Salary Survey Results: Automation Push and Data Analysis Strengthens Financial Services IT Job Market
It would be an understatement to say the past several years have been rough for all facets of the financial services industry. But the market for IT talent in the sector is strengthening, based on responses to the 2012 InformationWeek IT Salary Survey.
As the economy continues to improve, the market for IT jobs in the financial services sector has followed, owing partly to a push for automation and data analysis. Companies in banking and securities are increasingly data-driven -- they're investing in the types of employees who are capable of analyzing the massive amounts of data these companies collect, says Anthony Dostellio, managing partner at Objective Paradigm, a Chicago-based technical recruiting and executive search firm servicing the technology, finance and consulting areas.
According to results from the 2012 InformationWeek IT Salary Survey, salaries and total compensation in the banking and securities sectors for IT staff and managers remained relatively flat from 2011 levels. Median base salaries for IT staffers remained $90,000, while median total compensation for this group increased $2,000, to $99,000 in 2012. For managers, the median base salary dropped to $117,000 from $120,000 in 2011, while median total compensation, including bonuses, for this group dropped to $130,000, nearly returning to its 2010 level. A majority of financial services IT staff and managers -- 76 percent and 83 percent, respectively -- expect to receive a bonus this year.
[2012 Salary Survey Shows IT Skills Remain In Short Supply On The Street.]
Owen Sullivan, EVP for specialty brands at ManpowerGroup and CEO of Right Management, sees slow but sure recapturing of former salary levels in the industry. Specific areas in high demand are software architects and project-engagement managers, he says.
Financial services IT jobs continue to change and evolve along with business demands, and so do the skills required to perform job tasks successfully. A majority of IT managers and staff respondents in the 2012 InformationWeek Financial Services IT Salary Survey said that aligning business and technology goals was critical to their jobs, along with integrating enterprise applications and collaborating with internal stakeholders. Nearly two-thirds of managers said the ability to build vendor relationships was essential to doing their jobs. Not surprisingly, more than half of managers said that the ability to analyze data was critical to their jobs.
[For more research on compensation, the required skills and job satisfaction in the financial services IT sector, including more than 50 charts, download the complete InformationWeek Financial Services 2012 U.S. IT Salary Survey.]
ManpowerGroup's Sullivan says it's important for IT professionals to stay current on certifications and to specialize in a defined area, as opposed to becoming certified in a variety of areas. Financial companies want a depth of expertise, he says. They're looking for real experts and not generalists.
Job Satisfaction
Financial services IT staff and managers are concerned about base pay and the stability of their jobs and their organizations, with half of survey participants citing pay and nearly as many citing stability when asked what matters most to them about their jobs. In financial services, where mass layoffs have been common after the financial crisis, it is not surprising that job stability is a top concern for respondents. But the challenge of the job and knowing that their opinions and knowledge are valued also are important to survey respondents.
Sixty percent of staff and managers were satisfied with their total compensation package. One-fourth (26 percent) of each group said they were neutral on this topic, and 14 percent were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their total compensation.
A mixture of technical and business skills is required for banking and financial services IT staff and managers to perform their jobs successfully. Aligning business and technology goals, integrating enterprise applications, and collaborating with internal stakeholders were the most commonly cited technical and business skills necessary for staff and managers, according to the 2012 InformationWeek Financial Services IT Salary Survey. Managers add three more skills to the list of critical skills: building vendor relationships, developing applications, and analyzing data.
Employees who are focused on data are in high demand, says Objective Paradigms Dostellio. This is increasingly the era of big data, he says. Anyone with the ability to design software that can analyze vast amounts of data, or who can work with and manipulate data, is in high demand right now.
Peggy Bresnick Kendler has been a writer for 30 years. She has worked as an editor, publicist and school district technology coordinator. During the past decade, Bresnick Kendler has worked for UBM TechWeb on special financialservices technology-centered ... View Full Bio
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