Hi-tech salaries remain flat in 2014
Wages and demand for workers rose strongly in 2013, but stagnated in this year’s first quarter
The average hi-tech salary is almost unchanged in the first quarter of 2014, according to Ethosia Human Resources, which specializes in hi-tech and biotechnology placements. Ethosia’s data indicate that salaries in hi-tech will be flat this year. Hi-tech salaries and demand for workers rose strongly in 2013, but stagnated in the first quarter of 2014. The average salary rose by 1 percent in the first quarter, compared with a 1.6% gain in the corresponding quarter of 2013. The proportion of voluntary departures fell to 1.5% in the first quarter from 3% in the corresponding quarter, and was much lower compared with last year as a whole. “Successful deals last year caused many people to leave their workplaces in favor of a start-up or a new idea. It’s possible that the sale of Viber will strengthen this trend in 2014,” said Ethosia CEO Eyal Solomon. In software, a Java programmer with up to four years of experience earns NIS 17,000- 22,000 a month, and with up to eight years of experience earns NIS 22,000-27,000. A dot.net programmer with up to four years of experience earns NIS 17,000-21,000 a month, and with up to eight years earns NIS 22,000-26,000. A mobile apps developer with up to one year experience earns NIS 12,000-16,000 a month, and with up to eight years earns NIS 17,000-24,000. In hardware, a processors tester with up to one year experience earns NIS 17,00020,000 a month, and a programmer with up to four years of experience earns NIS 22,000. Demand for mobile, software and Internet developers rose by 4-7%, but demand for hardware developers, sales managers and quality control engineers fell slightly. Demand for hi-tech employees rose by 2% in the first quarter from 1.2% in the corresponding quarter. Demand for Internet and software employees plummeted: demand for Internet employees rose 4% in the first quarter compared with 12% growth in the corresponding quarter, and demand for software employees rose 3%, down from 10%. Demand for telecommunications workers fell by 2% in the first quarter, compared with 3% growth in the corresponding quarter. The average time needed to fill a position in hi-tech and biotechnology fell to six-anda-half weeks in 2013 from eight weeks in 2012, but the trend reversed in the first quarter of 2014, rising to eight weeks in hi-tech and nine weeks in biotechnology. “2014 opened at a crawl,” said Solomon, “but there are encouraging signs that may contribute to a positive trend later in the year. Deals on the scale of deals in 2013 will definitely contribute to this trend, as well as recovery in foreign markets, especially the US. It’s also important to note that this year too, big US companies like Amazon.com and Facebook are coming to Israel to recruit brains for sought-after positions in the US.”