IT Pay Hikes: Small In 2002, Better In 2003IT Pay Hikes: Small In 2002, Better In 2003

Most IT workers received no or very small pay raises last year, according to a recent survey of 6,000 IT professionals by Brainbench, an online skills testing firm. Two-thirds of the respondents said they received salary increases of 3% or less in 2002, compared with 52% in 2001 with a similar change in pay.

Expectations for this year are slightly better: 42% expect pay increases of up to 3%, while 30% say they expect their pay to rise 3% to 5%. The survey also found that the gap between salaries of male and female IT workers grew last year after having closed significantly in 2001. The percentage of women earning the same as men fell significantly in virtually every salary category above $40,000 in 2002.