Top 9 High Paying IT Skills with AI Leading the Pack

Despite recent mass layoffs in the tech industry (source), certain IT skills continue to command significant salary premiums. According to the Dice 2025 Tech Salary Report, tech professionals earn an average of $114,861 within the industry, with a 2.2% YoY growth, while non-tech sectors see a slight decline (-0.5%).

Here are the top 9 skills where expertise pays the most:

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• Average salary: $130,277
• Expertise premium: $23,525 (15%) AI leads with the highest pay bump, covering skills like machine learning, NLP, and generative AI. Businesses are aggressively adopting AI, making it the most lucrative skill.

2. Cloud Computing

• Average salary: $124,796
• Expertise premium: $15,051 (11%) With companies migrating to platforms like AWS, cloud skills—including DevOps and automation—remain in high demand.

3. Docker

• Average salary: $132,051
• Expertise premium: $12,403 (9%) Docker’s containerization platform streamlines app deployment, requiring skills in networking and CLI navigation.

4. DevOps

• Average salary: $131,947
• Expertise premium: $11,843 (8%) DevOps bridges development and operations, emphasizing automation, security, and collaboration.

5. C#

• Average salary: $117,925
• Expertise premium: $11,114 (9%) This object-oriented language simplifies coding within the .NET framework, ideal for complex applications.

6. Bash

• Average salary: $126,473
• Expertise premium: $11,032 (8%) Bash scripting enhances efficiency in Linux/MacOS environments, particularly for SQL developers.

7. SaaS

• Average salary: $120,084
• Expertise premium: $10,405 (8%) SaaS skills (e.g., cloud computing, data analytics) are critical for subscription-based software like Slack and Salesforce.

8. Cybersecurity

• Average salary: $113,997
• Expertise premium: $10,258 (8%) As threats grow, expertise in cloud security and compliance remains highly valued.

9. VMware ESXi

• Average salary: $120,314
• Expertise premium: $10,175 (8%) This hypervisor software optimizes server hardware, requiring skills in virtualization and automation.

Conclusion: AI and cloud computing dominate, but niche skills like Docker and Bash also offer substantial premiums. Tech professionals should prioritize these areas to maximize earning potential.