1. www.greythorn.co.uk
REPORT 2015
MARKET INSIGHT

2. Methodology
In H1 of 2015 Greythorn conducted a survey with
clients and candidates focusing on remuneration,
bonuses, benefits and recruitment trends.
We surveyed technology professionals from numerous
industry sectors across the UK and Ireland. This
report is based on the data received from our online
survey, our extensive database and the expertise of
our consultants. It is important to note that this report
should be used as a guide, but if you need any tailored
or specific advice, please do contact us directly.
About us
Greythorn is a recruitment consultancy dedicated
to providing an expert and personable service to
technology professionals. Greythorn recruits for
permanent and contract roles.
It operates through a network of cities across Europe
(London, Dublin) and North America (Chicago, Seattle).
Greythorn specialises in senior IT appointments, PMO,
IT infrastructure, data center infrastructure, networking
infrastructure, Microsoft development, big data and
analytics, IT security, Java, project management,
business analysis, front and back end web development
and network support/service desk infrastructure.
Greythorn was founded in 1976. We are part of the
FiveTen Group, a collection of specialist professional
recruitment consultancies operating across 19 cities in
11 countries.

3. CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION....................................................4
RESPONDENT PROFILE ......................5
Gender ..........................................................................6
Age................................................................................6
Role Location.................................................................7
Qualification & Experience..............................................8
Sector............................................................................9
Employment.................................................................13
What Happens Online In 60 Seconds?.........................14
CURRENT MARKET............................16
Size of Company..........................................................17
Headcount...................................................................17
Working Hours.............................................................18
Job Satisfaction ...........................................................19
Outlook........................................................................20
Relocation....................................................................22
SALARIES, BONUSES
& BENEFITS..........................................24
Permanent/Fixed Term Contract...................................25
Interim/Contractor........................................................26
Benefits........................................................................26
Are You An Employer Looking
To Attract Top Talent?...................................................30
Are You Looking To Take The
Next Step In Your Career?............................................31
MARKET UPDATE & FORECAST........32
London Permanent Market ...........................................33
London Temporary Market ............................................35
Ireland Market................................................................37
Wearable Tech In Recruitment ......................................39
Proficiency In Multiple Coding Languages
Increases Average IT Salary ..........................................40

4. We are delighted to introduce the
findings of the Greythorn 2015
Market Insight report, presenting
comprehensive salary data and
detailed analysis of the triumphs
and challenges of the last year in
the technology sector.
The market in late 2014 and the first half of 2015 has
proved to be particularly buoyant for both the UK and
Ireland. As a company we have been able to increase
the size of our teams in response to increasing demand
across the market, with each consultant specialising in
their own niche sector.
2015 will continue to be ‘the year of the specialist’.
Companies are now focusing on higher-skilled
professionals as opposed to less experienced
graduates, with counter-offers becoming more
prominent as employers look to retain their best staff.
A number of organisations are starting to reinvest in their
IT and infrastructure either to get their staff back up to
pre-slump levels or implement specific technologies,
where they may not have previously had the capital
to do so.
We have seen a renewed focus on learning and
development with companies improving their employees’
skills matrices to help them with career progression.
The employee market as a whole is optimistic, with
over 70% of our respondents expecting to receive a pay
increase in the next 12 months. Additionally, our surveyed
audience are not only satisfied with their current role
(81%) but also feel a real sense of job security (77%).
The market in 2015 will remain candidate-driven. Salaries
will continue to increase naturally and bidding wars
between current employers and possible future employers
will become more common, as companies look to secure
top class talent.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone
who participated in our survey this year. The results have
highlighted a number of very positive elements across
industries and echoed the overall confidence of the wider
business community.
We hope that you find this research of value and look
forward to assisting you in the future.
Kind regards,
The Greythorn Team
INTRODUCTION

5. 5
RESPONDENT PROFILE
Gender ..........................................................6
Age................................................................6
Role Location.................................................7
Qualification & Experience..............................8
Sector............................................................9
Employment................................................ 13
What Happens Online in 60 seconds .......... 14

6. Respondentprofile
RESPONDENT PROFILE
GENDER AGE
82% 18%
“76% of respondents
are aged between
31and 50”
2%
13%
28%
21%
27%
9%
Under 25
Male Female
26 - 30
31 - 35
36 - 40
41 - 50
51 - 60

7. RespondentprofileRespondentprofile
ROLE LOCATION
35%
12%
7%
5%
17%
1%
3%
4%
3%
1%
12%
London (Central)
London (Greater)
Midlands
North West
Republic of Ireland
Scotland
East Anglia
Yorkshire
South West
North East
South East

