Salaries

IT Salaries in Northern Ireland

There is alot of mystery that surrounds the issue of salaries.  People like to play their cards close to their chest in relation to their salary especially in Northern Ireland.  Sometimes Chinese whispers can inflate the real figures creating a very different perception in the market place. This is something which has become apparent in my first few weeks as IT Business Manager with CPL IT Northern Ireland.  Last week I was out with a number of clients who both asked for my opinion on salaries for their sector throughout NI. One commented that their organisation had previously been mentioned as having higher than average basic salaries however upon further inspection this was quite clearly not the case.  There are mixed opinions out there.  In my mind the majority of companies are focused on offering competitive salaries with most staying within the ‘accepted’ range.  You will of course always get those companies who want to pay lower however with skills such as Java and .Net not overly abundant in the market place a fair salary is a pre requisite.  Often its not solely the salary which is important but the technologies utilised, benefits offered, team, work/life balance and flexibility of the organisation.
What is your opinion of salaries for Software Engineers in Northern Ireland? Is salary still the primary motivator or are candidates interested in other things as well?