The real story is not employee confidence but bargaining pressure: IT professionals are staying broadly upbeat even as compensation softens and restructuring narrows options. In the survey, most respondents still felt secure in their jobs and more than half were satisfied overall, yet pay dissatisfaction is materially higher than general job dissatisfaction. That split matters for leaders because retention risk is being driven less by morale than by the gap between market volatility and what workers believe their skills should command.
The mechanism is straightforward. Median total compensation fell sharply from 2023 to 2024, then partially recovered in 2025, suggesting a market correcting under layoffs, inflation, and restructuring rather than a stable upward pay trend. Base pay emerged as the leading motivator, ahead of flexibility and advancement, and higher compensation dominated reasons for job changes. For practitioners, that means retention strategies cannot lean on culture alone; they must align salary bands, promotion paths, and challenging work with current expectations.
The limitation is that optimism does not eliminate risk. A sizeable minority already expects fewer roles, and some respondents reported layoffs beyond their own teams or within them, so confidence is not the same as insulation. The practical significance is that organizations should treat skill development and meaningful project work as complements to pay, not substitutes. Surveyed professionals clearly value training and innovative assignments, but those benefits will not offset persistent underpayment when external conditions tighten further.
IT salaries are declining
Unfortunately, IT professionals have been hit by declining salaries over the past few years. ย InformationWeek’s survey revealed a significant decline in the median total compensation for IT professionals in 2024 and 2025, when compared to 2023; median salary dropped from $145,000 in 2023 to $115,000 in 2024. However, median salary rose to an estimated $125,000 for 2025. The recent salary decline was likely due to restructuring in the tech industry. While job losses in 2024 were a result of a post-COVID correction, mid-2025 was marked by layoffs caused by restructuring due to economic fluctuations and AI adoption. Nearly one-third of survey respondents expressed discontent over their compensation. While 45% reported being satisfied or very satisfied with compensation, 28% were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. Executive teams should take note of salary requirements when strategizing on how to retain top talent. Monetary compensation is the top job motivator for most survey respondents — 49% said base pay matters most in their job — but other motivators high on the list include work-life balance, and the opportunity for remote and flexible work schedules. The growing focus on base pay could be a result of economic factors including inflation and cost of living. Unsurprisingly, the prospect of bringing in more money is a top motivator when IT professionals are seeking out a new role — 69% of respondents cited higher compensation as their motivator to move on, followed by the potential for promotion (37%) and bonus opportunities (35%). Interestingly, only 3% cited a desire to join a startup as a reason to search for a new role, which could be because startup roles tend to be less financially stable.Optimism about AI amid layoff concerns
Despite industry-wide concerns over the potential for AI to lead to layoffs, many respondents in InformationWeek’s survey are optimistic about the benefits AI could provide in their roles. Nearly half of respondents (42%) consider AI as an opportunity to work on more innovative projects, and 37% see AI as an important component of global business growth (multiple responses were allowed). Not everyone is convinced that AI can deliver new opportunities within their role — 26% believe AI will result in fewer available IT positions. In addition, 11% of respondents said that AI resulted in layoffs outside of IT departments, and 6% reported layoffs from AI within IT. Unfortunately, the number of layoffs resulting from AI is likely to increase in 2026 — nearly half of hiring managers in the US expect that AI will be a top driver of layoffs.Upskilling and demonstrating initiative are critical
Despite the potential for AI to shake up IT roles, most IT professionals are committed to expanding their skillsets through continuing education opportunities. Training in new tech and cybersecurity is a top priority for IT professionals — 62% find training on new tech to be most valuable form of training, followed by 46% favoring certification courses and 38% emphasizing training on risk and cybersecurity (multiple responses were allowed in this section). Not only do they want to learn new skills, but they want to put them into practice: Many IT professionals indicated that they value opportunities to participate in challenging projects. Nearly half (43%) of respondents valued the challenge of the job/responsibility as what matters most to them in their role, followed by 38% citing a flexible work schedule, and 33% valuing health insurance (multiple responses allowed). Notably — 31% of respondents cited the ability to work on innovative IT solutions as what matters most in their job, and 31% also said the ability to work on leading-edge technology matters most. IT professionals’ ability to demonstrate that they value participating in challenging projects and are committed to upskilling will bode well for their career trajectory in the midst of external forces such as AI adoption and the fluctuating economic climate.Enjoyed this article? Sign up for our newsletter to receive regular insights and stay connected.