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IT support is not the graveyard it once was, says the Service Desk Institute

Job satisfaction among IT service workers in the UK has increased marginally despite the industry’s poor image, although only half say they are satisfied with their salary and 45% say they do not feel valued by senior management.

The report by the Service Desk Institute (SDI) surveyed 257 IT service professionals across the UK and found the sector was attracting a growing number of women. Over a third of respondents were female, although many cited “lingering pay imbalance” and a 4.5% pay disparity.

Interestingly, despite the pay discrepancy, females in the sector were more satisfied with their salary than males. And in terms of respondents' background, the survey found that only a third of IT service professionals across both sexes are educated to degree level.

The highest earners were based in London, while the second-highest earners worked in the East Midlands for companies such as multinational media providers, large law firms and global IT application developers. Those in the private sector earned, on average, 7% more than their public sector counterparts, while those in Wales were paid the least of all.

SDI Chairman Howard Kendall said the survey results suggested the industry had turned “a significant corner” in recent years. “Historically, [the IT service management sector] has battled poor retention and low job satisfaction,” he said.

Further reading

Service management
The key to quality IT delivery. An Information Age Research Report in association with Numara Software

Tea service
Service management at Twinings has enabled the IT department to become a project management centre of excellence

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