8. Respondentprofile
QUALIFICATION & EXPERIENCE
10%
25 years +
20%
16–20 years
“44% of
respondents
are degree
educated”
33%
GCSE
44%
Degree
10%
Postgraduate
25%
Masters
6%
MBA
9%
Other
26%
A Levels
19%
Diploma
10%
7%
26%
11–15 years
21%
7–10 years
5%
1–3 years
1%
Less than 1 year
4–6 years
21–25 years
Current level of experience Qualification status*
*Respondents could choose more than one answer

9. RespondentprofileRespondentprofile
2%
3%
3%
Consumer Goods
Leisure, Retail & Travel
Public Sector
4%
3%
41%
14%
Education
Not for profit
Technology, Media & Telecoms
Other
SECTOR
10%
3%
3%
Business Services & B2B
Energy & Utilities
Pharmaceuticals & Health
1%
2%
11%
Construction & Property
FMCG
Professional Services

10. Respondentprofile
Which of the following best describes your job title?
4%
4%
6%
10%
6%
3%
2%
3%
3%
3%
4%
4%
Project Manager
Development Manager
Developer
IT Manager
Manager
2nd Line Support Engineer
3rd Line Engineer
Architect
Engineer
Programme Manager
Business Analyst
Java Developer
5%
13%
3%
.Net Developer
Other
IT Director
1%
Network Engineer
1%
PMO Manager
2%
1%
1%
2%
2%
2%
2%
Head of Development
Security Analyst
Security Consultant
Infrastructure Engineer
Consultant
Analyst
Java Engineer
1%
1%
1%
1%
2%
2%
2%
1%
PMO Coordinator
Service Desk
1st Line Engineer
Development Director
DBA
Chief Technical Officer
Infrastructure Manager
PMO Analyst
1%
Java Programmer
1%
Chief Information Officer

11. RespondentprofileRespondentprofile
Which channels do you consider most important when seeking a new role?*
74%
33%
3%
41%
3%
1%
LinkedIn
Recruitment consultancies
/headhunters
Facebook
Twitter
Word of mouth /
Personal referrals
Trade press
3%
National press
*Respondents could choose more than one answer

12. Respondentprofile
6%
6%
8%
3%
5%
6%
10%
4%
4%
2% 6%
11%
38%
3%
4%
2%
22%
3%
3%
27%
12%
9%
Better bonus potential
For an improved relationship with manager/colleagues
Improved benefits package
Job too stressful
Lack of career progression due
to company not expanding
More responsibility
Redundancy
Travelling
Other
Better training Career change
End of contract
Higher salary
Internal promotion/move
Job security
Lack of career progression due to limited
promotional opportunities
New challenge/more interesting work
Relocation
Not applicable
Career development
Better work-life balance
Better location/easier commute
Please identify the closest reason(s) as to why you left your last position*
*Respondents could choose more than one answer

13. RespondentprofileRespondentprofile
33% 33% 20% 5% 5% 1% 3%
Less than
1 year
1 - 2 years 3 - 4 years 5 - 6 years 7 - 8 years 9 - 10 years More than 10 years
EMPLOYMENT
How are you currently employed?
How long have you been in your current role?
86%
Permanent/Fixed
Term Contract
14%
Interim/
Contractor
“14%
of IT professionals
have been in
their current
roles for 5+ years”

14. Respondentprofile
How many WhatsApp messages do you think
were sent per hour last year? An average of three
trillion. The Internet is quite literally growing every
second. Never before have we been as connected
and contactable as now, with both our work
and social lives relying heavily on programmes
like email, Google and social media to keep us
in the loop. But are we taking on too much?
James Gold wrote recently on Cary Cooper of
Lancaster Management School and the burden
of email – how he believes that we are harming
our workplace productivity by sending/receiving
copious amounts of emails in the place of “real”
work. And perhaps, as the above demonstrates,
as our usage and reliance on these programmes
soars, so do both the complexity and time duration
of our operations on them, leaving us with less
and less time in the day when we ourselves are
not online.
So what effect is this huge expansion of Internet
usage having on the tech employment market?
Well, as would be expected, this rapid growth is
creating jobs across the digital and IT spectrums
and is also providing more opportunities than ever
for young talent to catapult themselves into top
positions within the rising amount of tech
start-ups. In fact, according to the professional
services company, Procore, the UK alone boasts
over 26,000 directors aged 21 or under – quite
an astounding amount.
But even if not taking the top positions, young
talent is exposed to a mighty range of programmes
from childhood, with comprehensive IT classes
being offered at school and even a rise in the
prevalence of coding programmes and tutors for
young adults. And once they reach the age that
they can create online social media profiles and
engage in computerised games, they encounter
entirely different media of Internet and online
innovation. So, as the ages of many directors fall,
is encouraging early interest in the workings of
digital programmes essentially pipelining our
future tech talent?
WHAT HAPPENS ONLINE IN 60 SECONDS?

