IT Pros Optimistic About 2004 Salary Increases

IT professionals are optimistic that the economic turn-around will put more money in their pockets during 2004, a recently-released survey from skills assessment firm Brainbench found.

According to Brainbench's annual IT salary survey report -- which was based on questionnaires completed by over 2,100 IT professionals in the U.S. -- 62 percent of the respondents said they expected 1 to 5 percent increases in their paycheck during 2004. In last year's survey, only 42 percent believed they would receive raises in that range.

More important, said Brainbench, was the dramatic shift in the number of IT workers who expect no raises this next year. Only 12 percent of those polled said they didn't anticipate a bump in pay in 2004, compared to a whopping 42 percent which said they received no increase in 2003.

"The survey shows that information technology workers of virtually every industry are gearing up for the economic recovery," said Mike Russiello, Brainbench's president and CEO, in a statement accompanying the report.

If IT professionals' optimism proves out, it would mean a turn-around in a two-year trend of weak salary increases, Russiello added.In other findings, the report noted that that women continue to make less than men in the technology industry. While 2001 saw a virtual parity in most wage categories, a significant gap appeared in 2002 and continued to widen in 2003. Only women working for the largest firms -- those with revenues of $1 billion or more -- gained back some of the lost ground last year.