Report on Salary

Surveys™
ISSUE 22-3

Demand for Engineers Growing,
Pushing Up Salaries, Surveys Find
The demand for engineers is growing rapidly as business
trends have created a greater need for the position.
At the same time, the average age of an engineer is 52, according to one survey, and many more engineers are older and
headed rapidly towards retirement. Meanwhile, that survey said,
there are not enough recent graduates to make up the difference.
These trends are pushing up salaries for many engineers and
boosting the use of bonuses, according to several surveys.
There are more projects that require the skill and knowledge
of an engineer, Richard Zambrecca, president of Randstad Engineering, told Bloomberg BNA. Graduation rates of engineers
have increased slightly but not enough to replace baby boomers,
he said.

March 2015

IN THIS ISSUE
Demand for Engineers
Growing, Pushing Up
Salaries, Surveys Find ...... 1
Surveys Find Companies
Struggle to Find Critical
Talent............................. 6
Calendar ....................... 7
Compensation Strategies:
Consultants Advise a
Coaching Culture to
Improve Performance .... 10
Surveys Examine Outlook
for Import/Export
Professionals................. 12
Surveys Report More Pay,
Demand for IT Help Desk
Professionals................. 13
News Briefs .................. 16

Future Issues

•

•
•
•

Studies Find Pay, Need for IT Professionals On the Rise

EBRI Survey Reports
Most Workers Satisfied
But Want Change in Mix
of Benefits and Wages

•

•

Survey on Administrative Staff Salaries

Rebounding Job Market
Has Employees Looking
for Better Opportunities,
Study Says

•

Report Details Pay for Credit Professionals

•

Research
Shows
Household Income Rose
in 2014, But Not From
Wage Increases

Consultant Advises Changes in Engagement Strategies
Study Examines HR and Big Data 

2

(No. 3)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts rapid job
growth for many engineering positions. Between
2012 and 2022, the BLS projects the average
growth to be 26 percent for petroleum engineers,
22 percent for biomedical engineers and 20 percent for civil engineers.
‘‘The last of these [civil engineers] is interesting,
since the BLS may be responding to the need to replace the country’s aging infrastructure,’’ Patrick
Glaser, director of research at McKinley Advisors,
told Bloomberg BNA. McKinley Advisors supports
data collection by the American Association of Engineering Societies, an industry organization.
‘‘From our data, and based on economic trends,
I would predict that bioengineering, and energyrelated engineering disciplines will be important.
These are areas that have been growing at a very
good pace, but also link to the needs of the
economy going forward. Our statistics reflect supply,’’ Glaser said.
New graduates also in demand. The demand for new graduates is just as strong, according the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). The NACE Salary Survey found
that employers that plan on hiring new engineering graduates intend to hire 7.8 percent more this
year. In addition, engineering majors are projected
to be the top-paid bachelor degree graduates from
the class of 2015.

‘‘AAES tracks the number of engineering enrollments, the number of degrees that are awarded in
engineering fields, and engineering salaries,’’
Glaser said. ‘‘Generally speaking, we’ve certainly
seen significant growth in the number of engineering degrees that have been awarded, and this includes bachelor’s, master’s and doctorates. In particular, this includes fields like aerospace, bioengineering,
chemical,
civil,
environmental,
mechanical, nuclear and petroleum.’’
There have been slightly fewer graduates in certain engineering areas, such as engineering management, systems, computer engineering and
electrical engineering, according to Glaser. However, there has been growth in master’s and doctorates in these fields, he said. It may be a sign that
the science has matured and the value of an advanced degree in the area may pay off, he said.
Engineers confident about job security. Engineers’ confidence in their job security increased
in the past year, according to the Randstad Engineering Employee Confidence Index, a measure of
overall confidence among U.S. engineers. The index is from an online survey, conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of Randstad Engineering among
116 employed U.S. engineers (ages 18 and over)
in January, February and March of 2014.
The Randstad index found that 84 percent of engineers reported it was not likely they would lose
their job in the next 12 months, and 66 percent are
confident in their ability to find a new job. How-