15. RespondentprofileRespondentprofile
60
2012
2013
2014
Email
Facebook
Google
Instagram
Skype
Twitter
WordPress
WhatsApp
YouTube
204 million
emails sent
204 million
emails sent
168m
emails
sent
3.3 million
posts
2.5 million
posts
79,361
posts
4 million
searches
2 million
searches
694,445
searches
41, 000
photos
216, 000
photos
3,480
photos
1.4 million
mins voice
calls
1.4 million
mins voice calls
370,000
voice calls
342,000
tweets
278,000
tweets
98,000
tweets
1318
blog posts
1106
blog posts
347
blog
posts
50 billion
messages
31 billion
messages
20 billion
messages
120
hours of video
uploaded
72
hours of video
uploaded
25+
hours
What happens
online
in 60 seconds?

16. CURRENT MARKET
Size of Company...................................17
Headcount............................................17
Working Hours......................................18
Job Satisfaction ....................................19
Outlook.................................................20
Relocation.............................................22

17. CurrentmarketCurrentmarket
G
SIZE OF COMPANY
HEADCOUNT
17%
37% 22% 16% 15% 10%
20% 63%
Small
More than 20 employees 6 - 10 employees 1 - 5 employees 11 - 15 employees 16 - 20 employees
Medium Large
How many people are in your team?

18. Currentmarket
Top reasons for increase
Top reasons for decrease
45%
Increased
24%
Decreased
27%
Remained the same
4%
Not sure
1%
Less than 10 hours
0%
1 - 20 hours
3%
21 - 30 hours
7%
31 - 35 hours
Business growth or expansion
Rising workloads
Fill a skills gap
Merger or acquisition
Headcount reductions
Voluntary departures
Natural attrition
Not aware
68%
36 - 45 hours
15%
46 - 50 hours
5%
51 - 60 hours
1%
More than 60 hours
WORKING HOURS
On average how many hours a week do you work?
How has the number of staff in your team changed over the past 12 months?

19. CurrentmarketCurrentmarket
81%
Satisfied
77%
Secure
23%
Insecure
19%
Dissatisfied
26%
Increased
12%
Decreased
62%
Remained the same
How has the number of hours you worked changed in the last 12 months?
How satisfied are you with your
current job?
How would you rate your current job
security?
JOB SATISFACTION
“47% of respondents
chose taking on more
responsibility/more
pressure as the main
reason for the increase
in working hours”

20. Currentmarket
“73% of respondents
expect an increase in
salary in the next 12
months”
OUTLOOK
What are your expectations for personal salary
and job security in the next 12 months?*
Compared with the last 12 months, how
confident do you feel about the economic
prospects facing your company in the next
12 months?
73%
Salary increase
16%
Salary freeze
11%
32% 47% 21%
Other
More confident As confident Less confident
6%
4%
1%
Redundancy
Shorter working week
Salary reduction
*Respondents could choose more than one answer

21. CurrentmarketCurrentmarket
What are your expectations for your business in the next 12 months?*
What is your employer’s recruitment strategy?
29%
Budget cuts
40%
Increase in staff recruitment
16%
Increased spend on staff training
38%
Profitability of business
32%
Increased budgets
4%
Other
22%
Salary freeze
14%
Recruitment freeze
19%
Job cuts
17%
Staff training funding cuts
4%
Salary decreases
49%
Business process/policy changes
20%
Greater focus on regulatory issues
29%
Salary increases
Short term
(as it happens
/3 - 6 months
ahead)
Medium
term
(6 - 12 months
ahead)
Long term
(1 - 2 years)
Non-
existent
Not sure Other
32% 16%23% 8%20% 1%
*Respondents could choose more than one answer

22. CurrentmarketSalaries,bonuses&benefitsMarketupdateandforecast
Do you anticipate changing jobs in the next 12 months?
Yes, I will be actively
looking for a new role
No, I will not be looking
for a new role
Only if the right opportunity
presents itself
RELOCATION
32% 47% 21%
11%
Hong Kong
14%
New Zealand
28%
USA
13%
Spain
12%
France
12%
Ireland
20%
Canada
14%
Switzerland
13%
Germany
Places respondents would consider relocating to outside the UK in the next two years*
*Respondents could choose more than one answer

