The PayScale Index (US): Trends in Compensation

2012: For the first time in several quarters, workers in tech jobs had a flat earnings quarter in Q1 2012. Flat wage growth might not seem like a problem to workers in struggling job categories like construction, but it does to a generally growing field like IT.

2007-2011: From 2007 through 2008, wage gains for information technology jobs outran the national averages. However, the end of 2008 and the wage collapse in 2009 hit these tech jobs a bit harder, leaving them a little below the national trend line by the end of 2009.

Salaries for IT jobs bounced back in early 2010 to match national trends. For the rest of 2010, wages remained largely flat. Like workers in many job categories, those with tech jobs finally saw their wages surpass 2008 levels in Q4 2011.

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Information technology (SOC Codes 11-3020.00 Computer and Information Systems Managers; 15-1000.00 Computer Occupations) jobs deal with the automated processing and storage of electronic information. From software developers to database administrators and computer help desk specialists, these professionals specialize in electronic information. Information technology workers are more common in IT heavy industries, like software publishing (information industry) and the professional services industry, but they also can be found in almost all industries that help the flow of business information.

The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) system is used by Federal statistical agencies to classify workers into occupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, or disseminating data. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The PayScale Index tracks quarterly changes in total cash compensation for full-time, private industry employees in the United States. In addition to a national index, it includes separate indices for specific industries, metropolitan areas, job categories, and company sizes. The PayScale Index uses 2006 average total cash compensation as a baseline.

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