What is the starting IT salary after graduation? What is the current IT salary like?

For many years, we are used to the idea that there are unlimited jobs in the field of Information Technology. These jobs offer stable income and have good development potential. That is why IT majors seem attractive in both parents and young people’s eyes. How much is the salary for the IT sector then? And what is the starting salary for fresh IT graduates? Let’s explore this post by SmartOSC Careers.

Overview of the IT Industry and Recruitment Trends in the IT Field

After the pandemic, we have seen the importance of ICT applications in daily life. Technology applications, e-commerce websites, technology software, etc., seem to have become a part of life, changing consumer habits. This indicates that the IT industry will further develop. Pursuing a career in IT is an attractive choice for young people.

Due to the increasing trend in information technology, the demand for IT personnel is also rising. Despite the global layoff wave occurring from the end of last year to the present, the IT market in Vietnam seems to have very little impact. Salaries in the IT industry in Vietnam are not decreasing – if anything, are increasing over time and market demand.

Overview of IT Salary

The starting salary for IT fresh graduates with no experience will be around 4,000,000 – 6,000,000 VND/month. However, when you join the SmartOSC fresher recruitment program for third and fourth-year students or recent graduates, your monthly income will be 6,000,000 VND. And you will have the opportunity to become an official employee.

After a period of work, you will go through the levels of junior – mid senior – and senior, with salaries increasing gradually from 10,000,000 to 25,000,000 VND/month, depending on each person’s experience and capabilities.

Salaries for Manager or Director positions will be calculated in US dollars (USD), usually ranging from 1,500 USD/month to 3,000 USD/month, equivalent to about 30,000,000 – 66,000,000 VND/month.

Check out the IT positions currently recruiting at SmartOSC.

The information above represents IT salaries obtained from actual data. To achieve desired salaries in this industry, you always need to continuously improve and develop the necessary skills for yourself.

For some special positions, you will have a better salary:

DevOps Engineer:

DevOps Engineers are leading with an average annual salary increase of 19%. In recent years, the microservice model has become a trend that many companies are pursuing, leading to a need for a large number of DevOps programmers to implement the work process. According to reports, the salary of DevOps personnel ranges from 1500 USD to 2800 USD – a substantial figure even in the information technology field.

UI/UX Designer

UX/UI Designer is the next name with an average annual salary increase of about 15%. Enterprises in the digital age allocate a significant amount of resources to design and build websites or multi-platform approaches to reach customers. Companies always have to find ways to optimize the interface, features, and user-friendliness. This is also the main reason why the demand for UX/UI Designer candidates is extremely high. In Vietnam, the average salary of a UX/UI Designer is around 22 to 27 million VND/month. The basic salary of a designer can already reach 13 million VND/month.

Front-end and Back-end Developer:

Front-end and back-end developers rank third with an average annual salary increase of 8%. Front-end, back-end, and full-stack are chosen by more and more young people as stepping stones to becoming professional programmers. In addition, these positions highly value creativity in work, making them suitable for those who tend to be proactive and innovative problem solvers. The salary for Fresher positions ranges from 350 USD to 1,190 USD. Senior programmers have a salary range from 860 USD to 1,150 USD. Meanwhile, positions with more experience and higher knowledge (usually management roles with 5 years of experience or more) can have salaries ranging from 1,140 USD to over 2,300 USD. (Vietnam IT Market Report – Tech Hiring 2022).

Average Salary of Fresh IT Graduates

According to the Q2/2022 job market report, the average income of fresh IT graduates is around 12 million VND/month. Some students who have participated in multiple projects and have many practical skills can reach a salary of 24 million VND/month right after graduation.

According to the Southeast Asia Startup Talent Report 2023 in Vietnam:

– Junior DevOps earns a salary of 1,100 – 2,000 USD/month.

– Junior UX/UI Designers earn a salary of 800 – 1,500 USD/month.

– Junior Front-end, Back-end, and Full Stack Developers have salaries ranging from 1,300 – 2,000 USD/month, 1,300 – 2,500 USD/month, and 1,200 – 2,000 USD/month.

For any profession, monthly salary will depend on various factors such as experience, ability to keep up with trends, and soft skills such as management skills, foreign languages, etc. Therefore, you must always learn and enhance your skills and knowledge to increase your income and easily seize new opportunities.