,512

Increase from 2021: 7.70%

Cybersecurity engineers identify threats and vulnerabilities in systems and software platforms and are responsible for developing and implementing high-tech solutions to defend against hacking, malware, ransomware and other malicious threats.

5. IT Management CEO, CIO, CTO, VP, Director

2022 Average Salary: $164,814

Increase from 2021: 8.40%

An IT management executive in the C-suite can mean many different roles and perform a variety of duties. The CEO delegates and directs the company toward its goals and objectives, the CIO plans, develops and implements an IT strategy and the CTO oversees the development of technology for external use to help businesses increase and improve their operations.

4. MIS Manager

2022 Average Salary: $132,094

Increase From 2021: 10.80%

The MIS (management information system) manager develops and maintains a company’s system plan including operational and budget requirements and schedules. The manager also implements policies and procedures to guarantee data accuracy and security, plans and delivers software and hardware installations, and monitors and performs periodic updates to an MIS system.

3. Program Analyst/Manager

2022 Average Salary: $139,683

Increase From 2021: 12.90%

A program analyst/manager oversees, coordinates, creates budgets and long-term goals for projects, and develops and organizes programs and activities to improve company efficiencies. The role also includes reviewing a company’s computer systems to ensure proper and efficient operations, making recommendations to optimize programs and identifying and resolving system issues.

2. DevOps Engineer

2022 Average Salary: $136,017

Increase From 2021: 14.10%

A development operations engineer, or a DevOps engineer, manages the communication between the operational and developmental aspect of the software development process. This position launches product updates and builds integrations that improve the user experience. Their role also includes building and setting up new development tools and infrastructure, creates automation workflows and improves development, tests and examines code, identifies and fixes technical problems, develops software updates and is involved in project management.

1. Product Manager

2022 Average Salary: $139,100

Increase From 2021: 15.60%

The product manager is responsible for the management and operation of software development projects. The position manages multiple projects through their life cycle, including discovery, planning, development, task delegation, budget management and the closure of projects. The position also collaborates with customers, business owners, engineering teams and internal execution teams.