Higher Salaries Shift from Traditional Tech Hot Spots -
Denver and Atlanta Among Highest Paying Metro Areas
Experience and Specialization Provide Big Paydays
NEW YORK, March 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dice Inc., the leading
provider of online recruiting services for technology professionals, today
released results from the Dice 2002 Annual Salary Survey. The survey of more
than 21,000 technology professionals details key industry trends, including
salary growth outside of traditional tech areas, the rising benefit of
experience and the continued increase in the gender gap.
Although the economy showed signs of weakness, overall technology salaries
remained steady in 2002, averaging $67,900 versus $68,400 last year.
Government/defense salaries spiked 7% this year, with the highest of these
salaries being recorded in the Washington, DC area ($72,000), likely
reflecting an increase in demand for homeland security. Medical/pharmaceutical
salaries gained more than 5%, increasing to $68,900 over the past year, as
technology jobs expanded from the traditional IT sector and shifted towards
other industries.
Geographically, Dice found salaries recovering in areas outside
traditional tech locales, while salaries declined in traditional tech areas
such as Silicon Valley, New York and Boston. For the first time,
non-traditional tech locations, including Atlanta and Denver, joined the top
paying metro areas, with salaries growing from $71,900 to $73,700 and $75,300
to $76,800, respectively.
The youth-driven dot.com culture of the late 1990s has been replaced by a
new reality in the early 2000s, in which age and experience are back in
fashion. While salaries for over-40 workers have remained steady, those under
30 have seen their salaries decline by 5%, to $53,400.
"With the sluggish economy, we are seeing new trends in the technology
labor market," said Scot Melland, president and CEO of Dice Inc. "The demand
for government and medical sector positions is improving, and salaries in
these industries are growing. Experience is winning out over youth, with those
over 40 seeing higher and more stable salaries compared to their younger
coworkers."
Additional significant findings include:
* The gender gap continues to increase, particularly for some prominent
job titles including: IT Manager and Project Manager, where the gender
gap has jumped from 5% to 14% and 4% to 11%, respectively, and Web
Developer/Programmer where the gap increased from 9% to 13%. On average,
women earned 14% less than their male counterparts (compared to 12% in
2001). The gender gap was the lowest in the Mountain region (5%) and
highest in the Midwest (21%).
* Consulting salaries remained high, but declined after skyrocketing in
the late 1990s. However, even with a 7% decline, consultants still made
an average of $94,800 in 2002. Top paying skills for consultants were
Sybase, AIX and SAP.
* Titles with the highest salaries for the year remained consistent with
last year. IT Management topped the scales at $102,900 with Project
Management following at $89,100. The highest paying non-management
positions were Systems Developer ($80,300) and Software Engineer
($80,200).
* Industries topping the pay scale were the financial industry ($80,200),
computer software ($73,700) and telecommunications ($73,000).
Users can log on to http://marketing.dice.com/rateresults to search for
specific salary information based on location, job function, skills and
education. Dice.com currently lists approximately 24,000 permanent, contract
and consulting jobs nationwide for a wide variety of positions -- from
programmers, software engineers, system administrators and chief information
and technology officers to technology positions in the aerospace, defense,
biotechnology, pharmaceutical, healthcare and general engineering fields.
About Dice Inc.
Dice Inc. (OTCBB: DICEQ, http://about.dice.com) is the leading provider of
online recruiting services for technology professionals. Dice Inc. provides
services to hire, train and retain technology professionals through its two
operating companies dice.com, the leading online technology-focused job board
as ranked by Media Metrix, and MeasureUp, a leading provider of assessment and
preparation products for technology professional certifications. Dice Inc. has
been operating under the supervision of the United States Bankruptcy Court for
the Southern District of New York pursuant to Chapter 11 bankruptcy
proceedings since February 14, 2003. Dice Inc. has proposed a plan of
reorganization under which all of its currently outstanding capital stock is
to be cancelled and substantially all of its new capital stock is to be issued
to the holders of its $69.4 million of 7% Convertible Subordinated Notes due
January 2005. Most of the Company's existing stockholders are not expected to
realize any significant recovery on their investment.
This press release may be deemed to contain forward-looking information.
Any forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements, including statements as to industry trends, future economic
performance, and products or service line growth, may be significantly and
materially impacted by certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to
continue to operate in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, to obtain any
necessary Bankruptcy Court approvals for transactions other than in the
ordinary course of business and to confirm its Chapter 11 plan of
reorganization. Additional risks and uncertainties are described in the
Company's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any
forward-looking information in or referred to by this press release is current
only as of the date of publication, and Dice Inc. disclaims any obligation to
update this information.
SOURCE Dice Inc.
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Related links:
http://about.dice.com
CONTACT:
Company Contact - Susan Simcox, Public
Relations Manager, Dice Inc., pr@dice.com; Media Contacts -
Stephanie Sampiere, ssampiere@fdmw.com, or Jennifer McCullam,
jmccullam@fdmw.com, both of FD Morgen-Walke, +1-212-850-5600
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