NEW CANAAN, Conn. – Credit unions finding themselves paying more for technology staff are not alone, according to the latest report from Foote Partners. The IT consultancy says that according to its quarterly survey of 48,000 workers in North America and Europe, overall pay for all non-certified and certified IT skills grew 2.8% and 6% respectively in the first three months of 2005 with a 3.6% and 4% increase respectively for the 12 months ending April 1. David Foote, the firm's co-founder, attributes the upswing in pay demands to both an improved economy and a pendulum swing away from offshoring. "Probably the most obvious has been the economy and the return of hiring and concerns about retention of talent connected to legacy systems and critical technology and business initiatives," Foote says. "Employers are once again investing in onshore applications development skills notwithstanding their desire to offshore some applications and business processes," he adds.