23. CurrentmarketCurrentmarket
30%
London
14%
East Midlands
11%
North West
11%
Scotland
15%
Yorkshire
16%
South West
11%
Wales
10%
West Midlands
11%
North East
22%
South East
Places respondents would consider relocating to within the UK*
Top five reasons to relocate
70%
Improved quality of life
57%
Improved salary
51%
Better employment opportunities
50%
New career opportunity
49%
Experience a different culture
*Respondents could choose more than one answer
“A quarter
of respondents
would not
consider
relocating”

24. SALARIES, BONUSES & BENEFITS
Permanent/Fixed Term Contract........25
Interim/Contractor.............................26
Benefits.............................................26
Are You An Employer Looking To
Attract Top Talent?.............................30
Are You Looking To Take The Next
Step In Your Career?.........................31

25. Salaries,bonuses&benefitsSalaries,bonuses&benefits
“No respondents
were asked to
take a pay cut
in their last pay
review”
Salaries,bonuses&benefits
PERMANENT/FIXED TERM CONTRACT
64%
Satisfied
36%
Dissatisfied
How satisfied are you with your
current remuneration?
When was your last pay review?
What was the outcome of your last
pay review?
39%
Less than 6
months ago
17%
More than 12
months ago
29%
6 - 12
months ago
15%
Not
applicable
69%
Pay increase
31%
Pay remained the same

26. Salaries,bonuses&benefits
INTERIM/CONTRACTOR
BENEFITS
How satisfied are you with your
current remuneration?
Did you receive a bonus in 2014?
63%
Satisfied
37%
Dissatisfied
When was your last pay review?
43%
Not applicable
17%
6 - 12
months ago
31%
Less than 6
months ago
9%
More than 12
months ago
51%
Yes
22%
No
27%
No, not
entitled to
receive one

27. Salaries,bonuses&benefits
74%
15%
13%
12%
9%
5%
4%
2%
1%
1%
62%
52%
45%
43%
39%
38%
35%
25%
24%
24%
19%
17%
18%
18%
25 days’ holiday or more
Travel benefits/allowances
Share incentive/EMI scheme/option scheme
Daily subsidised meals
Leisure facilities
Tablet
Sabbatical
Other
Mortgage relief
Not applicable, I don’t receive any benefits
Company pension scheme
Laptop
Private healthcare
Flexible working (homeworking/flexitime)
Insurance (PMI/death in service/life insurance)
Annual bonus scheme
Mobile phone/Blackberry
Flexible benefits (choosing from a range of options)
Annual discretionary bonus scheme
Childcare arrangement/vouchers
Season ticket loan
Less than 25 days’ holiday
Annual target bonus scheme
Company car or car allowance
Salaries,bonuses&benefitsSalaries,bonuses&benefits
Which of the following benefits are included in your current package?*
*Respondents could choose more than one answer

28. Salaries,bonuses&benefits
“75% of
respondents are
happy with their
current benefits
package”
“59% of respondents
look for a 6-20% pay
increase as an acceptable
counter-offer from their
current employer”
How would you assess your level of satisfaction
with your bonus?
58%
Satisfied
42%
Dissatisfied
Benefits seen as most and least important when
considering a new role
Most important Least important
25 days’ holiday or more
Good company pension scheme
Flexible working (homeworking/flexitime)
Laptop
Private healthcare
Season ticket loan
Less than 25 days’ holiday
Tablet
Car or car allowance
Sabbatical

29. Salaries,bonuses&benefits
“32% of
respondents
received a
higher bonus
in 2014”
51%
1 - 9%
23%
10 - 19%
14%
20 - 29%
2%
30 - 39%
5%
40 - 49%
2%
60 - 69%
2%
1%
70 - 100%
More than 100%
Salaries,bonuses&benefitsSalaries,bonuses&benefits
What percentage of your basic salary was your last bonus?

