How much can I earn working in IT or Technology?

By Niamh Ollerton Updated Sep 16, 2021

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Introduction
Closer look at the top 10

Discover the full QS World University Rankings: Global MBA Rankings 2022 here

QS has released its latest Global Employer Survey Report 2022 shining a light on the world of work for MBA graduates.

The report takes a closer look at salaries for MBA specialisations, the functions employers are looking for in MBA recruits, hiring outlook, skills and so much more.

This article tells the average salaries offered by employers to MBAs hired in IT or Technology roles in a number of locations across the globe.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 locations for MBA grads with IT/Tech specialisations under their belt.

Top 10 locations for IT/Technology salaries in 2022
Rank	Location	Salary
1	Saudi Arabia	US$240,000
2	Ireland	US$160,000
3	France	US$145,670
4	Indonesia	US$130,000
5	United States	US$111,448
6	Spain	US$101,402
7	Japan	US$100,000
8	Singapore	US$94,000
9	Canada	US$92,500
10	South Korea	US$85,000

Closer look at the top 10

Saudi Arabia has proven to be one of the most lucrative locations across the globe for certain roles – take finance for example – according to our data. In fact, the potential average salary of US$240,000 MBA grads can earn in IT/Tech in Saudi Arabia is the largest base salary in all our data.

Only the United States outdoes Saudi Arabia in our data for total compensation, with Saudi Arabian employers offering some of the highest base salaries in MBA employment.

Saudi Arabia’s drive to become a high-tech hub is reflected by the substantial salaries on offer in fields such as e-commerce and technology.

Although in second place in our data for IT/Tech roles, there is still a difference of US$80,000 between Ireland and Saudi Arabia, but we’re sure any MBA grad would still be ecstatic with an average salary of US$160,000 in Ireland.

Ireland now boasts a significant presence of most major tech companies in the world, such as Microsoft, Dell, Intel, IBM, SAP, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, HubSpot and PayPal – many of which are found at Silicon Docks in Dublin.

In third place we have yet another European destination with France. MBA grads hoping to work in the tech industry can find themselves earning an average salary of US$145,000. France boasts a network of 45 French Tech communities in France and 63 French Tech communities based in 100 cities all over the world.

Based on the QS MBA by Career Specialisation Rankings 2021, the best school in the world for technology is INSEAD (ranked 15th in the world). Overall, there is relatively little difference between the lowest-paid and highest-paid specialisation in France, suggesting students shouldn’t have to worry too much about ending up in a low-paying industry – with the lowest salary being US$102,093 for both Marketing and Consulting.

According to our data, IT/Tech proves to be the second-most lucrative job area (average of US$94,000) for MBA grads hoping to work in Singapore, with only Supply Chain/Logistics beating this at US$105,000.

Despite South Korea’s reputation as a home of leading technology firms, it’s interesting to note that salaries in this area of work are relatively low compared to those available elsewhere - with Salaries & Development being the areas offering the highest average salary of US$96,667.

See the full list of average salaries by MBA specialisation according to the report here.

To find out the best MBA programmes for technology/IT specialisations, follow this link for QS MBA by Career Specialization Rankings 2021: Technology.

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Written by

Niamh Ollerton

Niamh was Deputy Head of Content at QS (TopMBA.com; topuniversities.com), creating and editing content for an international student audience. Having gained her journalism qualification at the Press Association, London and since written for different international publications, she's now enjoying telling the stories of students, alumni, faculty, entrepreneurs and organizations from across the globe.