The 2025 Salary Guide for IT provides in-depth insights into salary trends and compensation packages within the information technology sector. This guide is designed to help employers and IT professionals navigate the competitive job market, offering detailed information on market demand, benefits, and salary benchmarks for various roles. Stay ahead in the ever-evolving IT landscape with our comprehensive and up-to-date data.

IT Hiring Trends to Look For in 2025

Growth in AI, Machine Learning and Data Science

As AI, machine learning, and data-driven technologies continue to advance, there is a growing demand for candidates experienced in data science, AI engineering, and analytics. Companies are seeking skilled experts who can optimise AI models, analyse large datasets, and provide actionable insights to improve decision making and efficiency. This demand is particularly strong in the healthcare, life sciences, medical technology, fintech, ecommerce, manufacturing, logistics and utilities sectors but is expected to intensify as more industries harness predictive analytics and machine learning for innovation and to enhance their operations to stay competitive.

Cybersecurity and Compliance

As cyber threats become more sophisticated, the demand for permanent cybersecurity experts is rising, especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, and telecoms. Regulatory frameworks such as the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and the NIS 2 Directive are significantly influencing compliance expectations. These initiatives place a strong focus on strengthening cybersecurity protocols, enhancing incident reporting, and ensuring operational resilience, particularly for organisations managing critical infrastructure. Consequently, there is a growing demand for professionals skilled in regulatory compliance, data governance, and legal technology to help businesses navigate this increasingly complex environment.

Cloud and DevOps Growth

The shift to cloud-based infrastructure and the integration of DevOps practices is creating a strong demand for cloud architects, DevOps engineers and system administrators. These professionals play a critical role in building scalable, reliable systems and ensuring seamless, long-term cloud operations. As businesses increasingly rely on cloud solutions, the need for skilled professionals in these areas will continue to grow.

Hybrid/Remote Work

Whilst fully remote roles are becoming harder to secure, hybrid working models remain a priority for candidates. Organisations will continue to strive for balance in 2025, emphasising “team days” to enhance collaboration and build social capital, making flexibility a key offering without going fully remote. Current norms for SMEs and MNCs in Ireland is 2-3 days in the office, however, global directives have seen some organisations calling for 5 days in office.

Increased demand for Contract Staff

The decrease in demand for permanent hires across software development, QA, product development, business analysis, project management and leadership roles has created an increased demand for fixed-term contracts, temporary and daily rate contracts to work around headcount constraints. Despite this demand for niche skills, IT contractor rates are not expected to see significant increases in 2025 - a challenging prospect given rising costs and inflation. Many companies are tightening their budgets in response to economic uncertainties, prioritising efficiency over higher contractor pay, or outsourcing roles to cheaper locations. To secure rate increases, contractors may need to demonstrate added value by highlighting leadership capabilities, diverse skill sets, and their ability to drive results beyond their core expertise.