30. Salaries,bonuses&benefits
RECRUITMENT
1. Value proposition
2. Training &
development
3. Market perception
4. Staff retention
6. Interview techniques
7. The entire package
Construct a well-defined value
proposition. Clearly identify
reasons why top talent
would leave their current
employer to join your
company. This will attract
candidates who share your
company’s vision and values
and will eliminate candidates
who will not be an asset.
The top talent on the market will
be motivated by the structured
programmes a company has
to offer to develop their status
and ability. Training and
development helps you to
keep up with changes in
the market and shows the
candidate that they can grow
with the company and share
its success.
Reflect on your brand
awareness. How are you
viewed in the market? It is
important to understand how
your company is perceived in
the market. Some organisations
are clueless about why
they’re not able to attract top
candidates or retain their best
employees. Be informed and
showcase this perception
in interviews.
High staff turnover can seriously
damage your reputation as a
business. Try to determine
the causes of turnover
and aim to put employee
retention strategies in place.
This will inevitably lead to
internal referrals and improve
the company profile.
Make sure each interviewer
receives interview training. First
impressions of the business
and interviewers will be
ever more important in an
increasingly competitive
candidate market. First
round interviews are too often
attended by inexperienced
interviewers and staff who see
it as a burden or distraction
from their busy working days.
Ensure your hiring managers are
selling your business effectively.
Review the entire remuneration
and reward package on offer
and outline career progression
opportunities or potential paths.
Spell out all benefits up
front. Even smaller benefits
like a canteen or tax travel
saver initiatives can be
important to candidates.
ARE YOU AN EMPLOYER LOOKING
TO ATTRACT TOP TALENT?

31. 31
Salaries,bonuses&benefitsSalaries,bonuses&benefitsSalaries,bonuses&benefits
1. CV
2. Interviews
5. Recruitment agency
3. Network
4. Qualifications
Treat your CV like your first
interview. Do the ground
work and create a good first
impression. Tailor your CV to
the job description you are
applying for and highlight
your key achievements.
Soft skills are just as important
as technical skills. Highlight
interaction with senior
management, board and other
departments/functions.
Outline experience you have
gained outside of your core
focus. When describing your
skills on your CV, make sure
you get technical with the detail.
Facts get interviews!
Practice interviews are
key. You need to become
comfortable with describing
your experience and
achievements in a detailed
but concise manner.
Don’t avoid difficult
questions. How you handle
them is more important than
the actual detail itself. Show
genuine enthusiasm for the
business and the role. Often
‘do you want the job?’ is a more
important question to answer
than ‘can you do
the job?’
Choose your recruitment
firm and consultant wisely.
Speak with friends or associates
within your sector, discipline
or specialism and get referred
to a consultant with a good
reputation.
Join LinkedIn and connect
with professionals in the
same market, attend trade
shows and networking events,
speak with senior executives in
your discipline.
Research which
qualifications help with your
current role or are required
to make that next step.
JOB SEARCHING
ARE YOU LOOKING TO TAKE THE
NEXT STEP IN YOUR CAREER?

32. London Permanent Market ...........33
London Temporary Market ............35
Ireland Market...............................37
Wearable Tech In Recruitment.......39
Proficiency In Multiple
Coding Languages Increases
Average IT Salary..........................40
MARKET UPDATE
& FORECAST

33. MarketupdateandforecastMarketupdateandforecast
Going specialist
We’ve seen a natural increase in demand for niche
skills across the permanent market, with greater
demand for higher-skilled individuals and less demand
for less experienced graduates.
Software vendors and value-added resellers are selling
the concept of their software and their ideas. This is an
indicator of demand in the market, a need for new services
and a desire for return on investment.
Business is booming in emerging markets, certainly in
the sales environment, as well as across the traditional
development markets and cloud infrastructure.
Skills in demand
With companies now going through the lifecycle of
upgrading their traditional infrastructure systems, there’s
more demand for people around the infrastructure model.
There’s also a desire for very niche capabilities across PHP
and front-end and back-end development, where there’s a
skills shortage.
With fewer candidates on the market, the demand in the
digital user experience and user interface area has seen
a huge increase.
Salaries & bonuses
Salaries have increased and there’s also an additional
desire from companies to engage with possible leavers
because of skills shortages. In particular, counter-offers
are becoming more prominent for individuals who have
accepted an external offer.
Companies are now trying to entice and retain individuals
in the hiring process through bonuses and raising salaries.
There is also greater focus on learning and development
progressing an individual’s career, developing a skills matrix
and certifications.
On key hires, there has been more emphasis on paying
better salaries to project managers, IT managers and
people who actually lead the infrastructure of the business
and create long-term return on investment.
LONDON PERMANENT MARKET

