2004 Salary Survey Snapshots
October 25, 2004 12:00 PM ET
Computerworld - Contractor and Consultant Snapshots
Many of these snapshots are available for download as PowerPoint slides as part of our Data Points series.
Areas of Specialization
- Software design/development: 22%
- Project management: 14%
- Network administration: 12%
- Information systems design: 9%
- Quality assurance: 5%
- Database development: 4%
- ERP implementation: 4%
- CRM implementation: 3%
- E-commerce: 3%
- Data warehouse/data mining: 2%
- Hardware development: 1%
- Other: 22%
(Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.)
IT Salaries Over the Years: A Rollercoaster Ride
Back when Computerworld began tracking IT compensation in 1989, average pay raises were a comfortable 5.9%. The slip began in the early 1990s. And while the dot-com boom of the late 1990s pushed IT compensation higher than ever, the bust caused salaries to plummet. Now, the flat line of the mid-1990s has returned. So what does the future hold? IT expert Linda Pittenger, an analyst at Gartner Inc., doesn't expect any big changes. "I don't think there's a norm anymore," says Pittenger. "But I don't think we're going to see the same peaks and valleys that we've seen."
1989 |  |   | 5.9% |  |
1990 |  |   | 5.7% |  |
1991 |  |   | 5.0% |  |
1992 |  |   | 4.6% |  |
1993 |  |   | 4.4% |  |
1994 |  |   | 4.4% |  |
1995 |  |   | 4.5% |  |
1996 |  |   | 4.6% |  |
1997 |  |   | 5.2% |  |
1998 |  |   | 6.7% |  |
1999 |  |   | 6.0% |  |
2000 |  |   | 6.2% |  |
2001 |  |   | 5.8% |  |
2002 |  |   | 2.6% |  |
2003 |  |   | 2.8% |  |
2004 |  |   | 3.0% |  |
* In the years indicated, Computerworld surveyed respondents about their total compensation changes only. All other years show salary changes.
By the Numbers: Contractors/Consultants
Contractors and consultants who responded to our survey indicated the following changes in their 2003 base salary or hourly rate from one year ago:
BASE: 529 responses
Hourly Rate in 2003
On average, contractors who responded to our survey reported making $58 per hour last year.
Less than $10 per hour |  |   | .5% |  |
$10 to less than $20 per hour |  |   | 7% |  |
$20 to less than $30 per hour |  |   | 10% |  |
$30 to less than $40 per hour |  |   | 15% |  |
$40 to less than $50 per hour |  |   | 14% |  |
$50 to less than $60 per hour |  |   | 15% |  |
$60 to less than $70 per hour |  |   | 8% |  |
$70 to less than $80 per hour |  |   | 11% |  |
$80 to less than $90 per hour |  |   | 6% |  |
$90 to less than $100 per hour | |   | 3% |  |
$100 to less than $125 per hour | |   | 7% |  |
$125 to less than $150 per hour | |   | 2% |  |
$150 to less than $200 per hour | |   | 2% |  |
Base: 7,607 (Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding)
By the Numbers
- Across the board, salaries increased slightly in 2004:
3%.
- Senior management saw an increase of
2.5%. (Base: 1,529)
- Middle management experienced an average increase of
2.4%. (Base: 2,665)
- IT staff had an average salary increase of
2.3%. (Base: 5,670)
- Across the board, bonuses increased slightly in 2004:
1%.
- Senior management saw an increase of
2.0%.
- Middle management experienced an average decrease of
4.2%.
- IT staff had an average bonus decrease of
4.5%.
Salary
-
65% of respondents said their 2004 base salary had increased from one year ago. The average increase was 6.5%.
-
27% reported no change in base salary.
-
7% reported a base salary decrease. The average decrease was 11%.
Bonus
-
70% of respondents said there had been no change in their expected 2004 bonus compensation from one year ago.
-
12% said their bonuses had decreased from one year ago. The average decrease was 25%.
-
18% indicated an increase in bonuses. The average increase was 10%.
Note: Percentages are based on IT workers employed full time or part time in an IT department.