LinkedIn junior staff salary twice that of HP

Internet giants trump hardware-focused players in salary benchmarking showdown, with LinkedIn paying £60,000 to HP's £30,000

Junior employees at LinkedIn can expect to earn a salary of £60,000 – twice that of HP – according to salary benchmarking site Emolument.com.

Based on data submitted anonymously by nearly 50,000 individuals, the findings reveal a surprising level of variation in how much the world's top tech firms pay junior staff with less than five years' experience, Emolument.com said.

As a rule, software- and internet-focused players were found to be more generous than their hardware-leaning counterparts (see below), with LinkedIn topping the pile on £60,000.

Emolument.com said this reflects a recruitment strategy by some leading players to lure the best developers who are capable of adding value to their non-hardware-based product.

Despite having hit the headlines in the past for its poor working conditions, Amazon placed second on £55,000, with Microsoft (£51,000), Facebook (£49,500) and Google (£48,000) rounding out the top five.

Of those mentioned, HP paid the least (£30,000), with fellow hardware-focused outfits Intel (£40,000) and IBM (£35,000) also finishing well down the field.

The figures come from pay data submitted anonymously to Emolument.com by more than 46,000 people in order to access their own personal salary benchmarking report.

Emolument.com claimed the service reveals for the first time how much specific employers pay for various job roles, specialisms and experience levels.

"Offering a level of salary transparency allows individuals to see beyond the short-term factors like starting salary and company brand to really understand what a career at a specific company might mean five, 10 or 15 years down the line, empowering them to make more informed choices in these big life decisions," said Emolument.com founder Thomas Drewry.

Company Salary

LinkedIn £60,000
Amazon £55,000
Microsoft £51,000
Facebook £49,500
Google £48,000
Criteo £41,000
Intel £40,000
SunGard £35,000
IBM £35,000
eBay £33,000
HP £30,000