Poll Results: Salary Increase a Distant Memory for Some

Remember back in the day, when you had a yearly performance review and received at least a cost-of-living raise? Ah, good times … Things are a little different today, in a workplace environment/economy forever changed by the combination of a horrible recession and amazing new technology that lets us do things better, faster and often in an automated way.

We’ve been reporting on data from the 2015 IT Skills and Salary Survey (downloadable here). Responses from the more than 16,000 IT pros surveyed show that after years of economic uncertainly, the tide appears to be turning. Based on the survey data, we’re certainly not looking at boom times right now, but it seems like the era of doing way more with way less—while keeping your head down lest you be noticed and laid off—is over (at least for now). Salaries overall are flat, but more and more people are seeing raises, and the number of people leveraging professional development to improve their lot in IT life is significant.

We asked you to let us know what your experience has been by participating in a poll. Our question:  When was the last time you received a salary increase?

Of 176 votes cast, almost half of respondents saw a raise in the last year.  (Yay!) About 15 percent, however, haven’t seen a bump in their paychecks in five or more years. (Really!?)

The percentage of respondents who last received a raise 1 to 2 years ago and 3 to 4 years ago was about the same: 19 percent and 18 percent, respectively.

Are you surprised by this data? Does it jibe with your own experience? Please let us know in the comments section below.