We’re more than halfway through 2023, and a handful of tech specializations are enjoying an uptick in pay.
According to levels.fyi, which crowdsources compensation information for various tech roles, median compensation has climbed for software engineers with an augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) focus; other specializations on the rise include back-end distributed systems, DevOps, full-stack development, machine learning and artificial intelligence (A.I.) and mobile. Take a look at the partial chart (and visit levels.fyi for the full breakdown):
Median total compensation for AR/VR software engineers stands at $252,000, suggests a separate breakdown of levels.fyi data. Experienced AR/VR engineers at larger companies such as Meta can pull down more than a million dollars in total compensation per year, once you factor in stock grants, salary, and bonuses. For those interested in building AR and VR apps, the platforms in the space all offer extensive materials for beginning your learning journey—for example, Meta regularly updates the tools and documentation for its VR platform, while Apple has the VisionOS SDK for its upcoming Vision Pro headset.
Overall, this data offers some good news for tech professionals: a wide range of disciplines are enjoying a salary uptick. For example, it’s clear that more companies are recognizing the importance of DevOps—and are willing to pay a hefty salary premium for those employees who specialize in it. For developers who focus on back-end, full-stack, and mobile, you’re likely to find an organization that will meet your compensation needs.
But not all skills have seen a compensation uptick over the past six months. Production (down 1 percent), iOS (down 5.7 percent) and blockchain (down -11.3 percent) all saw a downward trend in compensation. Keep in mind, though, that such fluctuations can be temporary; if the cryptocurrency market revives, for instance, the increased demand for blockchain skills could translate into companies paying more.
Meanwhile, the tech unemployment rate also hit 2.3 percent in June, a small but notable increase from May. Across the economy, demand for all kinds of tech pros remains high.