34. Marketupdateandforecast
Outlook for 2015
For the remainder of 2015, we see the market
becoming increasingly candidate-driven with
some organisations losing out on quality candidates
through poor processes or inefficiencies in
internal recruitment.
Organisations across the IT markets will naturally
need to increase salaries in order to be more
competitive and bonuses will be based on company
performance as well as individual performance.
However, because the economy is particularly strong,
a lot of organisations are performing well and are
therefore able to offer better bonuses and actually
incite better salaries.
We’re currently midway through a boom in the
traditional five-year economic boom and bust
lifecycle. We’ve recently been through an election
process and a budget, so there’s a lot going on.
The housing market will have a big impact on the
rest of the market too. However, salaries are not
increasing in line with the actual rate of inflation
and that will have an effect on the economy in
the medium to long term.
Job title Salary range
Developers
Graduate £30,000
Mid-level £50,000
Senior £70,000
Testers
Graduate £22,000
Mid-level £40,000
Senior £60,000
Administrators
Graduate £25,000
Mid-level £40,000
Senior £55,000
Business Analysts
Graduate £25,000
Mid-level £45,000
Senior £60,000
Architects £80,000 - £120,000
Support
Graduate £35,000
Mid-level £45,000
Senior £60,000
Project Managers
Graduate £25,000
Mid-level £45,000
Senior
£60,000 -
£80,000
IT Managers/Dev
Managers
£70,000 - £120,000
Infrastructure £60,000 - £70,000
Security Consultants £60,000 - £80,000
Head of IT/CTO £100,000 - £150,000

35. MarketupdateandforecastMarketupdateandforecast
LONDON TEMPORARY MARKET
Clients come back to the party
With the market improving, a lot of companies are
now looking to get their house in order from a supplier
perspective. Indeed, many clients who we had spoken
with at the beginning of 2014 are now more receptive to
discussing their recruitment needs and this supports
the sentiment that the market is picking up.
We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel,
which we’re now confident is not actually a train!
A number of organisations are focusing on change/
transformation projects and reinvesting in IT, with the
aim to bring their teams back up to pre-economic
slump levels and provide a better service to users
or implement specific technologies.
Skills in demand
There has been an increased focus on project management
and business analysis skills. Having made placements in
oil and gas, travel and leisure, consultancy and financial
services, it is safe to say that it is a good time to be either
a project manager or a business analyst, with business
analyst definitely being the star role of the year!
It’s always hard to find highly-skilled candidates and more
specifically, specialist business analysts. There are plenty of
business analysts available but the roles that have emerged
have been specific, with companies having a targeted
need, project, goal or deliverable that in turn requires a
particular type of business analyst.
Salaries & bonuses
Organisations have been reluctant to pay more due to
the economic challenges of recent years, but given the
improving market conditions, there has been a slight
increase in rates. Over the next 12 months we expect
to see day rates continue to rise.

36. Marketupdateandforecast
Outlook for 2015
2015 continues to be a really exciting time. A number of
companies we are talking to are looking at gaps in their
resources and seeing what areas they need to strengthen.
We’ve had our best H1 at Greythorn in terms of new
business for some considerable time, with a focus on
brand new clients - a trend we see continuing for the
remainder of H2.
We expect to see further increases in activity as projects
that started at the beginning of this year work through the
lifecycle and companies need to deliver these projects right
across the board, from infrastructure to development
and testing.
Contracts have been consistent but extensions are
maybe taking longer than normal, with clients now looking
at building on their base. Throughout any downturns,
organisations will tend to keep hold of their good,
longer-term contractors. Even though there’s always a
move towards perm, they’ll always continue to procure
contractors between the spikes.
There have been increases across the board and there is
a lot more confidence out there in the market. We’re
getting more roles phoned in, traffic to the website has
increased and overall engagement has seen a rise. A
number of candidates who maybe haven’t used agencies
before or haven’t used them for a while are now looking to
get back into the industry to see what agencies can offer.
Needless to say it’s a great time to be in the market.
Job title Day rate
Developer £350 - £550
Tester £250 - £400
Administrator £200 - £400
Business Analyst £350 - £500
Architect £400 - £700
Infrastructure Support £150 - £350
Project Manager £375 - £500
Programme Manager £500 - £700
IT Director £550 - £700
IT Manager £350 - £475
Development Manager £400 - £600

