In tough economic times, folks hunker down, hoping improvement will come before the axe falls on more jobs, and that is very much the mood of media departments today.

For some months, as the ad economy has weakened, media buyers and planners have worried over salaries and raises, and that continues.

But these days the bigger issue appears to be job security, as fewer people are being hired and jobs are being cut as clients tighten up on their ad spending.

That's the outcome of a biannual salary poll Media Life put up last week.

Media people seem very much on edge, remembering the last recession of a half dozen years ago, when cuts were widespread as the ad economy sank under the weight of the dot.com bust.

While most forecasters do not think this slowdown will be anywhere near as severe, that comes as little comfort to media people fearful of losing their jobs.

"People are not being replaced if they leave," wrote one respondent, "and, yes, there have been cuts. The mood is negative and there's discontent."

Wrote another: "Across the board, people are not getting hired, and some have been let go. Morale is very low. Constant budget cuts from clients are not helping."

And yet another: "We are not replacing positions and having to fight to keep current staff. I am concerned that we are beginning not to replace junior people and expect senior people to take on more of the grunt work."

Media Life asked several questions about salary. One was: How do you rate your agency in terms of fairness in compensation?

In mid 2007, 35 percent of respondents agreed with the statement: "I am less than satisfied. Our agency is generous with more senior managers but is tight-fisted when it comes to salaries and benefits of junior staffers." In December, that figure rose to 43 percent.

Last week, that figure was up again, to 47 percent.

In a related question, readers were asked to identify their most pressing salary concerns.

In last week's survey, 31 percent agreed with the statement: "I am satisfied with my salary but worry that it may be less than market value when compared with others of my experience level.

In December that figure was 34, and back in July it was 38 percent.

Looking beyond their own agencies, readers believe salaries across the industry are not going up as much as in the past.

Media Life asked: Based on your experience and what you’ve heard from others, are media salaries going up in general?

Last week, 43 percent felt raises industry-wide were flat to a year earlier. That's up from 39 percent in December and 34 percent in July.

Similarly, the number of readers who think fewer raises are being handed out is up. It's now 32 percent, up from 25 percent in December and 21 percent last summer.