This report contains 9 pages of breakdowns. A subset report of salaries for marcom writers was also prepared with some of the breakdowns. This report contains 14 pages of breakdowns. The report is available to long-term participants have a participant subscription. All others must purchase nonparticipant access.

Breakdowns include:

• Salary Change Over Time
• Salaries by Writer Type (marcom/technical/doc manager)
• Age Group
• Experience
• Company Size
• Geography (in Israel)
• Sex
• Membership in Professional Organizations
• Social Benefits (Bituach Menehalim/Keren Hishtalmut/Stock Options

Q1 2008 Report of Freelance Rates

This report contains 9 pages of breakdowns. A subset report of freelance rates for marcom writers only was also prepared with some of the breakdowns. This report contains 14 pages of breakdowns. The report is available to long-term participants have a participant subscription. All others must purchase nonparticipant access.

• Direct  vs. Subcontract Work
• Age Group
• Experience
• Geography (in Israel)
• Sex
• Membership in Professional Organizations

Q1 2008 Report of Freelance Copy Editor Rates

This report has contains 7 pages of breakdowns. This report contains 14 pages of breakdowns. The report is available to long-term participants have a participant subscription. All others must purchase nonparticipant access.

• Age Group
• Experience
• Geography (in Israel)
• Sex

Q4 2007 Report of Employee Salaries

Salaries for all major percentiles (25%, median and 75%) increased, but there was a slight drop in the average (total salaries/number of salaries) salary.  When comparing salaries with data collected at the start of Q1 we can see an increase in salary by nearly 1,000 NIS across the board.  The calculation of the breakdown by writer type was improved with the addition of the 50%technical/50%marcom writer category. The most interesting trends to look at this quarter were the company size breakdown and the benefits tables. Full Report...
(link works only if you have access - click here to purchase access)

Q4 2007 Report of Freelance Rates

Technical writing rates appear to have stabilized at a new benchmark rate of just under $40/hr after a slow, but steady rise. Rates for direct contractors have dropped somewhat, while market rates which include the rates charged by companies rose slightly at the median and low end. Two new statistics were added this quarter. One is an additional calculation of average rates based on all hours billed as opposed to averages for each writer. The other is rates charged by "export" writers, i.e., Israeli writers who work remotely for clients located overseas.  Full Report...
(link works only if you have access - click here to purchase access)

Q4 2007 Report of Freelance Copy Editor Rates

This report is ready and visible only to those who participated in both July and October 2007. The report includes data from 39 copy editors and proofreaders. In order to increase the size of the data base, data from July and April were used for copy editors who reported those months, but did not later update their data. ( click here to purchase access)

Q3 2007 Report of Employee Salaries

Modest Increase

Average and median salaries rose by a modest amount during Q2 to reach 17,520.13 and  15, 585 NIS respectively. The greatest changes this quarter were in the Age, Experience and Geographic Area breakdowns. Full Report...
(link works only if you have access - click here to purchase access)

Q3 2007 Report of Freelance Rates

Rates Rise, but Subcontractors Earn Less

The average and median rates for direct contractors hourly rate rose by $1.79 and $4.29 respectively. The market rate, which includes information from subcontractors on the rates paid by clients, also rose. Much of this can be attributed to a response to the drop in the US dollar that occured at the start of the quarter. With the increasing shortage of experienced technical writers it will be interesting to see if these higher rates remain in effect now that the dollar has risen.

Despite the rise in direct contracting rates, the rates for subcontractors dropped  significantly. Breakdown by experience was definately the most interesting category this quarter. Full Report...
(link works only if you have access - click here to purchase access)

Midyear Report of Freelance Copy Editor Rates

After numerous attempts to build up a serious reporting base 25 copy editors reported during a one month period. Unlike technical writers where most most work is priced by the time (hour or month), many copy editors charge by volume of output (per page, word or chararacter). The detailed breakdowns in this report currently include only time-based rates. This report will later be updated with breakdown for output based rates. Currently only participants in this survey have access to the report. Full Report...
(link works only if you have access)

