UK ITSM professionals report high levels of job satisfaction and confidence in face of recession

Published 5th December 2008

Service Desk Institute Salary Survey reveals that more women are working in ITSM than ever before, but there is still a pay disparity between the sexes

Orpington – 4 December, 2008 – Recent survey findings from Europe’s leading authority on Service Desk and IT support issues, the Service Desk Institute (SDI), indicate that job satisfaction in the IT Service Management (ITSM) industry is on the rise*. More than half of ITSM professionals are satisfied with their salary (52 per cent) and feel valued by senior management (55 per cent). SDI’s UK IT Service Desk Salary Survey 2008 questioned 257 ITSM professionals across the UK and reveals that the ITSM industry is confident in the face of recession, with 65 per cent stating that the economic climate will not have an impact on staffing levels and 41 per cent certain that it will not hinder the growth of their service desks, despite the fact that over a third of recruitment budgets have been reduced.

Howard Kendall, Chairman of SDI comments: “Historically, ITSM has battled poor retention and low job satisfaction but these survey results show that the industry has turned a significant corner in recent years. Organisations are increasingly realising the value that the IT service desk brings to their business, and this is reflected in competitive salaries and real opportunity for career development. The fact that the majority of professionals at all levels are content with their salary and incentive packages, as well as feeling valued in their role, shows they are finally getting the recognition they deserve from employers.”

The survey also reveals a lingering pay imbalance between men and women. The greatest disparity in pay is 4.5 per cent at IT Service Desk Manager level and the lowest is 1.3 per cent at Service Desk Analyst level. Despite this pay disparity, more female ITSM professionals (49 per cent) than male are satisfied with their salary (46 per cent). The fact that over a third of respondents were women (37 per cent) indicates that ITSM is proving an attractive career choice for women in IT.

“Great steps have been made in encouraging women to become ITSM professionals, and part of this is the industry’s acknowledgement that IT service desks need to contain a balance of soft, communication and technical skills. However, the results also highlight that ensuring pay parity continues to be a priority. The difference in pay levels may be far less than they have been previously, but the issue is still on the table despite almost two decades of efforts to redress the balance,” adds Kendall.

The SDI survey also investigated average salaries by location and sector. Unsurprisingly, the highest earners in ITSM are based in London, with the second highest earners based in the East Midlands. Individual analysis of respondents results reveal that the majority of employers in the East Midlands are multi national media providers, large law firms and global IT applications developers from within the private sector, which would explain its high ranking salary average. Conversely, Wales consistently offers the lowest pay bracket across all job levels. The survey also shows that IT professionals in all job levels earn more in the private sector than their public sector counterparts, with IT Service Desk Managers earning up to 7 per cent more in the private sector.

The survey additionally revealed:

▪ Salary satisfaction by gender:
o 46 per cent of male ITSM professionals are very or mostly satisfied with their salary; 49 per cent of female ITSM professionals are very or mostly satisfied with their salary
o 29 per cent of male ITSM professionals are very or mostly dissatisfied with their salary; 19 per cent of female ITSM professionals are very or mostly dissatisfied with their salary

▪ Incentives package satisfaction
o 67 per cent of ITSM professionals consider their incentives package to be excellent, very good or good
o 15 per cent of ITSM professionals consider their incentives package to be poor

▪ Percentage salary increase
o 65 per cent of salary increases are not dependent on performance; 35 per cent of salary increases are dependent on performance;
o The East Midlands have the highest average percentage increase at 5-10%; the South East, the South West and Wales have the lowest average percentage increase at 1-2%
o The average annual percentage salary increase across the ITSM profession is 3-4%
o 45 per cent of respondents were very or mostly satisfied with their salary increase; 30 per cent of respondents were very or mostly dissatisfied with their salary increase; 6 per cent of respondents did not receive a salary increase in the past 12 months

▪ Bonus received
o 54 per cent of respondents did not receive a bonus in the last 12 months
o Of the 46 per cent that did receive a bonus, the average amount was between £1000 and £2000

▪ Respondent breakdown
o By sector: 68 per cent of respondents work in the private sector; 31 per cent of respondents work in the public sector; and 1 per cent of respondents work in the charitable/voluntary sector
o By gender: 37 per cent of respondents were female; 64 per cent of respondents were male
o By service desk size: 45 per cent of respondents work in departments of fewer than 25 people; 24 per cent work in departments between 25 to 50 people; there were no respondents working in departments of 500 people or more

▪ Education levels in ITSM
o 33 per cent of ITSM professionals are educated to degree level
o 34 per cent of IT Service Desk Managers possess degrees

*SDI’s UK ‘IT Service Desk Salary Survey 2008’. This report has been produced from survey data collected between 1st September 2008 and 15th October 2008. A total of 257 ITSM professionals across the UK responded to questions to identify the average salary of IT Service Desk Managers, IT Service Desk Team Leaders and Service Desk Analysts across the IT Service Management (ITSM) industry. The report compares salary findings across different locations, sectors, gender, level of education and experience and outlines the general level of satisfaction within the industry with regards salary, salary increases, bonuses and incentive schemes.

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About The Service Desk Institute
SDI is the new driving force for the ITSM and service desk industry with a vision of being recognised globally as the professional body that drives exceptional IT service and support. As the leading authority on Service Desk and IT support related issues, SDI will enable organisations to enhance the value of business and IT integration through exceptional IT service and support. SDI is responsible for setting global industry standards, delivering thought-leadership and knowledge, and influencing service improvement for individuals and organisations. The globally recognised SDI Service Desk Certification standard is the only best practice standard that provides a clear and measurable set of standards for a Service Desk operation.

Acting as an independent advisor, SDI captures and disseminates creative and innovative ideas for tomorrow's service desk and support operation. SDI sets the standards for the IT support industry and is the conduit for delivering knowledge and career enhancing skills to the professional community.

It also offers the opportunity for international recognition of the support centre operation through a site certification audit programme. It members span numerous industries and include, AOL (UK), Barclays Bank, Computer Associates, ITV, O2, T K Maxx, United Biscuits and E.On. Further information about the SDI can be found at www.sdi-europe.com