Technology professionals endured a second straight year of nearly flat salaries, according to Dice's 2010-2011 Annual Salary Survey. On average, tech workers saw salary increases of about 1 percent - 0.7 percent, specifically - to $79,384. That's compared to $78,845 in 2009. And THAT represented a similar increase from 2008.

Still, there are glimmers of recovery within the study. Nearly half of those surveyed (49 percent) received a salary increase in 2010 compared to just 36 percent the previous year. And more technology professionals received bonuses: 29 percent compared with 24 percent of respondents in 2009.

Tech professionals expressed slightly more satisfaction over pay than last year, with 50 percent "somewhat" or "very satisfied," an increase from 46 percent last year. And nearly four out of ten believes they could make more money if they moved to another employer.

Says Tom Silver, our SVP, North America (and, ahem, my boss's boss):

Companies can no longer get away with paltry salary increases for their technology staffs based on the demand we are seeing for talent. The moderate increases in satisfaction levels indicate that tech professionals' concerns are being heard by some companies, but certainly not all. Retention is the key to driving additional contributions to the business from technology staffs. Employers that are reluctant to increase compensation or step up retention efforts will likely pay for their unsatisfactory ways.

-- Mark Feffer and Dino Londis