INFO TECH STARTING SALARIES EXPECTED TO INCREASE BY 6.8 PERCENT OVERALL IN 2000.

Average Starting Salaries For Systems Integration Specialists Will Rise 17 Percent Over 1999

Information technology (IT) professionals can expect starting salaries in 2000 to increase an average of 6.8 percent over 1999. And while next year's increase falls slightly below the 7.3 percent gain forecast for 1999, those specializing in systems integration will see the sharpest rise in base compensation, with starting salaries projected to increase by more than 17 percent over this year.

Professionals in Internet-related positions are projected to see an average starting salary increase of 7.2 percent. Within this category, e-commerce specialists will see the biggest rise in base compensation at 14.8 percent.

"As e-commerce becomes more profitable, and companies conduct both external and internal business operations online, the number of jobs for Web administrators skilled in developing and administering Internet and intranet applications is expected to escalate," predicts Greg Scileppi, executive director of IT recruiting firm RHI Consulting.

According to RHI's Y2K Salary Guide, the need for groupware developers and administrators skilled in applications such as Microsoft BackOffice remains strong with starting salary growth in this category projected to rise 10 percent. Salaries within the applications development sector overall are projected to increase by 7.6 percent over 1999. Other key findings in the RHI Salary Guide:

* Lotus Notes developers will receive average starting salaries of between $58,750 and $79,750 annually, up 14.9 percent over 1999.

* Base compensation for information systems senior managers will rise 11.0 percent, bringing starting salaries to the range of $54,750 to $69,000 annually.

* Senior help desk technicians will see starting salaries increase 10.8 percent over 1999, with base compensation ranging from $39,250 to $50,500 per year.

* Programmer analysts can expect a 10.5 percent increase in average starting salaries in 1999, bringing them to the range of $51,500 to $73,000 annually.

* Software developers with installation experience will see a 9.8 percent increase in average starting salaries. Base compensation will range from $54,000 to $72,750 annually.

* UNIX administrators will be paid average starting salaries of between $52,500 and $75,250, an 8.7 percent increase over 1999.

* Software engineers will see an average increase in base compensation of 5.0 percent, with starting salaries in the range of $57,500 to $84,250 per year.

* Average starting salaries for chief information officers will increase 2.6 percent over 1999, bringing them to the range of $117,250 to $184,000 annually.

Industries expected to show particularly strong IT hiring activity in 2000 include the finance, insurance and real estate sectors, as well as business and professional services. However, hiring within these industries varies significantly by geographic region.

"Companies are actively recruiting individuals who possess a combination of technical and interpersonal skills as well as the project management experience to implement IT initiatives," Scileppi says. He adds that emerging technologies such as Linux will result in the need for network engineers skilled in these new systems and applications.