Tech Wages Remain Flat in Fourth Quarter

(PHILADELPHIA, BUSINESS WIRE)--After declining in the third quarter to levels not seen since 2006, technology wages remained flat in the final quarter of 2008, according to the latest Yoh Index of Technology Wages. The final weeks of the fourth quarter showed positive gains in wages, maintained by increases in both health care and telecommunications. The Index also saw IT, scientific and aviation wages hold steady, while clinical and engineering wages dropped slightly. Wages fluctuated throughout the fourth quarter, and at the lowest point, hit a 2.39 percent decrease from the same time last year. At its peak, wages were 2.59 percent higher than the same time last year. "The latest data continues to emphasize uncertainty in the marketplace," says Bill Yoh, President and CEO of Yoh. "Since many businesses have employed layoffs as the primary tactic in this economic rough patch, technology wages have not been impacted as dramatically as we would have expected. In this quarter, businesses will begin to respond by increasing layoffs, decreasing raises and yearly bonuses, or hiring new employees with lower starting salaries, but we anticipate the impact of these decisions will not be as dramatically reflected in wages until later this year.

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