IT security salaries on road to recovery

The size of UK IT security specialists' pay packets rebounded slightly in Q1 but supply is still outstripping demand

Network security engineers at service providers can now expect to receive a salary of up to £47,000

Salaries for IT security staff at both end users and channel firms are on the rise again, according to recruitment firm Acumin Consulting.

Junior-level systems administrators, information security directors and CLAS consultants are among those to have seen a small increase in their likely salary since November. This follows big drops last year.

According to Acumin’s Q1 Information Security Recruitment Index, junior analysts within security consultancies now command a pay packet of between £25,000 and £35,000 – £2,000 up on the upper salary bracket in November.

Salaries are also on the rise for those with specialist skills such as risk management. Information security directors at mid-sized firms will now pocket £75,000 to £92,000, £2,000 up on November.

Likewise, network security engineers at service providers can now expect to receive a salary of up to £47,000, which Acumin said was up on November.

CLAS (CESG Listed Adviser Scheme) consultants cleared for high-security government work saw their salaries fall sharply last year, but the expected figure has now rebounded by £5,000 to between £55,000 and £75,000.

However, Acumin managing director Chris Batten warned that salaries are still some way short of their level during the same period last year and that supply is still outstripping demand.

“As the economy slowly improves, recruitment is seeing a natural revival. However, as with many sectors, it is unlikely that information security salaries will see a significant increase in the near future,” he said.

“Any job vacancies are likely to be swept up by the well of unemployed security professionals created by the UK’s financial situation and as such, organisations will not have to offer more money to attract these candidates. I expect this to continue over the coming months with salaries beginning to rise again in Q3 this year.”