2008 Salary and Skills Report
from Global Knowledge and TechRepublic

Clearpoint Technology Intelligence dispatch #4 [More intel here]

June 19, 2008

Global Knowledge and TechRepublic have released their 2008 IT Salary and Skills Report, based on a nationwide survey of IT professionals with over 7,000 respondents. The report includes salary data by job type and region, lists the top concerns of IT professionals, and identifies the key skills for career growth in the next five years.

For a copy of the full report visit TechRepublic’s website: http://whitepapers.techrepublic.com.com/abstract.aspx?docid=346014. Free registration is required to download the report.

We selected a few highlights to include here:

• Nationwide, IT salaries were up only slightly (3.25%) over the previous year. While most respondents had gotten a bump in pay, the average raise was 4% (down from 5% in the previous year).
  
  
• The report found that experience was the single most important factor in determining salary, even among those in the same age, education, and job-level groups.
  
  
• The pharmaceutical and defense industries pay the highest IT salaries. The report attributes this finding to the fact that a large proportion of IT jobs in these sectors are project leaders and project managers who generally have more years of experience.
  
  
• In a city-by-city ranking, Dallas took the top spot for IT salaries with an average of $79,783. Houston ranked 15th (out of 25 cities), with an average annual salary of $74,177.
  
  
• Formal education matters. The report credited a four-year degree with raising income 13%. Managers seek well rounded IT professionals and look for those with degrees in business, marketing, and communications.
  
  
• Training and certifications also affect salary. Most employers don’t require certifications, but their importance varies with industry, skill area, and other circumstances. Survey results revealed that even when certifications aren’t required, IT professionals still seek them as a convenient way to keep up their skills.
  
  
• The report lists the top 10 most worthwhile certifications, with Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS) or Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) (formerly MCSE) leading the pack.
  
  
• The report also lists the top 10 technical skills IT professionals should develop to stay competitive in the next five years. The top three are VoIP, unified communications, and hybrid networks.
  
  
• The importance of balancing IT and business skills became even more important during the past year. In general, IT professionals are expected to wear many hats and increase productivity. An individual’s job description often includes a combination of several IT job roles.
  
  
• As the key factors in overall job satisfaction, IT professionals chose job stability, higher base pay, and the opportunity to have a challenging role. Consideration of family needs, benefits, location, and training ranked near the middle of the list, with stock options and profit sharing as the least important factors.
  
  
• The top concern of IT professionals was keeping up their skills, followed by the problem of having limited budgets with which to deliver expected results.

To conclude, the report notes that information technology professionals would do well to continue investing in their education (especially a four-year degree) and skills training.
Managers who want to keep their IT professionals should pay attention to job satisfaction and training opportunities, including tuition reimbursement. The report’s researchers found that IT professionals with few opportunities to learn new skills were more likely to leave their positions, even if it meant a cut in pay.

Used with permission from CNET Networks, Inc., Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.

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