Q2 2007 Report of Employee Salaries

Salaries Rise

The average and median salaries for technical/marcom writers rose 788.91 and 500 NIS respectively since the start of Q1. Full Report...
(link works only if you have access - click here to purchase access)

Q2 2007 Report of Freelance Rates

Contractor Rates Mixed

The average direct contractors hourly rate dropped by $0.74, while the median rose by $0.50. Average and median hourly rates for subcontractors on the other hand rose significantly, +$3.67 and +4.65 respectively.  The recent drop in the US dollar had very little affect on the report because contractor rates are set in $USD and they had not yet had time to adjust rates. The change in the exchange rate was only reflected for those few writers whose rates are set in NIS because they were converted to $USD using the exchange rate in effect at the time of reporting. Full Report...
(link works only if you have access - click here to purchase access)

Q1 2007 Report of Employee Salaries

Relationship Between Geography and Salaries Changed

Throughout 2006 the relationship between home and work area codes changed and appears to be an important early warning sign of growth or slowdown in the job market for technical/marcom writers. There is also relationship between geography and whether writers work as freelancers or company employees. This is especially true when comparing salaries in the 04 area code (northern Israel) with those of the 09 area code. Full Report...
(link works only if you have access - click here to purchase access)

Q1 2007 Report of Freelance Rates

Women Earn More as Freelancers

Freelance hourly rates for female technical writers are higher than for their male counterparts. Full Report...
(link works only if you have access - click here to purchase access)

2006 Employee Salaries - Review of the Entire Year (limited detail)

A detailed report of technical writing salaries for the entire of year of 2006 with additional breakdowns can be purchased along with the Q1 2007 Report of Employee Salaries.

Short History of the Survey

By May 1, with nearly 100 participants the results showed technical writers earning salaries in the NIS 15,000 – 18,000 range throughout most of Israel. As participation increased, additional questions and breakdowns were added. In October 2006 the survey was split into 2 reports, one for Employee Salaries and the other for Freelance Rates.

In November, the Employee Salary Survey database included over 130 employees and the Freelance Rate Survey included 50 freelance writers, most of whom updated their data after Oct. 1, 2006.

Starting in 2007 detailed reports were prepared for each quarter (beginning with Q4 2006) with access limited to participants who report during the 1st 15 days of every quarter. These reports are copyrighted, but legitimate access does provide the right to show their content according to the conditions below without prior approval.

Those with legitimate access are allowed to show the reports to employers, clients or employees during salary/rate negotiations as long as they do not leave a copy behind. Access to these detailed reports can also be purchased for a small fee. New participants can receive access rights after participating for 4 consecutive quarters.

In August 2007 a separate report was created for freelance copy editors. This report is based on a data base of 25 freelance copy editors.

• 2006 Employee Salaries
• 2006 Freelance Rates
• Other Pricelists and Salary Surveys

2006 Survey Results (Limited Detail)

May 1, 2006  Results

Salaries for In-House English-Speaking Technical Writers (as of May 1)*

*Figures include the value of a car, but not pension, educational fund or bonuses.

Although it is difficult to convert contractor rates into equivalent monthly salaries, a formula that assumes a 30% reduction in income for employee benefits not received leaves the fulltime contractor with an income equivalent to a salary NIS 19,600 median or NIS 20,600 average, well above the salaries earned by most in house technical writers.

Regional Differences

Area codes were used to identify regional differences in salaries and contractor rates. The highest paid area is 09, with 03 and 04 not far behind. The real story of regional differences is hidden in the details with a distinct pocket of lower paid technical writers in the Jerusalem area that consists mostly of female technical writers without cars.

The 04 area code is unusual in that it has an exceptionally high percentage of independent contractors, nearly 50% as opposed to 30% in the 09 area code. It is unclear whether this is due to less flexible pay scales in the 04 area code that encourage the more experienced technical writers to work as contractors or the success of the Forum in helping many subcontractors move up to direct contracting.

