Responses by Region

Region 1	65
Region 2	24
Region 3	25
Region 4	39
Region 5	45
Region 6	32
Region 7	30
Region 8	53
Unknown	3
Total	316

According to this year's survey, we have been working as technical communicators for 12 years and as independent consultants for 4.5 years. (Exactly the same results as last year!) Many of us are telecommuting most of our work. Most of us are responsible for tax payments on most projects and work on an hourly basis rather than on fixed contracts. If we are subcontracting, we average about $30 per hour (that's a $6 increase over last year), but for those who are working as independent consultants, the average hourly pay goes up to about $47 ($7 more than last year)! Eighty percent of those who replied did some work from home and almost half subcontracted to others.

Our members work in a wide variety of industries and use a broad range of hardware and software. The results were too varied to report here. We are in the process of revising our 1997 questionnaire, with the intent of compiling clearer results!

Experience

Years of experience as a technical communicator ranged from 1 to 30+ years with a median of 12 years. Experience as an independent consultant ranged from 1 to 25 years with a median of 4.5 years. Of the total responses, 291 are currently independents or subcontractors.

Work Location

Only 226 people responded to the telecommute question. Of those respondents, 16% telecommute all of their work, while nearly half telecommute 75% of their work.

Of those who responded (246) to the on-site question, half work on site about half of the time.

Work-Related Statistics

122	Are sole proprietors or corporations
22	Hold regular, full-time jobs in addition to independent work
2	Work part-time
250	Work from home
30	Rent office space
37	Have employees
145	Subcontract work to others

Tax Withholding

Only 213 people responded to this question. Taxes were not withheld by clients for more than 72% of the respondents.

Only 206 people responded to the percentage of work done under 1099. A large portion (62%) work with a 1099 on all of their jobs, while 75% work with a 1099 on more than 90% of their jobs.

Fixed Contracts versus Purchase Orders

Fewer than half the respondents answered the question about fixed contracts. Only 14 of them work exclusively on fixed-price contracts. More than half use them less than 25% of the time.

The fewest number of people responded to the question about purchase orders; there were only 140 responses. Approximately one-third of them use a purchase order for all their work, and half use purchase orders for 75% or more of their work.

Rates

Regional Hourly Rates

Region	Independent	Subcontractor
1	$47.70	$41.57
2	44.21	34.64
3	39.90	23.44
4	47.34	36.96
5	43.29	35.00
6	43.10	37.00
7	43.04	33.86
8	49.49	41.96
Average	45.36	36.32

Dollar Hourly Rates

Hourly Rate	# Independents	# Subcontractors
$15-25	9	17
26-35	32	40
36-45	83	69
46-55	61	32
56-65	40	13
66-100	43	7
>100	6	2
Median	$47/hour	$39/hour

Topics of Interest to C&IC PIC Members