Skip to main content
Infographic | Beyond Data

2023 Pay trends for digital talent

December 2022

Explore what our Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation salary survey data tells us about 2023.
Compensation Strategy & Design
Beyond Data
Infographic of 2023 pay trends for digital talent

Employee attraction and retention plague organizations around the globe

Organizations are struggling to fill key roles at every level

Voluntary attrition rate
Brazil 9%
China 16%
United Kingdom 13%
United States 15%
  

2022 saw the highest salary budget increases in nearly 20 years

Given the fundamental role salary plays in an organization’s ability to attract and retain talent, employers plan to carry this adjustment through to 2023 – yet remain cautious about how and when they allocate the overall budget.

2022 Overall Actual Salary Increases (Median) 2023 Overall Forecasted Salary Increases (Median)
Brazil 8% 7%
China 6% 6%
United Kingdom 4% 5%
United States 4% 4%


Additionally, organizations leveraged bonus payouts in 2022 and, again, are on track to the same in 2023

16%: Average 2022 projected variable payout for middle managers and professionals.

Brazil 18%
China 25%
United Kingdom 15%
United States 15%

Organizations around the world have taken or are considering taking the same three actions

Compensation review of specific employee populations 51%
Targeted increases for specific employee populations 45%
One-off cash payments (e.g., retention bonus, lump-sum payment or allowance) 44%

Top 3 highest-paid functions across all industries at Professional Level 3 (P3)

Brazil China United Kingdom United States
Full Stack Development Artificial Intelligence (AI) Applications Mobile Application Development Cloud Computing Architecture
IT Architecture (Systems Design) AI - Computer Vision Cloud Computing Architecture Mobile Application Development
Mobile Application DevelopmentCloud Computing Architecture  E-Commerce Architecture Artificial Intelligence (AI) Applications

Median pay mix for Manager level 3 (M3) in the Data Scientist function

Brazil

China United Kingdom United States
Base (%) 64%
(Base salary includes base plus other fixed cash allowances)
71% 75% 75%
Bonus (%) 19% 17% 13% 14%
LTI (%) 16% 12% 12% 10%

There are a handful of roles that will receive the highest pay premiums across regions

Role Pay premium (Median, in % of base salary)
APAC AI/machine learning frameworks 15%
EMEA AI/machine learning frameworks 20%
LATAM Cryptography, distributed ledger development, smart contract programming 15%
NA Cryptography, distributed ledger development, smart contract programming 15%

61% organizations around the world that offer differentiated rewards, benefits and/or talent programs to digital talent. Differentiation is often in the form of enhanced levels of base pay.

Trends that will drive 2023 rewards decisions

  1. Global disruptions have emphasized the importance of digital transformation across all sectors and geographies. As organizations realize the need to boost their efforts in digitalization, HR will have a crucial role in building the workforce of the future with a data-driven and forward-thinking approach.
  2. Cash compensation will continue to be the most effective attraction and retention tool for digital talent, but there are also important and effective non-monetary factors, like the organization’s reputation as a great place to work or having a clear path for growth and promotion.
  3. Economic volatility and uncertainty could lead to lower investment levels and economic growth, which will force organizations to review their workforces and be more cautious about increasing salaries (among many other things).
  4. Organizations will look beyond pay and take a holistic view of total rewards to create employee experiences that attract and retain the talent needed to drive business objectives.
  5. To effectively compete against industry peers, compensation and HR professionals will seek a more sophisticated understanding and application of data in their strategic total rewards practices and policies.

Download
Title File Type File Size
2023 Pay trends for digital talent PDF .1 MB
Contact us