Some 30 percent of employers plan to grow their IT departments next year, according to a new set of predictions from SpiceWorks. SpiceWorks also found that one-quarter of IT pros intend to look for a new job next year, “and 62 percent of IT pros seeking new employment are doing so primarily to earn a higher salary.” Employers are hungry for tech talent; tech pros want more money, and are willing to move to get it. Those opposing forces could mean that the tech industry in 2019 will continue the trends of the past few years: Low unemployment, with higher salaries for those with in-demand skill-sets. That’s great for tech pros, but not so wonderful for those companies that can’t afford the specialists they need. As more firms embrace artificial intelligence and machine learning, for example, the salaries for tech pros who specialize in those technologies are skyrocketing; unless you’re a major enterprise with deep pockets (such as IBM and Google), you’re likely going to lose out in a bidding war. The average tech salary is $92,712, according to Dice’s previous salary survey, but those with in-demand skills can easily break the six-figure barrier. A Linux systems engineer, for instance, can pull down $112,597 on average, according to Dice’s data. Python developers make an average of $107,578. And even if the salary for a particular profession or skill levels off, companies are increasingly willing to dangle incentives such as flexible working hours or added vacation time in lieu of more money. For smaller companies and teams that need talent but don’t have the funding to compete against larger enterprises, such perks are an ideal way to lock down talent; many tech pros are willing to give up a bit of cash for a better work-life balance, especially if they’re older.