The employment picture for IT professionals is looking better with unemployment among IT workers averaging 3.7% for the four quarters ended March 31, according to InformationWeek's analysis of the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from an average of 5.5% for the same four-quarter period a year earlier.
Findings are segmented according to the job functions of managers and staff for the most comprehensive analysis possible. The report also compares this year's results and those of 2004 and 2003.
While more IT professionals are employed than a year ago, year-over-year salary growth is mostly flat according to more than 12,000 interviews with IT professionals in InformationWeek Research's National IT Study. When evaluated over a 7-year period, IT salary growth is approximately 5% for both staff and management. While some years saw growth of more than 10%, other years were lean and salary freezes took a toll. Many job functions stalled, while most seasoned IT professionals held on and rode out the storm.
Is the storm over? IT professionals are seeking job stability, but job security is proving elusive. IT as a career path is not as promising as it was five years ago. And the specter of outsourcing is taking its toll with IT professionals believing that the current trend toward outsourcing means there will be fewer IT jobs available. The largest employee-based IT salary study in the U.S., this report documents the responses of more than 12,000 IT professionals. The report explores IT compensation and benefits trends across twenty IT job functions and management positions. Bonuses, stock options as well as the impact that gender and location have on compensation packages are also addressed in the TK-page National IT Salary Survey report.
Pages: 29
Charts: 44
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