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CEO and President
Gail C. Moorstein
Director, Editorial Operations

Darren McKewen
President, Tax and Specialty
Anthony A. Harris
Managing Editor

Laime Vaitkus
Editor

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March 2015

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Table 1

Median salary for engineers
by type and region

Industrial enggineer
Qualitty manaager
Mechanical engineerr
Civil engineer
Electrrical enggineer
Petroleum enngineer
Projecct manaager
Chem
mical enggineer
RF enngineer

MiidAtlaantic
$81,8555
$108,1022
$88,2444
$82,5911
$100,0099
$133,4944
$114,7766
$93,6933
$87,6677

Mountain
West
$74,382
$98,684
$80,306
$75,064
$91,204
$121,934
$100,195
$85,356
$79,772

New
England
$79,293
$105,018
$85,562
$80,015
$97,097
$130,601
$108,380
$90,906
$84,996

Northheast
Central
$76,446
$100,983
$82,421
$77,134
$93,423
$125,044
$104,747
$87,517
$81,882

Source: Randstad

Pacific
$81,826
$107,373
$88,0449
$82,5443
$99,5005
$132,7444
$110,0009
$93,3556
$87,4888

South
Atlantic
$77,753
$103,146
$83,945
$78,467
$95,330
$127,469
$106,672
$89,221
$83,387

Southeast
Central
$72,185
$96,324
$78.07
$72,864
$88,898
$119,301
$97,796
$83,091
$77,543

Southwest
Central
$72,5220
$97,0777
$78,5111
$73,2111
$89,5222
$120,7668
$98,3996
$83,6113
$77,9771

A BNA Graphic/rssf2102

ever, only 29 percent of engineers said they are
likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months,
the survey reported.
Engineers are not that quick to change jobs, according to Zambrecca. ‘‘Engineers are very much
in the driver’s seat. They tend to find comfort in doing what they’ve trained at. To get them to move, it
would have to be substantial,’’ Zambrecca said.
The reluctance to switch positions may be why
Randstad’s hot jobs in demand analysis found that
there are over 130,000 current engineering job
listings in early 2015, with an average ratio of 17
candidates available per job opening. Overall, 75
percent of companies say it’s difficult to find qualified people who are the right fit and it takes four to
six months to hire an engineer, according to the
Randstad survey.
To fill in some of the job gaps, 84 percent of
companies use contingent workers for engineering
positions, according to the Randstad engineering
survey.
Pay differs by title and region. Despite the
demand, salary levels have remained fairly constant, according to the ‘‘2014 Workplace Trends
and Salary Guide’’ from Randstad Engineering.
Salaries increased at 34 percent of organizations,
while it remained about the same at 63 percent,
the Randstad Engineering survey found.
REPORT ON SALARY SURVEYS

Northwest
Central
$772,728
$996,794
$778,596
$773,404
$889,387
$1220,052
$999,526
$883,596
$778,067

ISSN 1067-4551

The Randstad guide is based on a survey with
2,000 participants and the salary data includes input from the Economic Research Institute (ERI).
Salaries differ widely by title and region in the
Randstad Engineering survey. A petroleum engineer earns the highest median salary across the
regions, with $133,494 in Mid-Atlantic and
$132,744 in the Pacific states (see Table 1).
An engineering project manager is another high
earner, pulling in $114,776 in the Mid-Atlantic.
For most titles, the top-paying regions are in the
Mid-Atlantic and Pacific regions.
The top in-demand jobs for engineers include
mechanical engineers, electrical engineers and
quality engineers, according to Randstad. The demand outpaces the supply of mechanical engineers, who earn a national median salary of
$83,550, according to Randstad.
Consider hiring across industries. Rather
than offer large salary increases that might lead to
pay compression and pay scale distortion, companies might consider using bonuses, according to
Zambrecca.
Organizations might also offer relocation fees,
and cover cost-of-living differentials for an engineer moving from a low-cost to a high-cost area,
for example, Zambrecca said.
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Table 2: Salary ranges, for selected types of engineer
by region and size of company
Ele
ectrical
En
ngineer

