Experience Counts For Less

Veteran employees with more than 10 years of experience had a tougher time getting raises than those with less experience, according to the 2004 CRN Salary Survey.

As a group, the veterans received raises of less than 1 percent last year, a sharp contrast to the 9.7 percent rise in average compensation for employees in the middle group with five to 10 years of experience. Even those with less than five years of experience outpaced veterans with an average 4.9 percent raise.

“You are not going to take your top, highly experienced people, who are already making good money, and give them a big percentage increase in pay until you are sure that business conditions have turned the corner,” said Alex Solomon, co-president of Net@Work, New York. “A lot of VARs think business conditions have become better, but they want to wait until they are sure.”

The trends in salary increases had a major impact on pay levels among the groups. For the first time since CRN has been conducting the survey, the $90,050 average salary earned by those in the middle group surpassed the salary level of the veterans, who earned $86,100 in 2003.

Technicians, however, were an exception. More experience still meant higher pay, though the differences narrowed sharply as experience rose. Veteran technicians earned $67,450, or 4 percent more than the $64,450 earned by the middle group. The middle group in turn earned 16 percent more than the $55,600 earned by those with less than five years of experience.

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“With all the technology upgrades associated with Y2K, a lot of the need for technicians with legacy knowledge was lost, while the need for technicians with knowledge about newer technologies has grown,” said Anthony Awtrey, vice president at I.D.E.A.L. Technology, Melbourne, Fla. “In many cases, these are individuals in the five- to 10-year experience range.”