Salary gains were small in 2002

IT workers generally received small salary increases or no raise at all in 2002, according to the results of a survey from Brainbench. And given the lean times, respondents have modest expectations for salary increases in 2003.

Conducted by online certification site Brainbench, the survey is based on responses from more than 6,000 IT pros randomly selected from the company’s database of users.

“The survey showed that, despite a challenging economic environment, information technology workers received higher salary increases than employees in virtually every other industry,” says Brainbench president and CEO Mike Russiello. “But even in IT, lean budgets put extra demands on the workforce, and only the most qualified can count on relative job security and growth.”

Women lost significant ground on the salary front in 2002. The percentage of women earning the same as men dropped in virtually every salary category above $40,000 in 2002.

Here’s how the raises stacked up in 2002:

* 67% of respondents received 3% or less.

* 18% of respondents received between 3% to 5%.

* 6% of respondents received between 5% to 8%.

* 4% of respondents received between 8% to 10%.

Professional certifications helped on the compensation front. Those with certification were more likely to achieve salary increases above the industry average of 1% to 3%, according to Brainbench.

The downturn has also decreased expectations for raises in 2003. Less than half (42%) of respondents expect salary increases of between nothing to 3% in 2003, while 30% expect salary increases of between 3% and 5%. This is down from last year, in which over half of respondents had salary expectations in the 3% to 8% range.

You can find the detailed results at https://www.brainbench.com/links/toitsalary2002.html, where you’ll need to complete a brief registration form.