The demand for digital skills has pushed up wages for software developers in the past year, new research shows.

Six of the top 10 fastest-growing salaries were for technology jobs, though the top two spots were taken by finance managers, and construction roles also saw hefty increases.

The survey by recruitment firm Hays shows that treasury accountants have enjoyed the biggest pay hike in the past 12 months, at 13.5%, just ahead of financial planning and analysis managers (12.3%). Overall, the average salary increase in the East of England matched the national average at 1.9%.

The survey of nearly 23,000 professionals also found that 76% of employers planning to recruit in the year ahead, up from 73% last year, and the highest figure since the survey was launched in 2013.

The top 10 salary increases:

1. Treasury accountant - 13.5%

2. Financial planning and analysis manager - 12.3%

3. Linux systems administrator / DevOps engineer - 11.1%

4. Front-end developer- Javascript/HTML/CSS/etc - 10.5%

5. SAP ABAP developer - 10%

6. Dynamicsconsultant - 10%

7. Developer – Java - 9.3%

8. Dynamics developer - 9.1%

9. General foreman - 8.2%

10. Assistant site manager - 8.1%

Nearly all (92%) employers have experienced skills shortages in the last year, and more than a quarter (29%) do not believe they have the talent needed to achieve their business objectives, says the Hays UK Salary and Recruiting Trends 2019 guide.

The impact of skills shortages and competition for staff continued to be felt by the workforce, as almost half (49%) of employers said shortages were threatening productivity, 46% reported a negative impact on employee morale and 41% said it is impacting the ability to deliver projects.

Pay rises in 2018 exceeded those predicted by employers. Last year 70% of bosses expected to increase salaries, while this year 77% actually did so.

And they were larger than expected, with 27% of employers increasing salaries by more than 2.5%, compared to just 17% who planned to when asked in 2017.

Some 62% of employees said they were happy with their salaries, compared to 40% last year.

Jane Donnelly, regional managing director for Hays in the East of England, said skills shortages were driving the increases.

'Skills shortages look set to continue and the competition for top talent is being heightened further by the challenge for employers to continuously adapt as political, economic, social and technological changes are happening more rapidly than ever before,' she said.

'There is a significant challenge with attaining and attracting IT professionals, due to the pull of both London and Cambridge for the rest of the region. Poor road infrastructure in the East of England has also meant that there is a limit to the extent that professionals are willing to travel throughout the region meaning competition for these professionals has intensified and in turn, technology roles have seen some of the largest salary increases this year.

'If employers are to meet their hiring expectations in the year ahead they will need to evaluate their approach for attracting staff and ensure that along with a competitive salary they are also offering all of the other aspects that are important to staff, clearly promoting their employer brand.