Workers are becoming more confident about their chances in the job market — but men are more likely to expect a raise in the next six months than women, according to a survey released today.
The survey of 2,045 U.S. adults was conducted by Harris Interactive for Glassdoor, a Sausalito Internet startup that posts anonymous salary data and reviews of employers.
Nationwide, about 39 percent of men expect a raise in the next six months, compared with 30 percent of women. Men are more optimistic about their employers, with half expecting their company’s outlook to improve in the next six months, compared with 28 percent of women.
According to Glassdoor’s salary data, the survey reflects differences in engineers’ pay in Silicon Valley. For example, based on anonymous reports in 2009 and 2010, Glassdoor found a 9.1 percent difference in pay for engineers with 10 or more years of experience, with men reporting an average salary of $129,041 and women reporting $117,313. For all experience levels, Glassdoor found a smaller 6.7 percent pay gap, with male engineers reporting an average salary of $94,761 and women reporting $88,429.
Well-known tech companies such as Google and Yahoo are paying their engineers even more, according to Glassdoor. At Google, average pay for engineers ranges from $114,844 for one to three years of experience to $130,548 for 10 years or more. At Yahoo, the range is $106,046 to $129,299, according to Glassdoor.
Nationwide, workers are becoming more optimistic about their own job prospects as the economy improves. About 40 percent — the highest level in two years — say it’s likely they could find a new job in line with their current salary and experience.
Even so, about 40 percent also say their employers have reorganized or cut back on staff in the past six months — or trimmed pay, benefits or perks.
“The fickle nature of the economy sends employees mixed signals as to how much the job market really is improving,” Glassdoor career adviser Rusty Rueff said in an email. “On one side there is a growing sense of optimism around hiring, while at the same time employees hold a more conservative outlook for what’s in store at the company level.”
Contact Frank Russell at 408-920-5876. Follow him at Twitter.com/mercspike.
