During the month of May the Boston Globe and Monster.com announced the launch of a co-branded website for Boston-area employers and job seekers. This new Boston.com/Monster website replaces the BostonWorks.com website that Beantown Web has been using for its monthly Boston Market analysis. On average there are two to three times more listings on the new joint venture website.
Job prospects for technology workers in the greater Boston area with in-demand skills remain bright. Two studies confirm these findings:
- Hudson Employment Index -- the number of workers who said their company had plans to add headcount stands at nearly 30 percent, the highest recording since last November. In addition nearly three out of four Boston area workers said they were happy with their job, the highest reporting since last October.
- The 2007 State New Economy Index -- this index measures the drivers of the information technology revolution that is transforming virtually all industries and contributing to increased productivity. This index places Massachusetts in the top spot among all 50 states.
So, what are the hot New Economy skills? Beantown Web's monthly analysis of salaries and job postings provides some insight.
The Average Salaries in Boston for common Web-related job titles has been updated for June. The salaries are posted in the right-hand column. Here is a snapshot of title and salary ranges:
- "Designer" >> mid-$30s to the low $60s
- "Developer" or "Programmer" >> mid-$50s to the low $70s
- "Database">> low-$70s to the low $80s
- "Designers"
- HTML (#4)
- CSS (#9)
- "Developer" or "Programmer"
- Java (#3)
- JavaScript (#6)
- Perl (#8)
- ASP.NET (#10)
- "Database"
- SQL (#1)
- Oracle (#2)
- XML (#6)
- SQL Server (#8)
Conclusion
The New Economy is clearly a programming / database-driven economy. Web Designers who develop skills in these areas not only increase their earning potential, they also expand their pool of potential job opportunities.
Action Plan
If you are new to programming and databases, consider signing up for Introduction to Programming, a FREE eight-lesson online course offered at the HP Learning Center. Classes begin Thursday, June 7.
Editor's Note: Next month's Boston Market -- Third Quarter will offer an expanded Top 30 list of Web technology skills in demand in the greater Boston area using the new Boston.com/Monster job search engine.
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