Engineering
g
Technican

Design
n
Engineer

Mechanical
Engineer

Project
Engineer

Process Engineer

$559,405 – $79,738
$662,452 – $82,175
$666,149 – $85,632

$32,969 – $599,601
$35,161 – $633,398
$36,549 – $644,951

$55,057 – $78,127
$56,619 – $78,809
$56,917 – $80,686

$57,795 – $81,237
$58,062 – $85,095
$61,688 – $86,552

$58,695 – $120,1266
$60,949 – $124,7944
$65,963 – $126,4299

$56,929 – $79,7558
$58,039 – $84,1334
$59,873 – $85,5995

$558,694 – $79,216
$662,301 – $81,347
$663,439 – $82,222

$32,020 – $588,945
$35,001 – $633,334
$36,064 – $644,074

$54,187 – $77,037
$56,545 – $77,843
$56,839 – $79,082

$57,786 – $81,012
$58,058 – $84,719
$60,169 – $85,123

$58,528 – $118,6888
$59,705 – $124,357
$64,197 – $125,8355

$56,628 – $78,8558
$57,177 – $82,7776
$58,624 – $85,0337

$556,265 – $76,364
$557,016 – $78,609
$663,373 – $78,963

$30,963 – $544,687
$32,293 – $611,795
$34,337 – $622,260

$50,923 – $72,299
$51,397 – $73,391
$53,193 – $75,933

$51,512 – $74,719
$53,323 – $76,179
$55,557 – $78,947

$55,127 – $108,2288
$56,115 – $108,6888
$57,587 – $112,841

$51,186 – $75,3991
$53,117 – $76,4887
$53,362 – $79,5775

$554,756 – $75,292
$555,461 – $76,564
$661,784 – $76,726

$29,663 – $544,445
$32,105 – $599,339
$33,335 – $599,441

$49,135 – $70,917
$49,726 – $72,396
$50,188 – $73,777

$51,311 – $72,083
$53,235 – $73,609
$54,422 – $75,344

$52,407 – $106,1433
$52,716 – $108,2399
$55,502 – $112,2022

$49,731 – $72,8555
$52,079 – $72,9551
$53,037 – $74,6226

$662,929 – $81,363
$663,771 –$82,895
$667,376 – $86,055

$34,081 – $611,083
$36,235 – $655,415
$37,012 – $677,251

$55,279 – $79,182
$57,675 – $79,934
$57,882 – $80,735

$58,405 – $82,192
$59,857 – $86,055
$62,581 – $87,037

$58,712 – $120,9300
$61,003 – $125,9922
$66,774 – $126,6966

$56,982 – $81,1118
$59,027 – $84,6552
$59,972 – $86,0333

Northeast

Small
Mediium
Large
e

Middle-Atlantic

Small
Mediium
Large
e
Midwest

Small
Mediium
Large
e
South

Small
Mediium
Large
e
West

Small
Mediium
Large
e

S= un
nder $2
250 million in annual reven
nue
M= $250 million to $1 billion
L= ovver $1 billion
Source: Adecco

A BNA Graphic/rssf2103

Organizations might also be able to fill positions
if they are willing to hire engineers across industries, according to Zambrecca. ‘‘Engineers want
very specific things for very specific jobs. If they are
out of work, they’ve been pigeonholed in that industry,’’ Zambrecca said.
For example, an energy company might consider hiring an engineer from the automotive industry, he said. ‘‘What we’ve got to do is see what
the foundation of their skills is, see if they can
adapt to working on pipelines. Some companies
have had success doing that. It’s up to the hiring
manager to take a chance. Companies don’t have
the luxury of a perfect fit.’’
Salaries by company size. The size of a company affects salary levels, along with region, according to the 2014 Salary Guide from Adecco.
The guide’s salary figures are based on research
conducted by CareerBliss, an online career community, and data submitted by both employees
March 2015

and job seekers. To further validate the data, colleagues in the Adecco nationwide branch network
reviewed the figures and compared them with local hiring and salary metrics, according to Adecco.
A process engineer, for example, earns a range
of $56,929 to $79,758 at a small company (under
$250 million in annual revenue) in the Northeast,
according to the Adecco survey (see Table 2). At a
medium sized firm (with $250 million to $1 billion
in revenue), the pay range is $58,039 to $84,134,
and the range is $59,873 to $85,595 at a large
firm (over $1 billion in revenue).
A project engineer has one of the higher pay
ranges, running up to a range of $66,774 to
$126,696 at a large company in the West, according to the Adecco survey. At a small company in the
West, the salary range is $58,712 to $120,930 for
a project engineer. The project engineer prepares
schedules and works in conjunction with or instead

