Hourly wages for skilled tech workers in the third quarter of 2006 improved over the year before, according to the Yoh Index of Technology wages released Oct. 11 by the Philadelphia-based talent management company.

Wages increased .1 percent in July, 1.4 percent in August and finally 2.4 percent in September. The Index ended the third quarter at 104.80, with a 1.2 percent wage growth since the end of 2005.

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"We're seeing similar growth patterns right now to the tech job trends in 2004-2005," Jim Lanzalotto, vice president of strategy and marketing for Yoh, said in a statement.

Lanzalotto added that wage growth is steady, and all leading indicators point to increased hiring in coming months, as well as continued demand for high-impact technology skills.

"The outlook for the technology job market is very positive, but the industry can't forget this year's back-to-school blues—we need to keep in mind the long-term pipeline and develop incentives for more students to seek degrees in math, science and engineering."

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At the end of the quarter, hourly wages for technology workers rested at $29.99, up 72 cents from the end of Q3 2005.

Hourly pay also showed improvement over the end of Q2, when it averaged $29.85, but fell from the end of Q1, when it closed at $30.73.

Q1 2006 registered the highest hourly wages for tech workers in the Index's six-year history.

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