Australian DevOps salaries in decline

In stark contrast to global trends, Australian DevOps salaries are in decline despite an ongoing skills shortage, new research from software company Puppet suggests.

A survey conducted for the company's sixth annual DevOps salary report found that the share of respondents in Australia earning over US$75,000 ($99,000) fell from 75% in 2019 to 73% in 2020.

While small, this decline in salaries is unique and suggests a concerning trend, given the persistent technology skills shortage in the region, the research found.

Across Asia Pacific, the research also found that more women than men are earning salaries of US$100,000 to US$125,000, at 33% compared to 17%. But men still outnumber women among top earners, with 21% of men and 13% of women earning more than US$125,000.

Globally, this disparity is even more pronounced, with 28% of men answering the survey earning above US$125,000 compared to 17% of women.

With the rise of platform teams, platform engineers have meanwhile become the best-paid professionals in the industry, being most likely to earn more than US$150,000 per year.

DevOps professionals working in the life sciences, pharmaceuticals and healthcare sector were the top earners worldwide, with 64% on salaries of over US$100,000. This was followed by the financial services industry at 53%, followed by technology at 45%.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Natee Meepian