IT salary survey: Hopes for a better 2004
More than four out of 10 U.S. IT workers received no raises in 2003
By Grant Gross, IDG News Service December 23, 2003
WASHINGTON - More than four out of 10 U.S. IT workers received no raises during 2003, but 60 percent expect to receive a raise of at least 3 percent in 2004, according to a new survey released by skills assessment firm Brainbench.
Only 12 percent of IT workers surveyed by Brainbench expect no raise in 2004, while about 14 percent expect raises of 8 percent or more, according to the e-mail survey of more than 2,100 registered members of Brainbench in the U.S. Those numbers show a more optimistic IT workforce following a year that was even worse that 2002 for IT salaries, said Mike Russiello, president and chief executive officer of Brainbench, based in Chantilly, Virginia.
"The look toward the future part of the survey was surprisingly optimistic," Russiello said. "After three years of declining raises, you could take one view ... that it's going to get better."
IT hiring managers may want to pay attention to those salary expectations in 2004, Russiello said. "As a manager, I look at that, and think, 'so these guys have expectations that had better be met or we could lose some talent,'" he added. "These folks must be seeing something to make them optimistic."
IT workers are choosing to think positively about salaries although they are getting at best a mixed message about demand for IT workers in the U.S., he added. While there are signs of the U.S. economy improving and predictions of increased IT spending in 2004, the media continues to report of a growing trend among IT companies to outsource IT jobs or move them overseas, he noted.
"I hear from the IT guys in our group that the job market has heated up for them," Russiello added. "If they want to leave and find work elsewhere, it's there for them. They don't have to hunker down anymore; that seems to be attitude."
In 2003, 43 percent of IT workers received no raises, while another 23 percent received raises between 1 and 3 percent, according to the survey, released last week. Just 9 percent received raises of more than 8 percent. In 2002, 36 percent of those responding to the Brainbench survey received no raises, 26 percent received raises of between 1 and 3 percent, and another 28 percent received raises between 3 and 8 percent.
Elsewhere in the survey, 27 percent of respondents indicated they received an IT certification in the past year. Only 6 percent said the main motivation for the certification was to receive a higher salary, while 49 percent said their motivation was to increase their skills. Another 21 percent said their motivation was to move to a new job or a new job focus, and 11 percent said the certification was necessary because they perceived a lack of their own skills.
Brainbench did not ask why its 2002 respondents received certifications, but 65 percent of those receiving certifications in the 2002 survey received raises of 5 percent or more, according to the 2002 survey. About 28 percent of respondents in 2002 received certifications.
Money appears to be less of a motivating factor for certifications than in the past, with certifications becoming less attractive to hiring managers since the late '90s, Russiello said. IT hiring managers during the past couple of years have tended to look for experience, instead of only certifications, he said.
A lessened focus on earning certifications as a way to get salary increases may indicate the maturing of the IT workforce, he added.
"It almost makes you think the IT workforce has morphed a little bit, and is no longer full of new entrants who are only there because they heard IT was the place to make a lot of money," Russiello said. "It's more people who genuinely enjoy and have dedicated themselves to being a professional in this space."
Brainbench's customers are companies looking to improve the skills of their IT staffs, either by testing the skills of current staff or testing the skills of IT job applicants, and Russiello said he's optimistic about the coming year. "We're hopeful for '04," Russiello said. "I'd definitely say we've seen an uptick in (customer) activity in the last three months."
More than four out of 10 U.S. IT workers received no raises in 2003
By Grant Gross, IDG News Service December 23, 2003
WASHINGTON - More than four out of 10 U.S. IT workers received no raises during 2003, but 60 percent expect to receive a raise of at least 3 percent in 2004, according to a new survey released by skills assessment firm Brainbench.
Only 12 percent of IT workers surveyed by Brainbench expect no raise in 2004, while about 14 percent expect raises of 8 percent or more, according to the e-mail survey of more than 2,100 registered members of Brainbench in the U.S. Those numbers show a more optimistic IT workforce following a year that was even worse that 2002 for IT salaries, said Mike Russiello, president and chief executive officer of Brainbench, based in Chantilly, Virginia.
"The look toward the future part of the survey was surprisingly optimistic," Russiello said. "After three years of declining raises, you could take one view ... that it's going to get better."
IT hiring managers may want to pay attention to those salary expectations in 2004, Russiello said. "As a manager, I look at that, and think, 'so these guys have expectations that had better be met or we could lose some talent,'" he added. "These folks must be seeing something to make them optimistic."
IT workers are choosing to think positively about salaries although they are getting at best a mixed message about demand for IT workers in the U.S., he added. While there are signs of the U.S. economy improving and predictions of increased IT spending in 2004, the media continues to report of a growing trend among IT companies to outsource IT jobs or move them overseas, he noted.
"I hear from the IT guys in our group that the job market has heated up for them," Russiello added. "If they want to leave and find work elsewhere, it's there for them. They don't have to hunker down anymore; that seems to be attitude."
In 2003, 43 percent of IT workers received no raises, while another 23 percent received raises between 1 and 3 percent, according to the survey, released last week. Just 9 percent received raises of more than 8 percent. In 2002, 36 percent of those responding to the Brainbench survey received no raises, 26 percent received raises of between 1 and 3 percent, and another 28 percent received raises between 3 and 8 percent.
Elsewhere in the survey, 27 percent of respondents indicated they received an IT certification in the past year. Only 6 percent said the main motivation for the certification was to receive a higher salary, while 49 percent said their motivation was to increase their skills. Another 21 percent said their motivation was to move to a new job or a new job focus, and 11 percent said the certification was necessary because they perceived a lack of their own skills.
Brainbench did not ask why its 2002 respondents received certifications, but 65 percent of those receiving certifications in the 2002 survey received raises of 5 percent or more, according to the 2002 survey. About 28 percent of respondents in 2002 received certifications.
Money appears to be less of a motivating factor for certifications than in the past, with certifications becoming less attractive to hiring managers since the late '90s, Russiello said. IT hiring managers during the past couple of years have tended to look for experience, instead of only certifications, he said.
A lessened focus on earning certifications as a way to get salary increases may indicate the maturing of the IT workforce, he added.
"It almost makes you think the IT workforce has morphed a little bit, and is no longer full of new entrants who are only there because they heard IT was the place to make a lot of money," Russiello said. "It's more people who genuinely enjoy and have dedicated themselves to being a professional in this space."
Brainbench's customers are companies looking to improve the skills of their IT staffs, either by testing the skills of current staff or testing the skills of IT job applicants, and Russiello said he's optimistic about the coming year. "We're hopeful for '04," Russiello said. "I'd definitely say we've seen an uptick in (customer) activity in the last three months."
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home