As young, pale and male as ever

Johannesburg, 30 Apr 2004

White respondents made up a total 74.78 percent of the sample, with white ratios particularly high in the most senior "strategic management" group (85 percent). On the operational level, 78 percent of the respondents were white, and, on the staff level, 70 percent were white.

<B>Most in IT proper, but consulting pays more</B>

On the question of the areas respondents work in, just over 50 percent said they worked within the IT industry, while the rest performed IT functions in other industries.
Those in the consulting industry had the highest average incomes (around R29 240 per month), followed by banking/accounting/ finance and healthcare.
The average within the IT sector was around R22 000 a month, while the lowest- paid were those in the education legal and real estate sectors, on an average of around R18 000 a month.

The second highest group of respondents was Indian (8.8 percent), followed by black (8.3 percent) and coloured (5.4 percent). In strategic management, only 4.9 percent of respondents were black, 1.8 percent coloured and 4.9 percent Indian, while 2.5 percent did not state their race.

The highest proportions of black, coloured and Indian respondents were on the staff level. Even so, only 10.8 percent of respondents on this level were black, 10.3 percent Indian and six percent coloured. Non-white respondents also reported considerably lower salaries than the average.

Age wise, 29 percent of the respondents were between 26 and 30, and 22 percent were 31 to 35.

[CHART]Only 17 percent of this year`s sample were women - a drop from last year. In 2002, 17 percent of the survey respondents were female, and in 2003 this climbed to 19 percent. This year, women`s representation on the strategic level was significantly lower (8.6 percent) than it was on operational level (16.4 percent) and staff level (20.1 percent). Women also earned less than their male counterparts, on average.

While the age-to-job ratio was, by and large, predictable, with older respondents generally higher up the ranks, it is interesting to note that 16 individuals (3.7 percent) on strategic management level were aged between 20 and 25. A further 49 (15 percent) were between 25 and 30.

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[CHART]Respondents to the salary survey were well-educated, with only 15 percent saying matric was their only qualification, and around 24 percent having professional certification or further education and training. Around 27 percent have a technikon diploma, 31 percent a university degree, 13.8 percent an honours qualification, 9.9 percent a master`s degree and 1.4 percent a PhD.

As young, pale and male as ever

Of the 3 112 respondents in the survey, whites made up almost 75 percent, and only just over 17 percent were women. This may, of course, be more indicative of ITWeb`s readership than the true picture in South African IT.

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