37. MarketupdateandforecastMarketupdateandforecast
IRELAND MARKET
A confidence game
In a word, the recruitment market has been thriving. At
the moment, IT is booming in Ireland and all our clients
are hiring. In fact, we have a considerable lack of skilled IT
candidates, especially at the mid-level salary bracket. There
is a great deal of demand for more senior positions, which
comes down to two things:
Companies expanding and needing senior professionals
with a wealth of experience.
Senior candidates having more confidence in making
a move. They now know that if it doesn’t work out,
there will be other well-paid positions on the market,
for example chief technology officer and architect roles,
which we haven’t seen around for the past few years.
Many companies are understandably reluctant to lose
good staff and we are seeing a significant number of
counter-offers, sometimes up to the value of €20,000.
This boils down to the implications of losing a good
candidate. In such a tight market, it can take months to
replace someone. There is often an agency fee and then
a three to six month bedding in period for new employees
to get used to the role and get up to scratch with internal
systems, policies and politics.
Skills in demand
Our clients are looking for more skilled candidates this year.
Whereas in 2014, we found that they would often be
looking for just one developer, they are now calling in with
three to four requirements of the same skill set.
In fact, we have seen an increase in demand for candidates
right across the technical stack. Mid-senior level developers
are in huge demand, whether for mobile, Java or .Net.
This positive uplift on the market has also seen more roles
opening up for managers, chief technology officers
and architects.
Salaries & bonuses
On the other side of the coin, the lack of candidates across
the board is pushing up salaries and making the market
difficult to read. Bonuses and benefits are increasing rapidly
as they become more important to candidates.
These increases are driven by companies having to
compete with the tech giants in Ireland, such as Facebook,
Google and Oracle, who offer massive employee benefits.
Employees are now being more than compensated for any
previous benefit cuts.
A large number of permanent candidates are looking at
contracting options due to the financial rewards involved.

38. Marketupdateandforecast
Outlook for 2015
Smaller companies will continue to struggle to compete
with larger organisations with salaries and benefits. It will
prove challenging finding good permanent employees
right across the technical stack, especially in development.
Many companies will have to take on contractors to keep
up with their IT requirements, or even look into outsourcing
as a short-term alternative. At the same time, the increase
in counter-offers is making it difficult to contain salary levels
in the Dublin market. However, all these are signs that the
market is on the up – and we’re looking forward to another
very positive year ahead.
Job title Salary range Day rate
Developers
Graduate €30,000
€400 - €450Mid-level €50,000
Senior €70,000
Testers
Graduate €22,000
€250 - €350Mid-level €40,000
Senior €60,000
Administrators
Graduate €25,000
€200 - €300Mid-level €40,000
Senior €55,000
Business Analysts
Graduate €25,000
€300 - €400Mid-level €45,000
Senior €60,000
Architects €80,000 - €120,000 €500+
Support
Graduate €20,000
€150 - €250Mid-level €35,000
Senior €45,000
Project Managers
Graduate €25,000
€450Mid-level €45,000
Senior € 60,000 - €80,000
Team Leads €60,000 - €70,000 €400
IT Managers/ Dev Managers €70,000 - €120,000 €500
Head of IT/CTO €100,000 - €150,000

39. MarketupdateandforecastMarketupdateandforecast
What is next on the horizon for recruitment? As
a process-driven, efficiency-focused sector, any
technological advancement which streamlines
traditional practices is rapidly snapped up – think
video CVs, Skype, big data, talent analytics etc.
But could wearable technology ever break into this
arena? From recent advances, it seems likely.
But how would this work?
There are a number of devices which have
previously been cited as the “next big thing” in
the sector, including smart glasses to record and
improve candidate experience, smart watches to
streamline efficiency, and smart wristwear. Other
sectors have also embraced various devices in
order to increase workplace productivity or safety,
as Sarah O’Connor, employment correspondent of
the UK’s Financial Times, recently reported.
Sounds good, if not particularly ground breaking.
But there is a new idea on the horizon which has
so far evoked much stronger enthusiasm from
recruitment professionals. The concept is this:
devices monitoring the heartrate of candidates may
be worn in an interview which will reveal how the
candidate copes under pressure. For example, if a
question provokes a spike in activity, this may
indicate an underlying weakness or reluctance to
speak about a certain area.
This would then allow for bespoke coaching to
improve candidates’ performances, or even the
selection of more suitable job roles. Perhaps
this would then lead to a more rigorous form of
assessment which can be provided to the client;
what the candidate is like under pressure, their
strengths, weaknesses or even their (work-related)
habits if the wearable device is used to monitor
daily activity.
But for this to succeed, much research must go
into the process as well as the product. What
questions are asked, how they are posed – speed,
order, tone – and even how the room is set up will
need to be consistent in order to provide reliable
data across the board. Data scientists, too, would
be required in order to assess the data itself and
provide it in an easily digestible form. But one
thing is certain: with recruitment sitting high in the
league tables of the most competitive industries,
any advancement which is sure to establish an
organisation as a leader will be pounced upon.
Do you think wearable technology has a place
in recruitment?
WEARABLE TECH IN RECRUITMENT

