SLA Announces Survey Results Showing Salary Increases Outpacing Inflation
2007 Study Includes U.K. and European Data for the First Time

London, United Kingdom- 4 December 2007 -- The Special Libraries Association (SLA) today announced the results of its annual salary survey. For the first time, the SLA Salary Survey and Workplace Study contains salary information and other data from respondents in Europe, including the UK.

According to the 2007 survey results, the average salary increases for SLA members in the U.S and Canada have outpaced inflation yet again. Based on salaries as of April 2007 for U.S. based respondents, the increase in salaries for 2007 over 2006 was 5.1 percent. This is 1.1 percent higher than the increase from 2005 to 2006. The average salary for U.S. members who answered the survey was US$ 69,446, compared with US$ 67,400 reported in 2006.

The average for Canadian members was CAN$ 67,171 compared with CAN$ 65,522 in 2006. Salaries for Canadian members were 4.9 percent higher on 1 April 2007, than a year earlier, while the CPI had increased just 2 percent in the same period.

The European data is separated into two categories: responses from U.K. and other European SLA members. The average salary for U.K. respondents was £48,185, with a reported increase of 7.9 percent over the previous year. For other European members, the average salary was ?57,246, an increase of 6.8 percent from 2006.

All four sets of data--U.S., Canada, U.K., other European countries-- are reported in the local currency in the published report, however below is a comparison (in descending order) of global mean salaries converted into U.S. dollars at the 1 April 2007 exchange rates:

• U.K. $94,480
• Other European -$76,328
• U.S. $69,426
• Canada $58,410

SLA Salary Calculator
SLA has developed a salary calculator as an online interactive tool to analyze salaries based on multiple characteristics, rather than two dimensional in the print version, this tool is available to purchasers of the report. The SLA Salary Calculator only includes data for Canada and U.S. salaries.

Workplace Study
A workplace study based on an additional survey sent with the salary survey to U.S. and Canadian members' Human Resources departments is published with the salary survey results. Highlights and trend information below:

Outsourcing: The outsourcing of information functions has evened or stabilized at just under 20 percent of responding companies. In 2007, 18.8 percent of all respondents had outsourced or had considered it, versus 21.6 percent in 2006 and 15.2 in 2005. Only 21.7 percent of the organizations that have outsourced reported a reduction in library/information center staff, a little lower than 2006 and 2005. Of the larger companies (more than 2000 employees) that had outsourced, 28.6 percent reported staff reduction, also much lower than reported the previous year.

Budgets: Forty percent of the respondents indicated that their library/information center budget was set to increase. Just over half (52.9%) of all respondents expect an increase in the size of their organization's staff in 2008, but only one-fifth (21.5%) anticipated an increase in their library/information center staff.

Competencies: Job descriptions or skill sets required for information professionals have changed at 71.4 percent of the responding organizations over the past five years. Over 80 percent of those reporting a change identified three skills sets as "very important" or "important":

• Knowledge management (84.4%)
• Database management (82.9%)
• Web content management (81.8%)

Education and Training: The importance of formal professional education (e.g., MLS), in contrast to professional work experience, was rated a little lower in this year's survey. The MLS was rated "very important" (40.2%) or "important" (44.0%) by 84.2% of those responding in 2007 compared with 87.0% in 2006. A good majority (80.7%) reported that staff recently hired with an MLS or similar qualification had the important and "newer" skill sets required. The skills sets most often missing for applicants for library/information center positions were industry experience (54.9%), competencies (32.0%), and years of experience (30.7%).

Pricing and Availability
The 2007 selected U.K. and European results, as well as the complete 2007 SLA Salary Survey and Workplace Study, are now available for purchase from the SLA Store online at: www.sla.org/merchandise. The report is available in various formats and price points. The selected results of U.K. and other European countries are available for US$ 10.

About SLA
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners. SLA serves more than 11,000 members in 75 countries in the information profession, including corporate, academic, and government information specialists. SLA promotes and strengthens its members through learning, advocacy, and networking initiatives. For more information, visit us on the Web at www.sla.org. 

Note to Editors: Published charts and graphs available on request. Most data can be analyzed to provide reporters and editors with statistical background for stories on various sectors. Regional results as well as industry-specific and position-specific information available to media on request. Please contact the SLA PR Director, Cara Schatz (cara@sla.org or +1.703.647.4917) for additional survey results or to schedule an interview.