Global pay for tech work puts a spotlight on where exactly skills earn the highest rewards. Data from Hays’ Tech Talent Explorer compares average salaries in 34 countries, covering both permanent jobs and contractor rates. A small group of countries lead the rankings, helped by high hiring needs and a limited supply of specialist talent.
The report explains that pay levels come from supply and demand. AI brings a new norm in how tasks are completed, but it doesn’t take away the need for skilled workers. It supports routine work and leaves people to handle the important duties that need human oversight.
This creates competition between countries trying to attract top talent. Higher salaries and high contract rates are used to bring in experienced professionals for both long term roles and short term projects.
Top Countries For Permanent Tech Salaries (Hays Tech Talent Explorer):
- United States
- Switzerland
- Denmark
- United Arab Emirates
- Saudi Arabia
For contractor day rates, the ranking changes:
- Switzerland
- Denmark
- Australia
- Germany
- Japan
These rankings come from Hays’ analysis of mean average salaries across all assessed roles. Countries like Switzerland and Denmark appear in both lists, pointing to high pay for both employees and contractors.
The US is at the top for permanent roles, and this is all thanks to its massive tech sector. Germany and Japan, on the other hand, rank higher for contract work, where companies pay more for short term expertise.
How Does The UK Compare Here?
The UK ranks 15th out of 34 countries for average tech salaries and 16th for contractor day rates, according to Hays. This places it in the upper half of the global table.
The report says that AI does not seem to be cutting wages. Pay levels come from supply and demand as well as how important or essential certain jobs are. Areas such as cloud computing typically have high salaries.
Software roles are more exposed to AI tools and even then, the effect is limited. Tasks change, though jobs do not disappear. Workers are needed to guide systems, check outputs and manage complex work.
David Curtis, STEM Senior Managing Director at Hays UK and Ireland, said, “The findings of our report clearly show that AI isn’t replacing human talent but amplifying it. As automation accelerates routine tasks, the roles that thrive are those grounded in judgement, coordination and strategic oversight.”
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He added, “For professionals, this creates significant opportunities to build future ready careers by developing adaptable, strategic and tech augmented skill sets.”
In the UK, certain roles earn more than others. Solutions Architects earn an average of £84,249, Security Engineers earn £75,702 and DevOps Engineers earn £67,532. Contractor rates are also high, with Java Developers earning £695 per day, Cloud Engineers £684 and Security Engineers £659.
Lower paid roles such as Project Manager at £41,736 and Data Analyst at £44,415 tend to have larger talent pools and more standard entry points.
Which Tech Jobs Are Paying The Most In 2026?
Data from ZTM, based on job listings from Indeed, LinkedIn and Web3 Career, ranks the highest paying tech jobs in 2026. The list places AI related jobs at the top, followed by data and infrastructure positions.
Before the ranking, one thing in particular can be seen. Jobs that are related to AI, data and cloud systems are near the top due to the level of skill needed and limited supply of experienced workers.
There is also a big pay difference between jobs. The highest paid job earns more than $80,000 above the lowest in the list, which confirms that specialisation will typically improve salaries.
The ZTM data reflects the same (or similar, at least) as the Hays numbers. Jobs that need more technical expertise tend to earn higher pay in many markets.
Highest Paying Tech Jobs In 2026 (ZTM Data):
AI and Machine Learning Engineer: $195,425
Data Engineer: $178,769
Blockchain Developer: $167,893
AI Developer: $155,257
Cloud Engineer: $154,788
Software Engineer: $143,556
DevOps Engineer: $141,226
Cybersecurity Professional: $126,653
Full Stack Developer: $115,887
Mobile Developer: $109,976
Product Designer (UX/UI): $109,533
AI and machine learning engineers earn the highest salaries. This has to do with the need for systems that can process data and automate advanced tasks.
Data engineers come after, as we know that they build and manage the systems behind those tools. Blockchain developers also rank high, pointing to continued use of decentralised tech.
Jobs such as mobile developers and product designers earn less than the top positions, though they still come in above $100,000 on average.
The money in tech is clearly still good and even though, as mentioned, AI has changed how tasks are being completed, skilled professionals still controlling how the work is done.
