Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
New Year, New Salary?
Bob Weinstein is a journalist who covers technology, project management, the workplace and career development.
The start of a new year is always a good time to ask for a promotion or raise, but in a strong economy like ours, your chances of locking one up are excellent. So says Lee E. Miller, former HR executive and co-founder of career counseling firm YourCareerDoctors.com. And if you’re in a high-power technical field, where the demand for your particular skill far outweighs the supply of qualified candidates, you hold the power hand.
Another factor working in your favor is that many high-demand techies wait until they get their year-end bonuses before quitting to take new jobs. Put it all together, and you have an ideal scenario for making a good case for a raise…if you go about it strategically, cautions Miller. The dumbest thing you can do is trot into your boss’s office and ask for a raise. If you’re smart, you’ll carefully plan your strategy so that you’re presenting an ironclad case.
Start by doing some research so you understand the dynamics of the technical marketplace. In a good economy, most companies dole out average raises that range between 3 percent and 4 percent. Technology companies are doing far better than that.
Salaries, raises and bonuses went up for the third year in a row, according to Redmond’s 12th Annual IT Salary Survey. Here’s a quick snapshot of a few of the results, comparing next…
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