IT professionals saw their average annual salaries
increase 4.6 percent in 2008, but concerns about keeping IT skills up-to-date
and job security remain top priorities heading into 2009, according to a new
Dice survey released this week.
The 2008-09 Annual Salary Survey, which Dice
released Jan. 21, found that the average annual salary for IT professionals
stood at $78,035 in 2008, an increase of more than 4 percent from 2007. While
the recession in the United States has hit Wall Street the hardest, IT
professionals in the banking, insurance and financial services industry saw
their average annual salary increase more than 5 percent for an average annual
salary of $87,257.
The Dice survey is based on the responses of more
than 19,000 technology workers who were interviewed between August and
November. The complete survey is posted on the
Dice Web site.
Although IT professionals saw a bump in salary, many
of them were worried about a variety of issues heading into 2009. About 22
percent reported they were worried about keeping their skills updated, while 20
percent were concerned about layoffs.
Other concerns in the marketplace included lower
salary increases this year – 14 percent – canceled projects – 12 percent – and
an increased workload due to staffing cuts – 10 percent. Dice also reported a
67 percent increase in the amount of new resumes posted to its site in the
fourth quarter of 2008, but that most IT professionals were conducting
“passive” job searches as concern about the U.S. recession spread.
However, the Dice report did not take into account
the wave of anxiety that has happened since the start of January, when several
of the world’s largest IT companies, including Microsoft,
Oracle,
Advanced
Micro Devices, Sony and Ericsson,
announced layoffs and other cost-saving measures that could impact thousands of
IT professionals.
In addition, Intel
announced this week that it would close five of its manufacturing facilities
and eliminate between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs worldwide.
Still, the Dice report did have some good news to
report.
Those with an IT Management title earned the most in
2008 -- $111,998 – and those with a title such as system administrator earned
the least with an average annual salary of $70,307, according to Dice.
The report also found that salaries in major
technology centers such as New York, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.,
increased, but those working in non-traditional tech areas saw significant
salary increases. For example, IT workers in Charlotte, N.C., saw salary
increases of 14.7 percent for an average annual salary of $81,426 in 2008,
while tech professionals in St. Louis saw pay increases of 12.5 percent for an
average annual salary of $72,819.
The Dice survey also found that women IT
professionals as a group earned 12 percent less than men on average. However,
when women IT professionals were directly compared to their male counterparts
and issues such as experience, education and job titles were taken into
consideration, the “gender gap” disappeared.
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IT Management News & Reviews 
