back to article Working in maintenance? Stop reading, we need you in the server room

Average annual salaries for maintenance jobs advertised online fell by 7.5 per cent this year - but the firm behind the analysis has warned that we shouldn’t forget about the humans who look after systems just yet. According to figures released today by jobs search engine Adzuna, the average annual salary of maintenance jobs …

  1. Alister

    Could this be that fewer and fewer companies, in any sphere, consider maintenance to be anything other than a cost centre. It seems that corporate culture nowadays is not to carry out maintenance, but simply repair or replace things when they break.

    It appears to be impossible to instil the idea that regular maintenance will prolong the life of machinery, computers, roads or railways, and therefore will reduce costs long term.

    1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

      therefore will reduce costs long term

      That doesn't necessarily matter to a company. Maintenance has to be paid for out of operating money, and is clearly a regular cost. Purchase of new equipment after the old has been written down, say 3-5 years, comes out of capital budget. It can be offset against tax and doesn't have an immediate impact on the bottom line. Long-term it can be cheaper. Daft, I agree, but we can thank the tax laws for that.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        You missed the 3rd option.

        Do no maintenance.

        Scream, shout and tantrum when it fails

        Cobble together some old shit and get it just about functioning again....rinse and repeat.

        Guess what I've been doing for 2 weeks now.....

        1. Alister
          Pint

          Have one of these --------->

          Sounds like you need it...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It appears to be impossible to instil the idea that regular maintenance will prolong the life of machinery, computers, roads or railways, and therefore will reduce costs long term.

      There you see the MBA thinking which has taken over most board rooms. When they then add the marketing wonks is it ant wonder companies go downhill?

  2. IanMoore33
    Mushroom

    We live in disposal era

    Repair broken PC servers ? That is a thing of the past ; It's cheaper to replace a $3000 turd from FoxConn sweat shop than pay some blok $32k a year to baby sit gear.

    1. K

      Re: We live in disposal era

      I remember in the 1990's when there was a stark warning that we're over-consuming.. That was generally about "Western" society, which has not only increased by several fold, but now chuck in the mix of Brazil, Russian, China and India... We're on an express elevator to a real life Hollywood blockbuster.

      To make matter worse, global brands are the modern day equivalent of drug barons.. I swear I hear Siri whispering to me at night "ppppssstt... what a fix of the new iPhone 8!"

      Which is bizarre, as I don't even own an iPhone!

      1. IanMoore33
        Happy

        Re: We live in disposal era

        You need that new iphone ! You won't be the most popular guy in the cube farm without it ! You need a matching IWatch that beeps when your iphone ( that never leaves your hands ) gets a message . No woman ( in case you may be have never been lucky enough to have touched a real one ) will be interested in someone without all the latest iphones apps that track your every thought, emotion, location, eating habits , home entertaining viewing , and what times you jerk off ...

        YOU NEED THAT $1000 phone ! and the $350 phone bill that goes with it ! What else do you need money for ?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    generally...

    I used to get tasked with maintaining and developing both the hardware and software....

    Maybe that explains why i used to get paid less than doing either.

    Though I do UI deving now and get paid quite handsomely. So it seems like the usual old story... you get paid more for doing less.

    Now if only I could figure out how to make millions by doing absolutely nothing.....

  4. jo.bloggs

    Famous British past time

    For some reason, avoiding maintenance seems such a British obsession. Then when a building bursts out in flames - all that shoddiness exposed - the public is outraged.

    The very next day, back to business as usual - avoiding maintenance at all costs, paying for it 10 fold when the disaster strikes - rinse, repeat.

    How a nation can consistently do this and consider itself above average smart is beyond me (but then it always has been - just as much as the abuse of the one who tells to truth which is bound to ensue)

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