WritersUA has posted the results of its 2009 Salary Survey for the USA and Canada. The survey provides detailed and comprehensive information about compensation for user assistance professionals.

The full results are available on the WritersUA web site.

The survey looks at the factors that contribute to higher salaries in the software user assistance community. Among the findings is that average salaries for females are slightly above those for males ($76,000/yr versus $75,000/yr, respectively). The survey includes analytical statistics and graphical views that are quite similar to those that were used in the old STC salary surveys. There were over 500 survey responses from across the US.

Participants were invited to contribute to this survey from across the spectrum of user assistance specializations. The world of user assistance comprises a variety of techniques and technologies to make working with software a better experience. This includes online help, wizards, web sites, printed documentation, and improvements to the application user interface.

WritersUA (formerly WinWriters) — a company devoted to providing training and information for user assistance professionals — produces conferences and seminars including the annual WritersUA Conference being held this year in Seattle, WA. Company President Joe Welinske has long been active with STC, and currently serves as President of STC’s Puget Sound chapter.

STC-Montreal presents this survey for informational purposes only, to support its members and as a convenience for area employers. It in no way endorses the validity of the results or the survey methodology, and urges STC members to use this US-based information only as a guide in conjunction with other salary information sources when evaluating their own salary requirements.