CSBJ Daily

For professionals seeking new career opportunities, it’s sometimes a double whammy. While the value of the dollar is shrinking, many job seekers – including in-demand technology specialists – must accept new positions at lower salaries than they did just a month ago, according to findings in the Jobfox survey of the most sought-after jobs.

Jobfox’s May rankings (www.jobfox.com/Site/Employer/pdf/TopJobsMay08.pdf) of the professions in highest demand among employers found that some median salary ranges being asked for by job seekers dipped $10,000, compared to a month ago. Median salary ranges demanded by job seekers fell for workers seeking jobs in:

• Software design/development, with a median salary range of $95,000 to $105,000 during April to $85,000 to $95,000 during May.
• Product management, with the median salary range falling to $85,000 to $95,000.
• Networking/system administration, dipping to $65,000 to $75,000.
• Finance, shrinking to $65,000 to $75,000.
• Government contracts administration, settling for $55,000 to $65,000.

Jobfox’s data is consistent with national trends reported in the Labor Department’s employment and unemployment statistics for April. While the nation’s unemployment rate dipped to 5 percent during April from 5.1 percent in March, the Labor Department also reported that hourly wages are stagnating, rising just 1 cent during April.

Average hourly earnings are up 3.4 percent during the last 12-months, lagging inflation.