Not just poor economy
Not asking about pay during the first interview isn't limited to times of poor economy. It's always bad taste, and anyone who asks deserves not to get the job.
As for employers taking advantage of a weak IT job market...that would be like when we took advantage of a strong one by expecting high pay combined with low expectations. It's the #1 reason the IT industry is in the state that it's in. It's not entirely the fault of the certified housewives or the papermills that pushed them out, but they did play a pretty large role. I've noticed a very sharp decline in the skillset of IT people in the last 5 years, with an almost equally sharp increase in the whining about pay.
