Want a raise? Well next year could bring good news

Technology professionals expect 2004 to bring an end to two straight years of weak salary increases, according to a new report.

Sixty-two per cent of information technology workers surveyed expect raises of between one per cent and five per cent next year, according to a report published Thursday by Brainbench, which provides skills measurement online.

Almost half of the respondents - 42 per cent - said that they had received a salary increase of between one per cent and five per cent this year. Another 43 per cent said they had not been given a raise in 2003. However, just 11 per cent of the IT professionals surveyed do not expect to receive more money in 2004, according to the report.

Mike Russiello, CEO of Brainbench, said: "The latest IT Salary Survey showed that information technology workers of virtually every industry are gearing up for the economic recovery. They used the lull to beef up their credentials, and are now ready to make the most of the emerging opportunities."

Brainbench said its 2003 IT Salary Survey Report lays out responses from 2,151 U.S. professionals, randomly selected from the company's database of more than 4.9 million members.

IT professionals have weathered tough times in recent years. A recent Commerce Department report stated that there were 5.9 million workers in IT occupations last year, eight per cent less than in 2000. In 2002, the average annual wage for workers in IT industries was $67,440, down 1.3 per cent from the year before, according to the agency report. In contrast, the average annual wage for all private workers in the same period increased one per cent to $36,520.

Tech labour woes in the United States have been blamed on a variety of factors, including the transfer of IT work to lower-wage countries such as India.

The Brainbench report also found that women continue to earn less than men in the technology sector. In general, the earning disparities that were evident in 2002 have been carried forward, the company said.

Ed Frauenheim writes for News.com