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Hong Kong’s tech landscape continues to transform and keeping pace with this change isn’t always easy. For tech leaders, the challenges of navigating talent shortages, economic pressures, and rising cyber risks make it harder to plan with confidence. For IT professionals, the pressure to deliver innovation while safeguarding critical systems has never been greater.

Yet through it all, one truth stands out: skilled tech talent is indispensable. These professionals are the innovators, the problem-solvers, and the protectors of today’s digital world, and they deserve recognition and fair compensation for the value they create.

That’s why the 2026 Robert Half IT Salary Guide goes beyond just salary. It offers insights to help tech leaders attract and retain top talent in Hong Kong, while also empowering IT jobseekers to understand their worth and make confident career moves.

In 2026, Hong Kong’s IT hiring landscape will present a mix of challenges and opportunities. The market will remain steady but subdued. Lean teams are not expanding, but there’s cautious optimism around smarter, more strategic hiring, especially in project management and systems transformation.

Traditional infrastructure engineering is plateauing, with most roles centred on replacement hires rather than team expansion. Yet this period of stability allows a shift toward high-impact, scalable projects.

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Starting salaries can vary greatly depending on a professional’s skills and experience, company size, and demand for the role.

Application & Development

Business Transformation

Cyber-Security

Data

Infrastructure

Position title

25th percentile

50th percentile

75th percentile

Application Architect

720000

1200000

1560000

Back End Developer

600000

960000

1500000

Back Office Application Support

540000

840000

1080000

Back Office Production Support

540000

840000

1080000

DevOps Engineer

620000

1020000

1440000

Front End Developer

420000

720000

900000

Enterprise Architect

1000000

1500000

2160000

Front Office Application Support

600000

990000

1380000

Front Office Production Support

600000

990000

1380000

Full Stack Developer

720000

1110000

1500000

Quality Assurance

480000

960000

1440000

Quality Testing

480000

960000

1440000

Quant Developer

960000

1300000

2000000

UI Designer

480000

840000

1140000

UX Designer

480000

840000

1140000

25th percentile

The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.

50th percentile

The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.

75th percentile

The candidate has extensive experience and advanced skills for the role, and may also have specialised certifications.

Salary range based on three percentiles The starting salaries represent gross yearly salaries. They do not include bonuses, benefits or the Mandatory Provident Fund. Small companies: S < HK$ 50 million Midsize companies: HK$ 50 million ≤ M ≤ HK$ 150 million Large companies: L > HK$ 150 million

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2026 technology compensation trends

Key insights at a glance

99%

of tech workers say a comprehensive benefits package is important for them to stay with their current employer

21%

of tech workers say their pay expectations have remained the same over the last 12 months

76%

of tech workers say they are more confident in negotiating a higher salary in 2026

25%

of tech workers say their biggest challenge when negotiating salary is lack of negotiation skills

Attracting talent for AI advancement

IT infrastructure project managers are in-demand, driven by the need for new data centres to support AI’s storage and computer requirements. AIOps is becoming the next frontier, with firms trialing proof-of-concepts and seeking talent that blends infrastructure knowledge with automation and AI expertise. These roles are critical to boosting future readiness, with businesses presenting a compelling employee value proposition including strong compensation and flexibility.

Better work-life balance or flexible work arrangements (55%)

A significant increase in salary (50%)

Improved benefits or total compensation package (50%)

The chance to work on more meaningful or challenging projects (33%)

Businesses juggle back-to-office mandates for tech departments

Hybrid work may still be preferred by many tech professionals, but as employers increasingly request staff to return, full-time office work is again becoming more common, often without the promise of a pay bump. While some employees expect financial recognition, many companies are simply moving forward with their mandates. Professionals working in high-growth areas of technology are best positioned to negotiate higher salaries and more flexible benefits.

ERP modernisation is gaining traction as legacy systems reach end-of-life, creating demand for functional and change leaders.

Technical support continues to shift offshore, pushing local teams toward innovation-centric roles.

Niche quant development roles remain in demand, offering high value despite their rarity. Attracting top talent in this area requires early engagement and strategic focus.

After years of rapid salary growth, expectations have begun to stabilise. Many now recognise that earning above-average pay requires skills beyond core technical expertise. While most feel fairly compensated, rising workloads and broader responsibilities in leaner teams have some calling for pay that better reflects their expanded roles. However, employees who feel underpaid are not always being compensated below market rates.

standard

of tech workers say their salary is an accurate reflection of their expertise, experience and/or level of responsibility of tech workers say their salary is an accurate reflection of their expertise, experience and/or level of responsibility

standard

say their salary expectations have stayed the same over the last 12 months say their salary expectations have stayed the same over the last 12 months

In-demand roles, skills, and top industries hiring

Security operations

Digital/business transformation

ERP project management

Data and AI

Cloud infrastructure engineering

AIOps and observability solutions

Software development

Quant development

Machine learning/AI

Project management

Digital forensics and incident response

Programming languages (Java, Python, C++, Golang)

Business intelligence/data analytics (Tableau, Power BI)

Cloud and DevOps automation

Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) experience

Cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Agile

TOGAF

CISP/CISM

Utilities

Transport/supply chain/logistics

Gaming

Crypto/blockchain

Hedge fund

Insurance

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The salaries listed in Robert Half’s Salary Guide are the result of a rigorous, multistep process to ensure our projections accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on real compensation data from professionals Robert Half has successfully matched with employers across Hong Kong.

The salaries listed in the salary tables represent gross yearly salaries. They do not include bonuses, benefits, or the Mandatory Provident Fund. We report salaries in three percentiles, recognising that professionals join companies at varied experience levels.

The non-salary data presented in this Salary Guide is derived from an online survey conducted by an independent research firm commissioned by Robert Half in August 2025. The survey gathered responses from 300 finance, accounting, financial services, and IT and technology professionals employed by a diverse range of organisations in Hong Kong, including SMEs and large companies.