Female IT staff 'negotiate to earn more'

Female IT employees can earn higher salaries because of their negotiating skills, one expert believes.

Despite the economic downturn, just over 50 per cent of people are planning to ask for a pay rise next year, a poll on a website for W-Tech 2009, the first IT recruitment service aimed at women, found.

Julia Thrul, a career and executive coach, thinks that there is a definite polarisation in people on this issue as some can ask for pay rises and others cannot, regardless of their gender.

She said: A lot of people believe they are really good at their job, but both men and women will see other people apart from themselves actually getting pay rises.

People need to be properly prepared to ask for a salary increase, she believes.

In any case, a salary increase means substantially more than a fatter pay packet, says a spokesperson for ClickAJob.

Part of keeping motivated is knowing your worth in career terms, he stresses.

Obviously as your experience increases, so do your capabilities.

Simply knowing you've advanced is a tremendous stimulus - and a reminder to your employer that you're an appreciating asset deserving of recognition, he concludes.

Last month, the Queen announced the introduction to deal with discrimination on the grounds of gender in the workplace.