40. Marketupdateandforecast
A bilingual coder earns on average 10% more than
their ‘single language’ colleagues, amounting to
a salary increase of £4,500 a year based on the
average developer’s salary.
Across the course of a working career this
amounts to extra earnings of at least £252,000
for one professional in the IT sector. If IT and
tech professionals currently proficient in just one
or no coding languages became ‘bilingual’, the
profession would collectively take home an extra
£317 million annually.
The findings come shortly after Bloomberg
dedicated an entire double issue of its
Businessweek Magazine to a 38,000 word essay
on computer coding.
IT and technology has, and always will be, a sector
with a skills gap because programming and coding
evolve too quickly for training and courses to
encapsulate relevant information for long enough.
This means IT professionals must always be
looking ahead to the next anticipated technological
trend. They can enjoy a healthy salary uplift of
10% where they have mastered multiple coding
languages – which highlights the personal benefits
of sharpening skills in more than one area.
The UK currently ranks 19th globally for its digital
skills training, falling behind the likes of the USA,
Germany and Japan – something that needs
to change. It is essential employers provide
opportunities for training, not only to ensure they
have the most knowledgeable teams working for
them, but to help keep UK PLC at the forefront of
digital advances.
The skills gap
The majority of IT professionals surveyed – 78% in
total – do not believe sufficient training is offered
by employers to help ensure coding skillsets are
constantly updated. The TIOBE Index for July 2015
indicates Java is currently the most popular coding
language, although this is in constant flux, with C
£45,000
Average developer salary
£49,500
With multiple coding language proficiency
PROFICIENCY IN MULTIPLE CODING LANGUAGES
INCREASES AVERAGE IT SALARY

41. MarketupdateandforecastMarketupdateandforecast
hitting the top spot last year and C++ climbing
the popularity ratings at the fastest pace in
July 2015.
This academic year (2014/15) the school
curriculum changed so 5 -14 years olds must now
learn how to write and test computer programmes
and are taught coding languages from age 11.
However, when asked whether they thought the
new government would do enough in schools to
protect the UK’s position as a global digital leader,
68% thought they would not.
Importance currently overlooked
Despite the benefits of multiple coding language
proficiency, over half (53%) of professionals in
the survey thought a grasp of more than one
coding language was merely a nice to have, and
13% didn’t think it was important at all to career
progression. More than a quarter (26%) of those
questioned did not have knowledge of even one
coding language.
The digital sector alone contributes an estimated
£105 billion in gross added value to the UK
economy but there is a concern that too little
will be done in schools to reflect this economic
contribution. Coding languages ought to be
given the same status as numeracy and literacy
in our school curriculum and although increased
importance is being attached to these skills they
are not yet viewed as indispensable. It is equally
essential that professionals within the sector
value their own coding and programming skills
highly and keep these at the highest possible
standard – this will help sustain the high value
the technology sector currently contributes to
the UK economy.
Is knowledge of multiple coding
languages essential for a successful
career in IT and technology?
53% 34% 13%
Nice to have Essential Does not boost
job prospects

42. Acknowledgements
We would like to extend our appreciation to all those
who completed the survey and made this market report
possible. If you didn’t participate, please do so next
year so we can continue to develop the depth and
quality of this report and provide you with a fair and
balanced picture.
This report is only ever intended to give a very general
overview on the changing nature and complexity of
the employment market for IT professionals and can
serve as a useful guide. However, if you require a more
tailored and confidential discussion on how this will
affect your business, technology department or indeed
your own career, please get in touch.
Disclaimer
This research was carried out by means of an electronic
questionnaire and supplemented with data and market
information that Greythorn has access to. The results
are provided as generic market information only.
Greythorn does not make any warranties regarding the
use, validity, accuracy or reliability of the results and
information obtained. Greythorn will not be liable for any
damages of any kind arising out of or relating to use of
this information.

43. CurrentmarketSalaries,bonuses&benefitsRespondentprofile
LONDON
322 High Holborn
London, WC1V 7PB
+44 20 7850 7400
london@greythorn.com
www.greythorn.co.uk
@GreythornEMEA
Greythorn UK & Ireland
IRELAND
Fitzwilliam Hall,
Leeson Street, Dublin 2
+353 1 669 8547
dublin@greythorn.com