IT professionals are to receive on average in 2007 a 2.8 percent salary increase over this year, an employment firm said Tuesday.

Software developers are expected to see the highest salary gains of any job classification, with base compensation projected to rise 5.1 percent to the range of $60,250 to $94,750 annually, Robert Half Technology said in its annual salary survey.

Business expansion and increasing investments in technology were the drivers behind the overall salary increases, Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology, said. "To attract top candidates, many companies are raising compensation levels for new hires to ensure their salaries remain competitive with their local markets."

A shortage of experienced software developers was behind the salary jump expected in that segment, Lee said.

Other job categories were also expected to see higher than average boosts in base compensation. Web developers and data warehouse managers were expected to see an increase of 4.2 percent on average next year to an annual range of $54,750 to $81,500, and $85,500 to $113,500, respectively.

Project managers were expected to see a 4.1 percent jump to a range of $72,750 to $106,250 per year; quality assurance analysts, also 4.1 percent, to $52,250 to $74,500 annually; applications architects, 4 percent, $80,000 to $112,750; network security administrators, 3.7 percent, $69,750 to $98,500; and IT auditors, 3.1 percent, $69,250 to $97,000.

Industries predicted to have particularly strong demand for IT professionals next year include financial and business services, insurance, technology, healthcare and manufacturing.