Mid-level support and technical staff have enjoyed the highest pay rises in the IT sector over the last year, as their median salary jumped 13 per cent to £24,177.

And the median salary for network and systems engineers hit £31,120, a rise of 9.5 per cent, according to research group Incomes Data Services (IDS).

Skills shortages are driving the pay rises and making it harder for entry level candidates to secure jobs, said Ken Mulkearn, editor of the IDS Pay in IT Report 2008.

“The sizeable pay increases we are seeing in mid-level IT support and technical roles is being driven largely by acute skills shortages," he said.

“As the UK IT sector continues to specialise in more high-end technical work and more entry-level jobs are outsourced overseas, there are fewer opportunities for graduates and those with less experience to get a foot on the first rung of the career ladder.”

“The knock-on effect is that higher up that ladder, where there is demand for skilled and experienced workers, there is not enough supply coming through the ranks, making recruitment and retention more difficult, driving up salaries as a result.”

The average pay increase across the IT sector has been 3.5 per cent this year, and senior management pay has remained largely unchanged.

Forty per cent of companies have experienced difficulties recruiting and retaining IT staff in the last year, according to IDS, and technical and support roles were cited as key problem areas.