Technology is the Highest-Paying industry in the UK

by Marta Rodriguez, Digital Marketing Manager

Added on: 17th May 2024

The technology sector has emerged as the highest-paying industry in the UK. Even with the economic challenges of 2023, which saw living costs rise and a cooling job market, the tech industry continues offering some of the most attractive salaries.

The economic challenges of recent years, the rising cost of living and the cooling job market of 2023 haven’t affected tech salaries. According to the latest data from our partner Totaljobs, tech roles continue to offer some of the most competitive salaries. Keep learning to find out which cities and industries have the highest-paying tech jobs in the UK.

Tech Professionals, the Best-Paid Workers in the UK

Technology was one of the top ten industries to experience wage growth in 2023. While salaries in the UK grew by 3.4% on average, tech salaries rose by 5%.

The UK’s average annual salary in the IT sector is £50,377, making Technology among the highest paid across the 30 industries analysed by Totaljobs.

Two young men working in tech are some of the best-pad workers in the UK — Tech professionals are the best-paid workers in the UK, beating out other high-earning sectors, such as finance (£43K), construction (£42,5K), and legal services (£42,4K).

83% of Tech Workers Are Satisfied with their Salary

It’s not just the pay in tech; job satisfaction is through the roof. A whopping 83% of tech workers are satisfied with their salaries, and 89% are happy with their benefits.

We’re not surprised by the revelations, as tech companies are known for their excellent compensation offering.

Most attractive benefits for tech employees:

The ability to buy extra holiday leave
Flexible working hours
Full-time remote working
Pension contributions about what’s legally required
Performance bonuses

Beyond the attractive pay and perks, the tech industry offers excellent career development opportunities. Most employers highlight career development, progression, and learning and training opportunities in job ads. However, tech employees prioritise financial and well-being benefits. That’s definitely something to bear in mind when you are attracting top tech talent and keeping your existing employees happy.

What UK Cities Offer the Highest-Paying Tech Jobs?

Salary data across different UK cities highlight some regional variations. Belfast tops the list with an average tech salary of £59,700, followed closely by London at £57,900 and Cardiff at £57,500. Other hotspots like Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool also offer lucrative salaries, all above £54,000.

Average technology salary in UK cities for 2023, showing Belfast has the highest average tech salaries in the UK. — The area of Liverpool was where tech salaries grew the most in 2023 compared to the previous year (Source: Totaljobs UK Salary and Benefit Guides 2024)

Software Development remains a highly demanded career path in the UK. DevOps Engineer, Senior Software Engineer, and Java Developer were the top high-paying job titles. Software Engineering, Data Engineering, Infrastructure Engineering, and IT Support were some of the most advertised job opportunities in the information technology sector.

Tech is the Place to Be!

The technology sector isn’t just leading in pay and providing an attractive benefits package that satisfies the candidates’ expectations. Competition for top tech talent is fierce for employers, though. You must be well-informed of the latest IT recruitment trends and get the proper support only a professional and experienced IT Recruitment consultancy can offer.

Our salary and compensation benchmarking tools, exclusive talent insights, and the support and guidance of our expert recruitment consultants will help you source and attract the top-quality tech talent your organisation needs to grow.