ComNews 1998 Salary Survey

Communications News, April, 1998

"This is one exciting field. It's never the same," says a telecommunications professional who responded to this year's Salary Survey. Many of you would agree: salaries are high, bonuses are good, and the future seems promising.

Yet there's a downside to this fast-churning industry. For some, salaries aren't keeping pace with growth in the field, and downsizing continues to take its toll.

"Corporate mentality prohibits justification of a 15-20% raise even though market value has increased 20-25% per year," says a disgruntled senior network analyst in Colorado.

Almost 300 readers responded to this year's survey, providing a glimpse into not only what you earn, but how you work and what you think of your jobs.

You're an experienced crew: Two-thirds of you have been in the communications field for more than 10 years. You're mobile, too. Close to half (44% have been with your current employer five years or less.

This year, we asked you to select salary ranges, starting at "under $20,000" and rising to "over $80,000." We apparently should have made the upper range higher: the $80,000 category got the largest single percentage, 21%. Next was $40,001-$50,000 with 19%, followed by $50,001-$60,000 with 17% and $60,001-$70,000 with 16%. Only 5% of you earn under $30,000.

The average salary? It's more meaningful to discuss the median. The median salary range in our survey was $50,001-$60,000, which means half of you earned more than that range and half earned less. It was no surprise that the Middle Atlantic and Pacific states had the highest percent over the median range (61% and 54% respectively) and that the South Central region had the greatest percent (45%) under the median.

But it was interesting that the New England region--not the Middle Atlantic or Pacific regions--had the greatest percentage (33%) reporting salaries of more than $80,000.

There's more to the financial picture than salary--bonuses provided a substantial economic boost for many. Of those receiving a bonus, nearly one-quarter (24%) report it was more than $10,000. But a larger percentage (33%) report bonuses of under $1,000. Another 24% got $1,000 to $5,000.

Perhaps the reason for all those bonuses is related the amount of overtime you've been working. More than three-quarters of you (77%) worked more than 40 hours a week, and 83% did not get paid for those extra hours. While only 5% of you worked 21-30 hours of overtime a week, a whopping 70% worked six to 20 hours after hours. Another 25% worked one to five hours.

Most of you (81%) expect raises this year, with the most common expectation 2-4% (43%). A sizable number (16%) expect no raise at all, while 6% expect a raise of more than 10%.

Despite the hard work and low salary increases, you are satisfied with your jobs: Nearly 80% of you would give your job a 7 or more on a satisfaction scale of 1 to 10. An even higher number (84%) rate satisfaction with your career at 7 or more.

Education levels are high. Seventy percent of you have a bachelor's degree or higher and another 27% have some college.

The lack of a college degree has hurt some. "Without having a four-year degree, the move to management is difficult," says one respondent wistfully. "I would like more information on companies that are starting to realize that a person who has taught himself networks can make a good management person."

And a network specialist in New Mexico says, "Corporate hiring continues to focus on talents in existing technology rather than interpersonal skills and ability to learn new technologies. Companies are finding that a lot of applicants, have no skills at relating to people."

On the other hand, the president of a company in the Midwest asserts, "There are plenty of opportunities for bright and technical people. The industry is fast growing and technology driven."

Some companies are scrambling to find those bright people. "It is difficult to find qualified people, especially in the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina," says a product manager there. "They just are not available."

While some companies avidly seek employees, others are shedding them. Half of you say your company has experienced corporate down-sizing in the last year. For 46%, this resulted in fewer people in your department doing the same or more work. For 34%, it meant you have more responsibility. For a lucky 42%, it did not affect your job. (Some of you checked more than one category, which is why the percentages add up to more than 100%.)

In light of downsizing, it's not surprising that 62% of you say your department staffing is not adequate. Yet most of you pick up the burden and carry on despite the aggravations.

A director of systems integration in Illinois summed it up this way: "The job is good, the industry is exciting and expanding." He did have one complaint: "The commute to work is killing me!"

Editor's Note: For this survey, Communications News sent out 2,000 forms and 275 usable ones were returned, for a response rate of 13.8%.

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