June 21, 2006  Update

Since the May 1 results were published, a number of additional technical writers have taken the survey and others have reported raises/job changes. The updated results show a small overall increase of 500 NIS (440 average) in the median salary. The greatest changes took place in the 03 and 09 area codes, with a drop in the already lower salaries in and around Jerusalem. Female technical writers will be happy to know that that they have made significant progress in closing the gap between their salaries and those of their male counterparts.

Salaries for In-House English-Speaking Technical Writers (as of June 21) and change since May 1*

*Figures include the value of a car, but not pension, educational fund or bonuses.

July 09, 2006

As additional writers join the survey and some writers report raises/job changes it is time to issue an update. The updated results show a small overall increase of 500 NIS (440 average) in the median salary. The greatest changes took place in the 03 and 09 area codes, with a drop in the already lower salaries in and around Jerusalem. Female technical writers will be happy to know that that they have made significant progress in closing the gap between their salaries and those of their male counterparts. An additional breakdown was added that looks at the correlation between salary and membership in a professional organization.

Salaries for In-House English-Speaking Technical Writers (as of July 9) and change since May 1*

*Figures include the value of a car, but not pension, educational fund or bonuses.

Is there a correlation between membership in a professional organization like the STC or IEEE and salary?

If we look only at the median from the July 09, 2006 data, the correlation appears to be minor. However, once we look at the other percentiles we see a different picture.

Oct. 19, 2006  Salary Survey Update

Salaries for In-House English-Speaking Technical Writers (as of Oct. 19)*

*Figures include the value of a car, but not pension, educational fund or bonuses.

Regional Differences

Differences among the area codes have increased during the year, with the greatest increases taking place in the 08 and 09 codes (+1,000 median.), followed by 03 (+750 median).  The Jerusalem area continues to have much lower rates than the rest of the country, except at the very high end (90th percentile).

Rates for inhouse technical writers in the 04 area code dropped considerably, but with its high percentage of independent contractors it is not clear whether tech writers income has really dropped or if writers have moved out of in house jobs to become independent contractors. One interesting statistic about technical writers living in the 04 area code is that 25% of them work outside of the area code.

Nov. 17, 2006  Salary Survey Update

Salaries for In-House English-Speaking Technical Writers (as of Nov. 17)*

*Figures include the value of a car, but not pension, educational fund or bonuses.

Breakdown by Company Size (as of Nov. 17, 2006)*

*Figures include the value of a car, but not pension, educational fund or bonuses.
**Company-size classification was unclear for 2% of the respondants and their data was not included in the company size breakdown calculations.

Nov. 17, 2006 Salary Survey Update

Breakdown by Geographic Area (as of Dec. 13)*

*Figures include the value of a car, but not pension, educational fund or bonuses.

Breakdown by Sex (as of Dec. 13)*

*Figures include the value of a car, but not pension, educational fund or bonuses.

Breakdown by Experience (as of Dec. 13)*

*Figures include the value of a car, but not pension, educational fund or bonuses.

Breakdown by Company Size (as of Dec. 13)*

• Detailed Reports
• 2006 Employee Salaries
• Other Pricelists and Salary Surveys

2006 Freelance Rates (limited detail)

A detailed report of technical writing salaries for the entire of year of 2006 with additional breakdowns can be purchased along with the Q1 2007 Report of Freelance Rates.

First of all it is important to understand that these results provide only a general indicator and are not as accurate as the results of the Salary Survey. In addition to being based on a much smaller number of technical writers (less than 50), there was a major difference in the number of billable hours that the contract technical writers work and subcontracting rates are significantly lower (with many subcontractors doing some direct work at very different rates). During December the number of freelance writers reporting has increased and the 2007 quarterly reports will be much more accurate.

The number of billable hours significantly affects the price per hour, with full time contractors receiving higher hourly rates. Part time contractors fall into two categories, those who are underemployed and those who work fewer hours by choice (for personal reasons - usually mothers). Independent contractors working part time by choice charge higher rates than those who are underemployed, but overall less than their full time counterparts.

