The loss of copyrights is only partially compensated in the wages of Belgian IT workers. Alternative compensations, such as mobility budgets, are increasing.
In the Tech Reward Survey, Hudson takes a closer look at salary packages in the Belgian IT sector. Wages are lower on average since the copyright tax favor system was thoroughly reformed for the sector. Hudson sees an average salary drop of 9 percent.
IT workers lost an average of 640 euros per month to copyright, Hudson calculates. For many, this represented 20 percent of their base salary. After the reform, only 3 percent of companies still apply this benefit, causing a 9 percent drop in the total salary package. In particular, positions such as developer and functional analyst are hardest hit, with a pay loss that rises to 20 percent.
Partially compensated
Although employers try to offset this with other compensation, such as flat-rate expense allowances and meal vouchers, the compensation often proves inadequate. Many companies also offer mobility budgets or environmentally friendly vehicles to cushion the loss.
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Copyright removal hits wages in Belgian IT sector
For example, 35 percent of tech companies now use a legal mobility budget, which is significantly higher than the 10 percent in other sectors. In addition, 75 percent of companies offer the choice of environmentally friendly vehicles. This has led to a sharp increase in electric or hybrid cars within the sector, from 17 percent last year to 44 percent this year.
Pay gap
Despite positive steps, the pay gap in the tech sector remains a problem, especially at higher job levels. The overall pay gap is relatively small, but in 25 percent of companies the gap still exceeds 5 percent, mostly in favor of men. Small organizations score particularly poorly in this area. Although the industry is making progress, gender equality remains a major concern, especially in executive positions.
“The tech sector should not be blinded by the overall pay gap. As job levels rise, we still see a salary advantage for men and an underrepresentation of women in leadership positions. The industry has already made significant strides, but there is still much work to be done to achieve true equality,” concludes Wouter Beuckels, senior manager at Hudson.