Salaries in the tech industry rose in 2023, according to a new survey.

In the context of the skills shortage and growing necessity of digital transformation across the sectors, the a rise in the competitive salaries is still a shock considering the major tech layoffs which sent shockwaves through a once stable, prosperous industry.

Tech companies and workers are left in a flurry of juxtapositions as they each grapple with a growing demand for skills, an increasing call for better working conditions, and an influx of workers newly available from major tech labels.

According to a survey from recruitment company Aspire, the UK has seen a general rise in most tech jobs.

While junior software engineers opening salaries have stayed consistent since last year, those with more experience, at the mid, senior, and lead levels, have seen a rise in their top potential earnings.

Junior software engineers are still in one of the most comfortable positions across the board, with one of the highest minimum salaries for an entry-level position at £30k.

Mid-level software engineers can stand to make from £40K to £70k, an increase from last year’s reported salaries.

Seniors can stand to make from £70k to £100K, with leads earing up to £110k a year.

For Quality Assurance (QA) engineers, salaries increased around 30% for mid-senior engineers, and junior and mid level engineers saw a rise in their minimum earning to £35k, which was 2022’s maximum pay.

UX/UI designers saw a bit of change from last year’s data, with junior designers seeing an increase in the minimum and maximum wages.

Mid Level UX/UI designers saw a relative increase in the minimum earnings at £40k, but a decrease in their maximum earnings, which is down to £50k a year.

Who’s Keeping Up with Inflation?

Amid the cost-of-living crisis, workers are concerned their salaries are not representative of a living wage, let alone keeping up with inflation.

Though energy prices are set to decrease come June, inflation is still projected to ramp up prices for groceries – eviction and rent moratoriums have also been abandoned, leaving many people in the lurch.

A stagnation from last year in any salary means that companies are not keeping up with the 10% inflation recorded in March 2023 from last year.

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While junior software engineers saw no increase in wages and therefore their salary bracket did not keep up with inflation, most other tech jobs did keep up, and even exceed inflation.

Are Higher Wages Enough?

According to  BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, 2022 saw a record number of students signing up for a computer science A-level course in England, the equivalent of Scottish Highers. It’s the fastest growing A-level subject, which is good news for the digital skills shortage.

However, with starting salaries stagnating, companies may have to do more to entice students to the tech field earlier on – though it is still one of the largest starting salaries recorded in Aspire’s survey.

In previous coverage, Gen Z have said their main concerns when looking for a job tend to be social responsibility as well as flexible working.

Currently, there is a growing movement to unionise tech workers, radicalised by the recent tech layoffs. Workers are looking for better hours, more transparent pay grades, and the ‘right to switch off.’

Higher salaries tend to be a given in the tech industry – according to Aspire’s data, tech jobs have the some of the highest minimum and maximum salaries throughout career levels.

According to Aspire’s analysis, the tech industry is “experiencing a fairly client-driven market,” with companies looking for engineers and developers that have “displayed longevity and loyalty in their previous roles.”

However, they also point out that the number of candidates available on the market in the tech industry is certainly “not enormous.”