Database Architects Lead Pack As IT Wages RiseDatabase Architects Lead Pack As IT Wages Rise

In another instance of positive economic news, it's once again a good time to be a high-level IT professional. The Yoh Index of Technology Wages said wages are finally rising after a flat period. The employment agency said Thursday that wages increased in July, August, and September.

"There is a momentum in the professional and technology hiring ranks that is helping to increase competition among companies for the highest-quality consultants, and, consequently, to boost wages in order to attract the best talent," said Yoh's Jim Lanzalotto, vice president of strategy and marketing for the firm.

The positions most sought after and their hourly wages include: database architect, $60.53 an hour; embedded developer, $57.67; Oracle DBA, $54.73; Java developer, $53.38; applications developer, $51.15; Cisco engineer, $48.99; SQL DBA, $45.56; clinical data manager, $43.79; and clinical research associate, $37.79.

Yoh indexes its wage surveys to the January 2001 time frame with a base of 100. In July 2005, wages showed a 2.7 percent uptick; in August, 1.1 percent; and I September, a 0.4 percent rise Yoh builds its survey results on data from its 40 U.S. offices and uses employment activity from more than 5,000 technology professionals.

It said the hottest technology job markets today include Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Northern New Jersey, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Research Triangle Park, Seattle, Silicon Valley, and Southern California.