The 2011–2012 edition of STC’s Salary Database (using 2011 data) is now available for purchase on www.stc.org. STC’s Salary Database is a tool that can be used to conduct more powerful job searches, make a strong case for a raise, prepare department payroll budgets, or estimate project costs. The data in the Salary Database are drawn from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).
In 2011, employment for technical writers enjoyed its first increase in three years, regaining almost half of the 3,470 lost since 2008. While the traditional, large centers of technical writer employment, such as Washington, DC; Boston; New York; Los Angeles; San Francisco; and Seattle, continued to dominate the profession, this year’s job gains were found in some surprising new markets, such as Oklahoma City, and an unexpected strength in job markets that had suffered severe contractions in recent years, including Detroit, which is hiring again thanks to a resurgence in the automotive manufacturing.
In another interesting discovery, the industry series data underscore the growing importance of exports and global markets both to the U.S. economy and to the technical communication profession. Industries that exhibited the largest increases in technical writer positions were also those reporting the strongest demand for foreign sales.
The STC Salary Database is an extremely useful tool whether you’re looking for a job, looking for a worker, or looking to bolster your request for a raise. Consider the following situations:
- A laid-off technical writer can use the Salary Database to find out the industries that added jobs last year, targeting her search in those areas. And with telework more prevalent, she can even search in the geographic areas where the most new jobs have been created.
- A manager wants to create a technical writing department but doesn’t know where to start. The Salary Database shows her both average and median salaries in her area, plus percentiles that allow her to prepare a budget that her supervisors approve.
- A freelance consultant is putting together a bid on a project. Using the Salary Database, the consultant can make intelligent estimates as to how much the project will cost him.
- Denied a raise last year, a technical writer comes armed with data from the Salary Database showing that the average salary in his industry is much higher for technical writers than for the more generic “writers and authors” his company had been using.
The Salary Database includes information on both annual and hourly wages, making it useful to both salaried employees and contractors, not to mention managers needing to offer fair wages to both.
Because the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics, from which the Salary Database was drawn, is one of the most-referenced wage guides by human resource professionals, STC members who use this tool will benefit from the same market intelligence that are relied upon when employers evaluate raises and make salary offers to new hires. The STC Salary Database not only provides firm numbers to back up fair requests and fair offers, and gives technical communicators the insight they need in a tough job market, it also provides users with a competitive edge.
STC offers the Salary Database (with maps, charts, and a summary by economist Rick O’Sullivan) as a PDF report at $10 for members, $49 for nonmembers. You can also purchase the data in Excel format, with three separate sections each available at $10 for members, $49 for nonmembers. Or buy the complete package and save, with a cost of $30 for members, $149 for nonmembers. Visit www.stc.org/publications/products/salary-database for more information or to purchase the 2011–2012 Salary Database.
Note: All new STC members and those who renewed by 3 January were sent an email with a link to a complimentary copy of the Salary Database as promised. If you did not receive this email and would like a copy, please email kevin.cuddihy@stc.org.