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Table 3

Table 4

Salaries and total compensation
for engineers

Salaries for engineers
by experience and with and without
supervisory responsibility

by title

Softw
warre en
ngine
eering
g manager
Vice pre
eside
ent /VP of engine
eering
Te
ech
hnica
al directtor/
direcctorr of engin
neerin
ng/
R&D
D/en
ngine
eerin
ng ma
anager
Chie
ef en
ngineer/
/senio
or engine
eer/
le
ead eng
gine
eer/p
princip
pal engin
neer
Manufacturring/
/produ
uction
manage
er
Pres
sident/o
owne
er/CEO
O/other
exxeccutivve mana
ageme
ent
Grou
up le
eade
er/p
projectt team
le
eader/project manag
ger
Systtems en
ngine
eer/
applicattions
s engineer
Softw
warre en
ngine
eer
Depa
artm
mentt hea
ad/se
ection he
ead
Applicattions
s/syystems
en
nginee
ering
g ma
anagerr
Othe
er
Desiign enginee
er/
prroje
ect enginee
er/R&D
D engine
eer
Te
est eng
gine
eer
QC/e
evaluattion/
/test managerr
Manufacturring/
/produ
uction
en
nginee
er
Cons
sultting engiineer/
/scientis
st
Mem
mber of tech
hnical staff
Source: Electronic Engineering

Base
Salary
$157
7,611
$124
4,306

Total
Comp
$166,461
1
$140,107
7

$123
3,822

$137,400
0

$117
7,674

$108,961
1

$109
9,350

$117,475
5

$102
2,735

$113,538
8

$103
3,142

$111,284
4

$102
2,637

$111,001
1

$103
3,570
$98
8,813

$110,483
3
$109,542
2

$99
9,230

$109,150
0

$88
8,718

$95,945
5

$87
7,030

$94,288
8

$85
5,316
$80
0,600

$92,417
7
$89,356
6

$80
0,075

$88,390
0

$79
9,645
$75
5,576

$85,992
2
$81,983
3

A BNA Graphic/rssf2104

of a project manager, according to the Adecco
guide.
Electronic engineering survey. According to
the ‘‘2014 Engineering Salary & Opinion Survey’’
from Electronic Design, which includes responses
from 3,000 participants, the average total compensation for an engineer is $106,482, which is a
1.3 percent increase from the previous year. Nonsalary compensation and stock options rose 7 percent in 2014.
The average age of an engineer is 52, with an
average of 27 years of experience, according to
this survey. More than half of the engineers responding to the Electronic Design survey reported
being approached by a recruitment specialist or
headhunter in the past year.
REPORT ON SALARY SURVEYS

5

ISSN 1067-4551

Mediaan saalary
Sttartinng mediann salarry
5 yearrs of experriencee
100 yeaars of expeeriencce
155 yeaars of expeeriencce
200–255 yeaars of experience
355+ yeears of expperiennce

Overaall
$62,500
$67,500
$882,500
$92,500
$105,000
$115,000

With
Nonsupervisory
supervisory
responsibility responsibility
$62,5500
$55,500
$72,5500
$62,500
$82,5500
$77,500
$97,5500
$92,500
$115,0000
$97,500
$130,0000
$110,000

Source: Engineering Workforce Commission of the American Association
of Engineering Societies
A BNA Graphic/rssf2105

