According to a study sponsored by Robert Half International, "Technology 2008 Salary Guide" and published by CIO Insight magazine in an article discussing this, Lead Applications Developers who manage projects (7.6%) and Applications Architects (7.5) will lead the parade as far as salary increases for 2008.

That said, that’s no surprise for those in the I.T recruiting profession or those “realistic” companies seeking to hire this high demand talent. That said, the 7.6/7.5% increases is more in line with what companies should be offering for raises to those professionals as annual increases. The reality is that so many clients are seeking J2EE Leads, Architects and Managers that this type of increase is in order to insure you don’t lose your better staff to firms competing for the same skills. Many firms (Consulting especially) have begun to understand the shortage of this critical talent truly exists and are paying what is necessary to get the talent they need. Unfortunately, far too many firms have yet to realize this and continue to lose out to consulting firms as well as others that are offering larger bonuses and in several cases annual bonuses to go along with it.

To those more conservative firms seeking to cap salary increases for new staff at the level of those loyal internal staff member…good luck!