Certified IT Jobs Are Paying Less

The Industry Standard: New research from staffing firm Foote and Partners shows that while the IT job market remains strong, the salary premium for IT certifications is at its lowest point in 12 years. Firm partner Bill Reynolds says part of the reason for the decline is due to a rise in technical jobs that require business skills, which don’t come with a certification. “In fact, less than 20 percent of all IT professionals employed today — or approximately 4 million of a total technical workforce estimated at between 20 to 24 million [pure technology and hybrid workers] in the U.S. — now work within the walls of what could be consider the traditional IT department,” said the report.

However, there were two exceptions to the downward trend: the development/programming category and the systems administration and engineering category of certified skills both showed salary gains.