Top 10 tech salary increases in Ireland

Ireland’s thriving tech ecosystem and improved market confidence have prompted an uplift in job opportunities, with certain tech specialists seeing significant pay rises. Employers looking to secure skilled tech professionals in the year ahead will need to balance competitive salaries with flexible work policies and ample opportunities for career development.

In our Ireland Salary & Recruiting Trends 2025 guide, we received insights from professionals and organisations in the tech industry, offering a valuable overview of tech salaries, recruiting trends and candidate expectations.

Our latest research gives rise to three crucial questions:

• What’s influencing tech salaries?
• Which top tech jobs are seeing above-average increases?
• What do tech professionals really want?

Market confidence maintains tech salary growth

Tech salaries in Ireland increased by an average of 1.3% over the last year, slightly below the national average of 1.6%. This softened wage growth could be attributable to a period of over-expansion and correction, alongside global economic factors.

However, renewed market confidence – combined with strong hiring plans across the board – has helped keep salary growth ticking over. In the coming year, over four-in-five (86%) Irish employers plan to hire staff, and prospects seem particularly bright for tech candidates. Heightened investment from government bodies, and an increase in tech funding for Ireland’s vibrant startup and scaleup scene, is creating more employment opportunities and driving demand for specialist roles.

Employers looking to onboard experts who can capitalise on the latest tech opportunities – such as AI or cloud development – will need to keep their pay competitive, especially amid ongoing cost-of-living concerns.

Certain tech experts see sharper pay increases

Although average tech salary growth hasn’t been dramatic, certain professionals have benefited from much sharper salary increases. This includes professionals well-versed in cloud technology, alongside senior tech leaders.

The need to adopt scalable cloud technology has meant that niche experts in this field, most notably AWS engineers, have far outpaced the national rate of salary inflation. Additionally, CTOs and CIOs have benefited from substantial pay increases, likely reflecting the requirement for specialist leaders who can help organisations across various industries navigate their digital transformations. And with cyber security functions poised for further expansion, senior professionals who can spearhead security strategies are also being generously rewarded.

While the following list does not necessarily reflect the highest paid jobs on the tech market, it offers a valuable snapshot of some of the roles with the highest growth potential.

Top salary increases in technology

1. Senior engineer (AWS)
2. CTO
3. CIO
4. Head of security operations
5. BI/Data warehouse architect
6. DevOps engineer
7. Full stack developer
8. Data governance manager
9. SOC manager
10. Senior product owner

Professionals seek flexibility and career progression

Competitive salaries are crucial when hiring, yet they form just one part of the bigger talent attraction picture, with flexibility and greater career prospects also topping candidate expectations.

With more organisations transitioning towards on-site work – and hybrid working becoming less of an industry standard – flexibility can set organisations apart from those with more rigid policies. And given Ireland’s increasingly multinational tech workforce, offering extended periods of remote working, with the freedom to travel abroad, can be a real differentiator.

Career development shouldn’t be overlooked either – it’s clear that candidates across industries want to see greater investment in their training and development. Out of the surveyed professionals who changed jobs in the past 12 months, a quarter (25%) cite a lack of career progression as the leading factor. Tech candidates are particularly aware of the need to keep their skills sharp in a fast-moving industry, and organisations that can offer unique upskilling opportunities will be more likely to attract ambitious professionals.

For a comprehensive look at salaries across the entire tech industry, along with exclusive employer insights, access our Ireland Salary & Recruiting Trends 2025 guide today.