Internet tech boom sparks jump in pay for specialists

The internet technology boom, termed dot.com 2.0, has led to a huge jump in the salaries earned by specialists in the sector, a leading recruitment consultant says.

ReThink Recruitment, which specialises in the internet sector, said that the boom in digital media – and particularly in the social-networking niche of the industry – had seen salary inflation take off.

Experts in search optimisation – the process of helping companies ensure that they end up near the top of searches made on Google and other search engines – can now expect to earn an average salary of £75,000 a year, up from an average of £45,000 three years ago, ReThink said. Even junior managers working in such businesses are now likely to earn £45,000 – 50 per cent more than three years ago.

The steep rise in pay inflation, which is a stark contrast to what has happened in most areas of the economy, shows social-networking services and digital media have become increasingly important.

The potential revenues that many firms are now expecting to earn from these services has seen Google continue to rocket in value, with social-networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn following not all that far behind.