Did you know that 45% of your IT people will leave for a better job if one shows up? Even if they are not actually planning to change employers. This is exactly what will happen if they come across a better offer, according to the the 2016/2017 Salary Survey by Computer Weekly/TechTarget.

The survey questioned 738 UK and Irish IT and business professionals. It found out that senior IT managers have the highest salaries. They get an average annual income of about 112 200 British Pounds per year. Furthermore, only 19% of that is bonus-related.

On the other hand, the average salary for the IT staff is only about 37 010 Pounds per year. 8% of that is related to bonuses. The reason is simple, says Ben Booth, interim CIO of EuroCIO. Senior IT management can be board level or part of the core team that delivers the business mission. This comes with a natural sense that the salary should be on par with the expectations and the requirements from the position. So, people will go where the money are.

Tech skills are vital

So, how to keep your actual IT staff? Almost two-thirds of the participants say their companies are offering both a career path and the ability to work in different locations, even abroad. Booth says that promoting people is one way to do it. But at the same time, it doesn’t mean you should promote everyone. You should motivate the build up of new skills, both technological and business. Booth says that for senior roles, business skills even more important than top technology skills.

But, to get to the opportunity to land a senior position, you should first get those awesome tech skills. A total of 84% of respondents in the survey say they agree with the statement that continuing their education/training is important to achieve their career goals.

Also, 40% say their organizations are actively building on technology skills. Among the most sought after positions are developers, system, network and security engineers, project managers.

“Technology does not stand still,” said Booth. “There is real danger for individuals if they don’t embrace change. There will be questions on commitment and usefulness. People who can get excited about the next new thing are going to be more valued.” Also, 46% of respondents say they plan to increase the size of their technology team.

Long story short, if you want to keep as much of your team as you can, you should invest in your team. This will make them feel appreciated and invested in the overall goal of the company. It should become more than simply a job. And CourseDot has the courses you need to build up on tech skills.