Technology and IT teams are under pressure to lead large-scale modernization efforts, but tech professionals with the specialized skills that companies need, particularly AI expertise, remain hard to find. With this imbalance in supply and demand, employers must consider offering above-market pay to attract and hire highly skilled candidates for critical roles.

Beyond salary pressures, leaders must also navigate tech professionals’ expectations for flexible work arrangements and comprehensive benefits packages. In this environment, attracting top candidates often requires creative incentives and a willingness to negotiate.

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View salaries by job category

The salaries below default to national averages. Select a job category and city to find figures for a specific market. Starting compensation can vary significantly based on a candidate’s skills, experience and certifications, as well as other factors including industry, company size and revenue, and demand for the role. To reflect this variability, we report our compensation data in 3 levels: low, mid and high.

AI, Machine Learning and Data Science

Consulting and Enterprise Systems

Data: Engineering, Analytics and Reporting

Executive Leadership

IT Operations and Support

Networking, Cloud and Systems

Security

Software and Applications Development

Technology Project Management

Web Development

Job Title

Low

Mid

High

AI Architect

142750

175000

196750

AI/ML Engineer

134000

170750

193250

Data Scientist

121750

153750

182500

AI/ML Analyst

119250

145750

174000

RPA Engineer

105250

123500

152500

Low

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

Mid

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

High

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

2026 Technology and IT Compensation Trends

Year-over-year salary gains

+1.6%

projected average increase across technology and IT roles

+4.1%

for AI/ML engineer and data scientist salaries, driven by increasing demand for and internal investment in AI

+2.3%

for software and applications development roles, with the greatest salary gains in DevOps and QA automation

+1.7%

for consulting and enterprise systems roles, and data engineering, analytics and reporting positions, due to high demand

The value of advanced skills

87% of technology and IT leaders typically offer higher salaries to candidates with specialized skills than to those without them in the same role.

Top skills leaders are willing to pay more for:

AI, machine learning and data science

Cybersecurity

Cloud computing, security and architecture

Software and applications development

Data analytics, business intelligence and reporting

Technology and IT teams are driving critical initiatives involving AI implementation, data science, cybersecurity and technology modernization.

Given the intense competition for professionals with in-demand skills, many companies are increasing compensation to land top talent.

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of technology leaders are concerned about their ability to keep critical projects on track. of technology leaders are concerned about their ability to keep critical projects on track.

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say they are willing to negotiate a higher starting salary with a candidate if the role supports a critical business need. say they are willing to negotiate a higher starting salary with a candidate if the role supports a critical business need.

Managing pay expectations

69% of technology and IT leaders express concern about keeping pace with candidates’ pay expectations. Many recognize they must prioritize strategies that address job seekers’ needs and streamline the hiring process.

Adding new benefits and perks

Increasing starting salaries

Including salary ranges in job descriptions

As businesses compete for specialized tech talent, managers need to be strategic in what they offer potential new hires.

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of technology professionals say they’d be willing to work fully in-office if offered a higher salary. of technology professionals say they’d be willing to work fully in-office if offered a higher salary.

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of those say they’d want a salary increase of 10% or more. of those say they’d want a salary increase of 10% or more.

The need for skilled contract talent

When budgets don’t allow hiring for new permanent roles, many organizations engage contract professionals to help close skills gaps and manage heavy workloads, and to serve as a trial period for potential future hires.

Bringing in contract talent can also help managers better allocate resources because they’re paying for specialized expertise only when it’s needed for specific projects.

Top certifications, industries, emerging roles

Candidates with in-demand certifications like those listed below can often command higher starting salaries, notably in sectors experiencing active hiring and strong demand for specialized skills.

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)

Certified Data Professional (CDP)

Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

CompTIA (A+, Cloud+, Security+)

IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate

Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Many companies in the following industries are willing to pay more for the right combination of skills and experience. Likewise, these industries are providing greater opportunities for career advancement and salary growth.

Financial services

Healthcare

Professional services

Technology

Below are a few technology and IT positions gaining traction in 2026. As these and other new roles evolve and grow in demand, setting competitive salaries can be challenging—prompting 41% of leaders to turn to recruiters for guidance.

Agentic AI engineer/developer: Builds AI agents that can carry out tasks with limited oversight and engage with users or systems to achieve specific goals

AI strategy consultant: Guides the integration and implementation of artificial intelligence within an organization

AIOps engineer: Develops and maintains AI-enabled systems to automate and enhance IT operations, including monitoring, anomaly detection and incident response

LLM engineer: Specializes in developing and optimizing large language models, including prompt engineering, data management and performance monitoring

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The salary benchmarks listed in the Salary Guide From Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process so that our projections accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has matched with employers across the country and third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use to independently validate the salary levels. Learn more about our methodology.

Non-salary data referenced in the Salary Guide is based on online surveys developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. Respondents include hiring managers and workers from small (10-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000-plus employees) private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across the United States.