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CIO and CTO salaries will see a spike of 12.5% in 2010, according to research conducted by Bluewolf on salaries in the Tri-state region (New York, Conn. and New Jersey). Bluewolf is a global technology consulting firm and the preeminent source of salary data and statistics for IT professionals. Every year, Bluewolf issues its Bluewolf IT Salary Guide for Tri-state job seekers and employers, revealing its proprietary salary research.

In 2010, CIO salaries will range from $175-200,000 in 2010, up from $149,000-175,000 in 2009. CTO salaries are predicted to range from $140,000-$175,000 in 2010 up from $120,000-$150,000 in 2009, according to Bluewolf's salary research. In addition to CIOs and CTOs, 2010 starting salaries for VPs of Information Technology are expected to increase from $110,000 to $125,000.

"The increase in C-level salaries shows a renewed commitment to IT spending and the strategic use of IT," said Stephany Samuels, Director of Placement Services for Bluewolf.

According to the Bluewolf research, the following IT positions are among those that will see the most significant salary changes in 2010:

• Web developer salaries are predicted to rise from a high of $90,000 in 2009 to $110,000 in 2009.
• Entry level IT professionals, such as Help Desk specialists, are being hit hard by the recession and starting salaries are down to $40,000-$50,000 from a range of $55,000-$65,000 this year.
• Network manager salaries will decline from $65,000-90,000 this year to $50,000-$75,000 in 2010.
• Business analyst salaries are also on the decline from $50,000-$90,000 to $40,000-$80,000 in 2010.

"We are starting to see an upswing in IT hiring over the last 60 days, and it is likely to continue into 2010 for the professionals with the right skills," continued Samuels. "Job seekers with skill sets in areas such as PHP, Ruby on Rails, and Python will see continued salary increases as the enterprise moves toward Open Source."

IT professionals with these in-demand skills are expected to earn the following salaries in 2010:

• Flash developer: $75,000-$100,000
• Flex developer: $90,000-110,000
• PHP/LAMP developer: $85,000-100,000
• Ruby on Rails: $75,000-95,000
• CRM developer: $80,000-110,000

While the Bluewolf research was primarily focused on salaries in the New York, Connecticut, New Jersey area salaries -- which are approximately 25% higher than the national average -- Bluewolf said salary increases in other areas of the country will follow the trend, just at lower base levels.