Nearly Half of Tech Professionals Looking for New Roles in 2025
As artificial intelligence and machine learning reshape the tech landscape, commanding salary premiums of up to 17.7%, an unprecedented 47% of technology professionals are actively seeking new roles—up from 29% last year. This surge in job seeking reflects a maturing market where tech professionals increasingly focus on total compensation and growth opportunities, according to Dice’s 20th annual Tech Salary Report, which this year includes a special look back at two decades of transformation in tech.
“Organizations that can bridge this gap, particularly in areas like remote work flexibility and professional development, will have a significant advantage in attracting top talent in 2025.”
The average technology professional salary reached $112,521 in 2024, representing a 1.2% year-over-year increase. However, this growth hasn’t translated into increased satisfaction, with tech workers’ satisfaction in compensation reaching a new low in 2024.
“While compensation remains important, tech professionals are increasingly focused on the total package—from benefits to job security to professional development opportunities,” said Art Zeile, CEO of DHI Group, Inc., parent company of Dice. “This presents both challenges and opportunities for employers looking to attract and retain top tech talent in 2025.”
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20 Years of Tech Evolution Shows Progress and Challenges
As Dice celebrates 20 years of salary reporting, this year’s survey findings reveal artificial intelligence and machine learning as the most significant technological change of the past two decades, cited by 36% of tech professionals with over 20 years of experience. Cloud computing and virtualization (15%) and mobile technologies (8%) round out the top three most impactful changes.
Notably, women in tech with over two decades of experience are nearly 1.5 times more likely than their male counterparts to say work culture has improved over the past 20 years. “This finding suggests real progress in workplace culture,” notes Zeile. “However, with only 48% of all seasoned tech professionals saying culture has improved, there’s still significant work to do in this area.”
AI Skills Command Premium Compensation
Tech professionals responsible for artificial intelligence development earn 17.7% more than their peers not involved in AI work. This premium extends beyond base compensation, with tech professionals who are responsible for AI in their organization also reporting higher job satisfaction levels.
Regional and Industry Shifts Shape the Market
Our survey findings revealed significant geographic and sector-specific variations in 2024. Key findings include:
- Manufacturing led 2024’s industry salary growth at 15.1%
- Silicon Valley maintains highest tech salaries, despite a 7.3% year over year decline
- Mid-career professionals (3-5 years experience) saw 6% salary growth
- Consulting, software, and banking/finance remain highest-paying industries, each with average salaries exceeding $125,000 for tech workers
Tech Professionals Seek More Than Just Salary Growth
The report reveals that 59% of tech professionals feel underpaid—the highest percentage ever recorded in the survey. This sentiment coincides with companies reducing benefits across every category, from health insurance to professional development opportunities.
“We’re seeing a clear disconnect between what tech professionals value and what they’re receiving from employers,” said Zeile. “Organizations that can bridge this gap, particularly in areas like remote work flexibility and professional development, will have a significant advantage in attracting top talent in 2025.”
Benefits Gap Widens Amid Cultural Shifts
Even as salaries show modest growth, Dice’s findings show that companies appear to be scaling back valuable benefits:
- Training and education opportunities dropped 6 percentage points in 2024 compared to 2023
- Remote work options declined 4 percentage points year-over-year
- Only 36% of tech professionals received merit raises, down from 41% in 2023
“The reduction in benefits, particularly in areas like professional development and flexible work arrangements, may be contributing to the unprecedented levels of job seeking we’re seeing,” adds Zeile. “As we mark twenty years of tracking tech careers, it’s clear that while we’ve made progress in some areas, companies need to recognize that in today’s tech hiring market, they need to deliver on the total employment package to find and retain the best tech talent.”
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