Computerworld 19th Annual Salary Survey Finds Modest Increase in IT Salaries in '05; Three-Percent Cost-of-Living Increase Offset by Larger Bonuses and High Rate of Job Satisfaction among Information Technologists.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass -- Computerworld, the "Voice of IT Management," has published the results of its 19th annual Salary Survey, which examines the pay and job satisfaction of IT workers, in the October 24th issue of Computerworld and online at www.computerworld.com.

According to the survey, salaries of IT workers saw 3% pay increases in 2005, just slightly below the national average of 3.2% for all US workers. This is the fourth year in a row that IT workers across the board have received only modest raises. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said their 2004 base salary increased from last year while 31% had no change in salary or experienced a pay cut.

While raises have seen only a slight hike, Computerworld found that bonuses are on the rise for IT staff. For all the companies in the survey, bonuses increased 3% in 2005 up from 1% last year. The average salary for a middle IT manager in 2005 was $90,691, up from $88,208 last year. Senior IT managers earn an average of $129,835 compared to $126,130 in 2004.

Job security was up and stress slightly lower in 2005 according to the survey. The main stress-inducing factors impacting IT workers dropped 2% while half of the IT workers surveyed reported that they find their job "stressful" or "very stressful," slightly lower (2%) than 2004. Meanwhile, 57% indicated that they felt "very secure" or "secure" in their jobs, up 2 percentage points from 2005.

"This year's survey finds that, although they're getting only a small cost-of-living salary increase, most IT workers are feeling less stressed and overworked than in previous years," said Don Tennant, editor-in-chief of Computerworld.

About Computerworld

Computerworld, the "Voice of IT Management," is the most trusted source for the critical information needs of senior IT management. Computerworld's integrated offerings form the U.S.-based hub of the world's largest (58-edition) global IT media network through its weekly publication, Computerworld.com Web site, focused conference series and custom research. In the past five years alone, Computerworld has won more than 100 print and online awards for editorial and design excellence, surpassing its direct competition by an order of magnitude. Recognition includes the 2004 Magazine of the Year Award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors and a Jesse H. Neal Award for "Best News Coverage." In print since 1967, Computerworld is the source for information technology management, with a guaranteed rate base of 180,050, a total print audience of 1,138,000 (IntelliQuest CIMS 2004 Business Influencer Study) and an online audience of over 1.1 million unique monthly visitors (DoubleClick).

Computerworld is a business unit of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading technology media, research and events company. A privately held company, IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers, including Bio-IT World, CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Network World and PC World. The company features the largest network of technology-specific Web sites, with more than 400 around the world. IDG is also a leading producer of more than 170 computer-related events worldwide, including LinuxWorld Conference & Expo(R), Macworld Conference & Expo, DEMO(R) and IDC Directions. IDC provides global market research and advice through offices in 50 countries. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com.