Pikom projects 6.7 pct growth in ICT average monthly salary for 2017

PETALING JAYA: The National Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Association of Malaysia (Pikom) is projecting an average monthly salary growth rate for all ICT job categories this year at 6.7 per cent from 4.6 per cent in 2016, backed by a positive economic performance.

“However, the projected overall average monthly salary for all categories this year will still be lower than the average annual growth rate of 7.3 per cent recorded between 2009 and 2016,” said research committee chair, Woon Tai Hai.

He was speaking to reporters at the launch of the 10th edition of the ICT Job Market Outlook in Malaysia.

Woon said among the five main categories of positions - fresh graduates, junior executives, senior executives, managers and senior managers -, the senior manager's salary recorded higher growth rate at 6.3 per cent in 2016 against 6.2 per cent in 2015.

Meanwhile, entry-level professionals only achieved 3.7 per cent growth in 2016 versus 5.3 per cent previously.

He said the growth projection for senior manager and entry level's average monthly salary this year would be at 6.9 and four per cent, respectively.

Woon said data from Jobstreet. com showed that there were 11,227 job openings for ICT professionals in 2016 compared with 18,249 jobs offered in 2015, and computer/IT (software) industry jobs accounted for about a third of the number.

He said Pikom was optimistic on the economic outlook, based on the year-on-year gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 5.6 per cent for the first quarter 2017, and had revised its 2017 GDP projection of four per cent previously to five per cent.

“In the first half of this year, we have witnessed many ICT developments, including the Digital Free-Trade Zone (DFTZ), which will complement Pikom's e-commerce chapter,” said Woon. — Bernama