Oct. 11, 2006  Freelance Rate Results

Hourly Rates by Number of Billable Hours/Month (Oct. 11)

* Mixed includes subcontractors who also do some direct contracting along with subcontractors who only subcontract. The rate refers to the rate they charge as subcontractors only.
* Only is limited to subcontractors who only subcontract.

Special Characteristics of Contract/Subcontract Writers

Unlike in-house technical writer, men outnumber women by 2 to 1 and earn significantly higher hourly rates. Rates for writers who work with one or two customers (retainer-like arrangements) are higher than for writers who work with many small or one-time customers (project based arrangements). Between 85 and 90% of the contract/subcontract writers are over 40.

Changes Since Oct. 19, 2006

Over the past month the severe shortage of writers combined with the start of the salary negotiation season has driven salaries up. The rise is being driven by competition for writers in the center of the country, especially in the 09 area where median salaries have increased by a full 1,000 NIS/mo.

On Oct. 19 when I began company-size clarifications with 14 respondants, salaries were highest at both ends of the company size spectrum (under 50 and over 300 employees). Since then things have changed, with companies of 300+ employees raising salaries to hold onto existing employees and attract new writers.  Companies of 50-300 employees have followed suit and closed the gap with the small companies.

Regional Differences

Differences among the area codes have increased during the year, with the greatest increases taking place in the 08 and 09 codes (+1,750 and +2000 median.), followed by 03 (+1250 median).  Rates for inhouse technical writers in the 04 area code dropped considerably (-750) and at the high end they are now lower than in Jerusalem. However this statistic is deceptive due to the unusually high percentage of freelance writers in the 04 area code (1/3 as opposed to 1/4 for the rest of the country).

Nov 18, 2006  Rate Survey Update

Over the past month the rates for part time writers have approached those of full time writers and subcontracting rates have increased. However the Nov. 18 sampling is still too small to approach the accuracy of the Salary Survey for inhouse writers. The data base of freelance writers reporting has grown since, so the 2007 quarterly reports will be more accurate.

The Next Update will be part of the Quarterly Report. To gain free access you must update your data during the first 2 weeks of each quarter! The report will include information on salary changes that occurred during 2006 (based on data from those who reported more than once during the year).

Hourly Rates by Number of Billable Hours/Month

	Full Time (150+ billable hours)	Part Time by Choice	Part Time - Underemployed	Subcontractors (Mixed)*	Subcontractors (Only)
Average	$36.29	$33.86	$31.31	$21.98	$20.58
25 percentile	$32.00	$28 .02	$29.47	$19.57	$20.12
Median (50 percentile)	$36.00	$33	$30.43	$22.00	$22.25
75 percentile	40.00	$37.50	$32.72	$23.05	$23.00
Standard Deviation	$7.62	$9.53	$3.34	$6.98	$4.72

* Mixed includes subcontractors who also do some direct contracting along with subcontractors who only subcontract. The rate refers to the rate they charge as subcontractors only.
* Only is limited to subcontractors who only subcontract.

• Detailed Reports
• 2006 Employee Salaries
• 2006 Freelance Rates

Other Pricelists and Salary Surveys

Many other sites contain pricelists and salary surveys. I've tried to list the most relevant ones below.

Win Writer 2007 Salary Survey (most of the data is from the US, but it is worth looking at)

Computer Jobs in Israel 2007 Salary Survey

STC-Israel November 2006 Salary Survey Salary survey results... Demographic statistics...

Rick Teplitz's presentation on Pricing Writing Projects (posted at www.englishcommunicator.com)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook Report on Writers and Editors 2006-7 Edition (US information)

2006 Israel Translators Association (ITA) Translation Price Guidelines (posted at the leshonit.allbiz.co.il site)

2004 Histadrut pricelist for Editing, Journalism and Publishing (posted at COandPI site under Files)

Usability Professionals Association  2005 Salary Survey (mostly data from the US, but it is worth looking at)

Win Writer 2006 Salary Survey (most of the data is from the US, but it is worth looking at)