By title, a software engineering manager earns
the most, with a base salary of $157,611 and total
compensation of $166,461, according to the Electronic Design survey (see Table 3).
Engineering managers saw an 11 percent increase in pay, following a 5 percent decline the
previous year, bringing the average base salary to
$121,921 and total compensation to $133,132,
according to the Electronic Design survey. Operating management experienced a 10 percent increase in pay to reach $119,740 in base salary
and $133,230 in total compensation.
Supervisory responsibilities pay off. The median salary for an engineer is $62,500, according
to data from the Engineering Workforce Commission of the American Association of Engineering
Societies (see Table 4).
With supervisory responsibility, the median salary is still $62,500, but without it, the salary drops
to $55,500.
Ten years of experience brings the median salary to an overall $82,500. But without supervisory
responsibility, the median salary is $77,500, according to the Engineering Workforce Commission
data. The data is based on a survey of ‘‘thousands’’ of engineers, according to EWC.
How to fill engineering spots. Companies
can fill some of the empty engineering positions
with foreign workers, but the number of work visas
is limited, according to Zambrecca. Organizations
need to get the younger population interested in
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studying engineering, he said. ‘‘We have to find
the ways to stress math and science at an early
age,’’ Zambrecca said.
Some companies have taken a very proactive
approach at identifying universities that are a good
fit with their needs, according to Glaser. ‘‘They actively form relationships with these schools, recruit
from them, and sometimes partner with and support them,’’ he said.
The number of engineering bachelor’s degrees
given out rose by 6 percent in 2013, reaching a total of 93,360, according to the American Society
for Engineering Education. The number of degrees
given out for civil and environmental engineering
rose 27 percent, while degrees in general engineering rose 20 percent, according to the ASEE.
Companies should continually evaluate how
they are attracting talent, what benefits they are
providing, and how this compares to other organizations, Glaser said. ‘‘AAES helps to facilitate an
understanding of this by providing statistics on the

field, but engineering companies must recognize
the level of competition in the marketplace. In our
experience, they are sophisticated and do pay attention to these trends,’’ Glaser said.
For more information: Find out more about the Randstad Engineering Employee Confidence Index at http://
engineering.randstadusa.com/.
Find the Randstad US’s ‘‘Hot Jobs’’ list for 2015 at https://
www.randstadusa.com/workforce360/hot-jobs-in-demand2015/.
The ’’2014 Workplace Trends and Salary Guide’’ from
Randstad Engineering can be found at https://
www.randstadusa.com/staffing-and-solutions/salary-guide2014/.
Learn more about the American Association of Engineering
Societies at http://www.aaes.org/.
Learn more about the Engineering Workforce Commission
at http://www.ewc-online.org.
The ‘‘2014 Engineering Salary & Opinion Survey’’ from
Electronic Design can be found at http://
www.electronicdesign.com/salarysurvey.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers
(NACE) Salary Survey can be found at http://
www.naceweb.org.
The American Society for Engineering Education can be
found at http://www.asee.org/.

Surveys Find Companies Struggle to Find Critical Talent
Despite increased competition for talent, many
companies overlook existing employees for potential development and forgo training for new hires,
according to several surveys.
Companies seek to hire talent but are being very
selective, since many professionals who were unemployed during the recession may need to refresh their technical skills, the surveys found.

told Bloomberg BNA. ‘‘Many companies identify
the lack of qualified workers as a barrier to potential growth,’’ he said.
Organizations expect to increase headcount by
1.6 percent, but it could be as high as 2.6 percent
if they could find the right workers, Esch said.

The inability to find the talent they need may be
hampering business development, according to
the latest Trendsetter Barometer Business Outlook
from PricewaterhouseCoopers.

‘‘We do see that companies implement some
training programs, especially when they are unable to find totally qualified workers. If the workers
have the basic skill sets, and they put them with a
mentor, the new hires can contribute immediately
to the bottom line,’’ Esch said.

A third of companies reported they were unable
to hire the talent they needed because of a skills
gap, according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers
survey. Overall, 37 percent of companies are concerned about finding qualified workers, up from
past surveys, Ken Esch, a partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Private Company Services Practice,

Organizations are increasing mentoring programs for employees as a way to develop skill sets,
particularly in the manufacturing environment, according to Esch. In this industry, skills may have
stagnated among workers who were downsized
during the recession and when offshoring became
widespread, he said.

