United States [
2012 IT Skills and Salary Report
April 2012
The results are in from the fifth annual IT Skills and Salary Survey by Global Knowledge and TechRepublic, and there are finally reasons for optimism. The average salary of this year's respondents was up 6.2% from last year's and, in fact, is the highest in the history of the survey. While salary is a key component of the study, we also examined other factors such as job satisfaction, impact of acquiring new skills and certifications, and trends in pay, including base pay, bonuses, benefits, and geographic impact.
Here are a few highlights:
Job Satisfaction
Job satisfaction among IT professionals is rebounding from its low point in 2010. Sixty percent of respondents reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their position, compared to 43% in 2011 and 40% in 2010.
Impact of Acquiring New Skills and Certifications
The correlation between new skills and salary has always been assumed, and this year's report shows a clear impact. In fact, individuals who trained in the prior year earned an average of 8.6% more than those who did not train. Additionally, 65% of respondents reported earning a certification in the past five years. The impact of new skills and certifications was also echoed by managers. The percentage of managers reporting that their staff was more effective or significantly more effective on the job after receiving a certification rose to 50%, up from 35% in 2011.
As it relates to specific job functions, all areas reported at least modest salary growth. Salaries grew the most for those involved in security, database, data center, and servers and storage, while those working in communications and applications/programming experienced the least amount of growth.
Trends in Pay
Adding to the good news of this year's higher average salary is the fact that 63% of respondents received a raise. The bad news is that the likelihood of receiving a raise varied greatly by salary range. Individuals earning $60,000 or less were much less likely to receive a raise than their colleagues in higher earning brackets.
Geographic Trends
As one would expect, average salary varied widely across the country. There was a variance of more than $9,000 between the top paying (Northeast) and the lowest paying (Midwest) regions. When looking at pay by state, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, and Washington, DC, had the highest average salaries. New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming were the lowest paying states.
In the complete 2012 IT Skills and Salary Report, you'll find expanded coverage of the above topics, along with 15 detailed charts and graphics addressing intriguing topics, including:
- Respondents' salary range
- Salaries of more than 125 popular certifications
- Salaries by job function
- Salaries by industry
- Nationwide salary comparison
