The world’s largest survey of IT leadership has found that businesses in Ireland are punching well above their weight when it comes to spending on technological growth.

The Harvey Nash Survey – of more than 4,000 CIOs – revealed Ireland is one of the top performers in terms of investment in tech and places to do business.

According to the survey, Ireland continues to rank in the top ten countries investing in tech globally, above the UK, Germany and the US in 10th, 11th and 12th respectively. Fifty one per cent of CIOs in organisations across Ireland are operating with a budget increase – 5% above the global average.

Furthermore, Ireland is seen as one of the safest places to do business in terms of political and economic risk. While 57% of Irish CIOs agree that such factors have become more unpredictable, that figure is significantly lower than the global average (63%) and is well below countries such as China, (78%) Italy (80%) and Portugal (93%).

At a micro-level, businesses are experiencing greater stability in terms of employee retention with only 13% of CIOs in Irish businesses moving jobs in the past year, 10% less than in the UK (23%) and 2% behind the global average (15%).

The survey found CIO salaries are continuing to rise in Ireland with 34% of CIOs reporting a pay increase in the past year, up 2% from 2016. This positions Ireland in the top ten countries globally where CIOs are reporting a pay increase, just behind Hong Kong (35%).

Commenting on the findings, Managing Director at Harvey Nash Ireland, Sonya Curley said, “Holding on to top tech talent is an increasingly difficult task, especially given the global skills shortage in tech. That being said, clearly businesses in Ireland are adapting and adjusting by investing more in the tech industry and its leaders in order to capitalise on this growing market, thus improving talent acquisition and retention.”

Article Source: Business World