March 2015

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Calendar
2015 Human Capital Summit. Orlando, March 31-April 2. Contact: Human Capital Institute 866538-1909 or http://www.hci.org.
Strategic HR Conference. New York, April 23-24. Contact: The Conference Board, 212-339-0345;
http://www.conference-board.org; or customer.service@conference-board.org.
Talent Management Conference & Exposition. San Diego, April 27-29. Contact: Society for Human
Resource Management, 800-283-7476 shrm@shrm.org; http://www.shrm.org.
Executive Compensation Conference. New York, May 5–6. Contact: The Conference Board, 212339-0345; http://www.conference-board.org; or customer.service@conference-board.org.
Total Rewards Conference. Minneapolis, May 18-20. Contact: WorldatWork, 877-951-9191;
customerrelations@worldatwork.org; http://www.worldatwork.org.
Fundamentals of Human Resources Management. New York, June 3-5; San Francisco, June 22-24.
Contact: American Management Association, 800-262-9699 http://www.amanet.org.
SHRM 2015 Annual Conference and Exposition. Las Vegas, June 28-July 1. Contact: Society for Human Resource Management, 800-283-7476 shrm@shrm.org; http://www.shrm.org.

As manufacturing is brought back into the U.S.,
‘‘we’re finding there are not as many young workers with the necessary skills,’’ he said.
Rapidly changing technology is another factor
causing workers’ skills to become outdated, according to Esch. ‘‘The technology increases exponentially year over year. For someone out of work
since the recession, the technology has passed
them by,’’ he said.
Most companies seek new talent. Only onethird of companies focus on developing and promoting employees from within, rather than seeking outside candidates, according to a survey of
more than 1,200 executives and managers by the
American Management Association (AMA), a corporate training and consulting group.
The survey, ‘‘Is Employee Loyalty Still Valued?’’,
was completed Dec. 1, 2014. Respondents included 1,213 senior-level business, human resources, management professionals and employees drawn from the AMA database of contacts.
REPORT ON SALARY SURVEYS

ISSN 1067-4551

More than half of companies say they have no
preference for hiring internal versus external candidates, but act according to shifting business
needs, according to the AMA survey. About a third
say they focus on developing and retaining current
employees, while 11 percent expect high turnover
and recruit accordingly.
The AMA survey also found that 52 percent of
managers consider their employees to be less loyal
than five years ago, while 37 percent consider employee loyalty to be at the same level as before. At
large companies—with more than 1,000
employees—61 percent of managers say their
workers are less loyal than five years ago. Companies are not simply overlooking their existing employees, but seeking candidates who have the necessary skills sets, which current employees may not
possess, according to Sam Davis, vice president of
AMA’s customized consulting solutions.
During the recession, many organizations
downsized and asked remaining employees to
take on additional responsibilities, whether or not
they were qualified, according to Davis. ‘‘This created a lot of stress and anxiety. People were asked
BNA

March 2015 

8

(No. 3)

to do things they didn’t used to do,’’ he said. Companies can now hire employees with appropriate
skills, he said.
Training is encouraged. The AMA encourages
its member companies to provide training to employees, since it demonstrates concern about employees, both current and future, Davis said. ‘‘It’s
one way to help with the development of their
people. It creates a better environment, makes
them better prepared and feel more valued,’’ he
said.
Providing training is more than just encouraging, it’s become ‘‘almost a necessity,’’ according to
Davis. ‘‘It’s hard to find talent, and the cost of turnover is astronomical,’’ he said.
Many government agencies have an older workforce and will lose a large percentage of employees over the next few years to retirement, according to Davis. ‘‘It’s harder for the government to
hire new employees because they have to compete
with the private sector. It becomes even more of an
imperative to develop from within,’’ he said.
Training can also be a selling point to new hires,
because it demonstrates an environment that’s
conducive to career development, and can become a unique selling point during the recruitment
process, according to Davis.
Millennials entering the workforce will expect
upward mobility and find training especially appealing, according to Davis. Companies that are in
a competitive situation for talent may have an
edge if they offer training to new hires and existing
employees, he said.
Recent graduates want more training. Recent college graduates expected to experience
more on-the-job training than they actually received, according to a survey from Accenture. The
Accenture ‘‘2014 College Graduate Employment
Survey’’ polled 1,010 students who were graduating from college in 2014, and 1,005 students who
graduated from college in 2012 and 2013, to
compare the perceptions of students preparing to
enter the job market with the experiences of recent
graduates already in the workforce.
March 2015

