Introduction

The global recession that began in 2008 has impacted almost everyone, either through job loss, reduction in salary and benefits, or job change. This year's salary survey, the third in partnership between Global Knowledge and TechRepublic, captures the magnitude of changes that have impacted the IT profession. To this end, questions have been added that provide a deeper examination of job satisfaction, current and expected business conditions, and key trends such as use of consultants and expected critical areas for 2010.

Over 19,500 IT professionals worldwide responded to the survey, a 12% increase over the 2009 survey. Respondents from the United States and Canada accounted for 92% of all responses, similar to last year's percentage. Complete survey methodology can be found on page 11.

The recession has held salaries in check for the IT profession.
The average salary for respondents was $82,115, up less than one percent over what was reported in the 2009 IT Skills and Salary Report (Figure 1). This is significantly less than the 10% gain seen between 2008 and 2009; however, it is consistent with broader salary trends in the United States.1 Less than half of this year's respondents (43%) reported receiving a salary increase, down from 70% in the prior year. Two-thirds of those that reported receiving a raise indicated the primary reason was performance in their current position (65%). Over 46% indicated their salaries were capped without a raise. One in nine respondents (11%) indicated their salaries had been reduced.

Although the percentage receiving a raise declined significantly, the average amount of the raise increased from 6% to 10%. The percentage of respondents receiving a bonus dropped seven points from 46% in 2009 to 39% in the current survey. As with salaries, the change in the average bonus was flat, at less than one percent ($8,654 vs. $8,575 in 2009). The median bonus in the current survey, or the point where half are above and half are below, was $4,889.

Demographically, the respondents look similar to prior years. Average age was 42, with an average tenure in the industry of 15 years. More males responded this year than in prior iterations. For every female respondent there were four male responses. The percentage of respondents having an undergraduate or graduate degree has increased steadily since 2008.