Employees in the IT sector are motivated by an interest in their work rather than salaries, a new survey of "knowledge workers" has found.

The survey of 500 IT workers found salary mattered for just 19 per cent of respondents when it came to choosing a job. In contrast, two-thirds of respondents said "interesting work and personal skill development" was important.

Prof Patrick Flood of the University of Limerick, who conducted the study, told a conference in Dublin yesterday that the findings held positives for employers in a sector with a traditionally high turnover of staff.

But he said, challenges remained, and he warned "stock options no longer have the lustre that they once had as a retention device".

The survey said in excess of 80 per cent of IT workers felt strongly obligated to contribute to the development of the company.

In addition, salary was found to be a minor determinant in effort levels, cited by just 8 per cent of respondents, compared to 47 per cent for "interesting work" and 27 per cent for "sense of achievement".

Speaking at the Forum on the Workplace of the Future, which was organised by the National Centre for Partnership and Performance, Prof Flood said practical implications from the research "include a strong warning to employers not to rest on their laurels"as 75 per cent of employees consider leaving at any one time