Soon-to-be graduates expect to require further
learning, with 69 percent of 2014 graduates saying that they need more training or post-graduate
education to get their desired job. The majority of
students (80 percent) expect their first employers to
provide them with a formal training program.
However, 52 percent of students who graduated
from college in the past two years say they did not
receive training in their first job, the Accenture survey found.
‘‘Graduates are leaving college expecting to receive corporate training, but despite the skills
shortage, there is still no material movement by organizations to help close the gap,’’ David Smith,
global managing director, Accenture Talent & Organization at Accenture Strategy, said in a press
release.
Underemployed and underpaid? Nearly half
(46 percent) of those who graduated in 2012 and
2013 consider themselves underemployed and
working in jobs that do not require their college
degrees, up from 41 percent of recent graduates
participating in last year’s Accenture survey.
Graduates are also not getting the salary they
had anticipated while earning their degrees: 41
percent of recent college graduates are earning
$25,000 or less. Among those who were graduating in 2014, 83 percent expected to earn more
than $25,000, and 43 percent expected to earn
over $40,000 at their first job, according to the Accenture survey.
Overall, 43 percent of recent graduates said
they were willing to compromise on salary, compared with 33 percent of students who were about
to graduate.
College students are planning for their marketability after graduation, according to Accenture:
75 percent said they considered the availability of
jobs in their field when deciding a major, up from
65 percent in 2012. Of the 13 percent of 2012 and
2013 graduates, 41 percent believe they would
have had more job opportunities if they had chosen a different major, and 72 percent expect to return to school in the next five years, according to
Accenture.

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Wage growth may be on the way. Companies report an expected wage increase of 2.75 percent for 2015, up only slightly from last year, according to the Trendsetter Barometer from PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Wage increases may still be on the low side, but
this could change in coming years as the competition for talent increases, according to Esch. ‘‘We
think that some of the demand is a bit of a precursor to wage increases,’’ he said.
Little training for new employees. Another
study, from the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University, ‘‘College is Just
the Beginning; Employers’ Role in the $1.1 Trillion
Postsecondary Education and Training System,’’
examined training in organizations.
The researchers included Anthony P. Carnevale,
Jeff Strohl and Artem Gulish. The researchers examined 2013 data from government departments
to determine how much employers spend on training employees.
Companies spent only 3 percent of their training
budget on employees age 24 and under, and 11
percent on those 55 and older, according to the
study. Most of the budget (86 percent) went to
training workers between the ages of 24 and 54,
according to the Georgetown researchers. Also,
they said, most of the business training budget is
spent on college-educated workers; only 17 percent goes towards training workers with a highschool diploma or less.
‘‘Employers spend more on training than colleges because people only go to college for four
years and continue to learn at the workplace for
another 45 years. Therefore, there are a lot more
students and a lot more years,’’ Carnevale, the report’s lead author said in a press release.
American postsecondary institutions, government agencies and employers spend $1.1 trillion
annually on formal and informal higher education
and training, according to the Georgetown research.

