Information Technology (IT) professionals in the United States could expect to see starting salaries increase an average of 5.3% in 2008, according to the Robert Half Technology 2008 Salary Guide. Larger increases in base compensation are expected in high-demand segments that include applications and web development, network management, and database administration. Furthermore, the annual salary survey, published by Robert Half Technology, a provider of IT professionals on a project and full time basis, reveals that lead applications developers, who manage software development teams and projects, are forecasted to see the greatest starting salary gains of any job classification in 2008, with base compensation expecting to rise 7.6%, to between $80,250 and $108,000 per annum. “There is a strong demand for skilled developers with solid technical skills as well as the ability to solve business problems,” says Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director. Base compensation for applications architects is projected to increase 7.5% next year, ranging from between $87,250 to $120,000. Messaging administrators should see starting salaries increase 7.1%, bringing them to the range of $55,000 to $77,750 annually. “Messaging administrators are the air traffic controllers of the vast amount of information passed among e-mail systems, corporate networks and, increasingly, hand-held devices like BlackBerrys,” Lee comments. “These professionals are in high demand as companies aim to keep their employees, clients and customers connected.”