DEVOPSdigest

DevOps salaries increased across every region, despite widespread economic slowdowns and cross-industry layoffs, according to the State of DevOps Report from Puppet, based on a global survey of more than 2,200 technology professionals.

The report also found that organizations that have already reached a higher level of DevOps evolution compensate their employees at a higher rate than those whose DevOps evolution is less advanced.

Among respondents working at companies with highly evolved DevOps practices, 80% earn at least $75,000 per year while only 57% of respondents at companies with less evolved DevOps practices earn that much.

"The pandemic brought into sharp relief the necessity of digital transformation and thereby the value of the skilled practitioners and managers who make that evolution possible," said Alanna Brown, co-author of the State of DevOps Report. "We're seeing higher compensation as a result of the increase in demand for these skills, with the most dramatic rise in salaries for engineers and practitioners working within the life sciences, pharmaceuticals and healthcare industries who, for the first time, are earning more than their counterparts in tech and financial services."

Key findings revealed in the DevOps Salary Report also include:

With the rise of platform teams, platform engineers have quickly become the best-paid job title

According to Gartner, platform teams are here to stay, with the majority of large organizations adopting a platform team strategy to scale DevOps by 2025. This rise of platform teams is reflected in salaries, with platform engineers the most likely to earn more than $150,000 per year. They are also the most likely to earn over $100,000 and over $75,000.

Respondents working in life sciences, pharmaceuticals and healthcare (LSPH) were the top earners worldwide

In previous years, practitioners and managers in the financial services and technology spaces were the top earners. In fact, 64% of LSPH respondents earn more than $100,000. Behind LSPH was the financial services industry where 53% of respondents earned over $100,000, while those at technology companies trailed at 45%.

More women earn mid-range salaries than men, but men still earn more of the top salaries than women

25% of female respondents earn between $100,000 and $125,000, while 18% of male respondents are earning in the same range. However, fewer women earn above $125,000 women compared to their male counterparts.

For instance, 12% of men who answered the survey earn $125,000 to $150,000, compared to 9% of women. Additionally, 3% of men earn over $250,000 per year compared to just 1% of women.

Salaries rose worldwide, and rose most steeply for upper-income respondents in Japan and the UK

Japanese respondents saw the steepest gains in salaries, with 67% of respondents moving into the $75,000-plus range, compared with only 24% last year. The next-biggest increase in those earning $75,000 or more was in the United Kingdom, where 74% reported being in this salary bracket, up from 57% in 2019. US respondents continue to earn more compared to their global peers, with 84% making $100,000 or more, and 42% earning over $150,000 per year.