IT Graduates rival for higher salaries in London

Graduates moving to London can expect a higher than average salary, however they will have to fight off a lot of competition to achieve it.

According to research, a 1st Line Support/Helpdesk role based in London will pay £27,373, compared to the UK average of £22,472. According to the IT Job Board, average salaries for IT jobs in London are around £47,500, rising to £54,000 in the City. IT jobs in banking pay an average of £70,000 for permanent positions and £500 per day for contractors.

e-Skills UK, found there are over one million people working in IT Jobs in the UK - just under 900,000 people working in the UK IT Sector and almost 600,000 working as IT or telecoms professionals in other industries.

The number of permanent IT jobs advertised grew by 4.6% between the third and final quarters of 2010. Over the same period, the number of IT contract jobs available grew by 0.9%. Contract rates continued to improve throughout 2010, with rates of 5%, compared to the same period 12 months ago.

Increased rewards also comes with increased competition; on average a record 32 people are applying for every job in London, more than three times the amount for any other region in the UK, The Telegraph reported last June.