Tech salaries up everywhere buy Silicon valley

Tech salaries up everywhere but Silicon Valley

Enlarge Image

 

Photo: Vicki Thompson

Tech workers in Silicon Valley are skewing younger, dropping average salaries for the region.
 

	Sponsored Links
	QuickBooks Online QuickBooks Online for Small Business. Manage Your Entire Business On The Go www.QuickBooks.com
	Mortgage Rates Hit 2.13% $150K Mortgage $581/mo. 2.35%APR. No Obligations! Free Quotes! refinance.LendGo.com
Get Listed Here

Preeti Upadhyaya

Technology Reporter- Silicon Valley Business Journal

Email | Twitter

Tech professionals across the country saw their biggest raise in over a decade, but Silicon Valley salaries headed the opposite direction.
According to the 2013-2012 Salary Survey from Dice, a career site for tech and engineering professionals, national tech wages jumped over five percent to an average of $85,619 from $81,327 in 2011. Tech professionals in the Silicon Valley, however, saw average salaries fall nearly 3 percent to $101,278 from $103,195 year-over-year.
According to the Dice report, the slump in Silicon Valley salaries is thanks to a younger, less experienced work force. However, Silicon Valley remains the only market where tech professionals make an average of six figures.
“We’ve been seeing a lot of recent grads being recruited from top 50 computer science programs into startups,” says Scott Purcell, division manager at Jobspring Partners in San Jose. Purcell explains that even though Silicon Valley tech firms are increasingly hiring younger workers with less experience, the salaries offered are still relatively quite high. “You’re seeing entry-level salaries around $75,000 up to $100,000. Compare that to LA, and the same job might start around $50,000.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released data last week showing that California added 13,800 jobs in the “computer systems design and related services” category in 2012, up six percent from 2011. 2012 was the best year for job growth in a decade.
The Dice survey reveals that big data firms are having a disproportionate impact on salaries.
“It’s clear that data professionals are in demand and well-paid,” says Alice Hill, managing director of Dice.com, in the press release. “Tech professionals who analyze large data streams and strategically impact the overall business goals of a firm have an opportunity to write their own ticket.”
Salaries in the cloud and virtualization sector average just under $90,000, and mobile jobs averaged around $80,000.

Next Article: Out-of-work entrepreneurs: State wants to give you an 'allowance'