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9

Table 1

Employer spending on formal training
by industry sector

Servvices
s
Trranspo
ortattion,
co
ommun
nica
ation, utilitties
Fiinance
e, ins
surance,
re
eal esttate
Who
olesa
ale and retail trade
Cons
stru
uctio
on
Mining
Total

Employer
spending on
formal training
in 2013
$91
1.6 billionn

Share of
total spending
on formal
employer training
52%

$25
5.1 billionn

14%

$16
6.6 billionn

9%

$15
5.9 billionn
$5
5.8 billionn
$2
2.5 billionn
$1
177 billion

9%
3%
1%
100%
%

Es
stim
mate
es ba
ased on analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor
Sttatistics
s’ Su
urveyy of Em
mployer-Prrovided Training (1995) and U.S.
Ce
ens
sus Bure
eau’s Curren
nt Popula
ation Survey (2013).
Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
A BNA Graphic/rssf2110

From that $1.1 trillion, $649 billion goes towards formal postsecondary education and training each year; colleges and universities spend
$407 billion and employers spend $177 billion of
that on formal training, the study found. Employers
spend another $413 billion annually on informal,
on-the-job training.
The services industry devotes the most money to
formal training, at $91.6 billion, comprising 52
percent of national spending on training among all
businesses, according to the Georgetown research
(see Table 1). On the other hand, the manufacturing field accounts for 11 percent of all workers, but
spends 14 percent on formal trending.
For more information: Find the Accenture ‘‘2014 College Graduate Employment Survey’’ at http://
www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-2014accenture-college-graduate-employmentsurvey.aspx?c=stg_prposts_10000003&n=smc_0514.
Find out more about the American Management Association at http://www.amanet.org.
The Trendsetter Barometer Business Outlook from PricewaterhouseCoopers can be found at http://www.pwc.com/
en_US/us/private-company-services/publications/assets/
pwc-trendsetter-barometer-q4-2014.pdf.
The Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University report, ‘‘College is Just the Beginning;
Employers’ Role in the $1.1 Trillion Postsecondary Education and Training System,’’ can be found at https://
cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/TrillionDollar-Training-System-.pdf.

BNA

March 2015 

10

(No. 3)

Compensation Strategies
Consultants Advise a Coaching Culture to Improve Performance
Managers are the key to driving employee engagement; developing their coaching skills will go
a long way toward improving engagement programs and organizational performance, Heather
Backstrom, consultant at Heather Backstrom Consulting, told a February webinar sponsored by the
Human Capital Institute.
‘‘There’s an alignment between a culture of
coaching and engagement. Having coaching and
engagement are really critical to the success of an
organization,’’ Backstrom said.
Among employees working in an organization
with a strong coaching culture, 65 percent rated
themselves as highly engaged, according to the
‘‘Building a Coaching Culture’’ study by the Human Capital Institute and the International Coach
Federation. The study is based on a survey of over
500 respondents, interviews with coaching experts, as well as academic journals, case studies
and white papers.

Lack of engagement is costly. The results
show up in the numbers: employees that are not
actively engaged cost the economy an estimated
$450 to $550 billion each year, according to Gallup research conducted in 2013, Backstrom said.
According to the HCI/ICF study, 60 percent of
respondents from organizations with strong coaching cultures reported their 2013 revenue to be
above average compared to their peer group. ‘‘We
see alignment between revenue and engagement
and coaching. Having a strong coaching culture is
really critical to the success of the organization,’’
Backstrom said.
The three main barriers to implementing a successful coaching culture are lack of time, limited
ability to measure return on investment and budgetary constraints, according to the HCI/ICF study.
March 2015

Another hindrance to manager coaching is not
having compensation linked to coaching efforts,
according to the HCI/ICF study. In addition, 27
percent of companies don’t evaluate the effectiveness of coaching, the study found. Among those
that do, 58 percent rely on employee feedback and
42 percent rely on feedback from the manager.
Defining engagement is a first step. Companies need to understand what engagement is, so
one of the first steps is simply to define it, Rachel
Karu, founder of EAE Development, a professional
career development consulting firm, told the webinar.
There are two perspectives of engagement: organizational engagement and individual engagement, Karu said. Organizational engagement is a
practice that aligns teams and individuals so they
do work that supports the organizational structures
and processes, she said. Employee engagement
occurs when they are aligned with the company’s
mission and work and are willing to do what is
necessary to be successful, she added.
The desired outcome for engagement is threefold, according to Karu: to retain top talent,
achieve desired organizational results and successfully brand the company to be an employer of
choice.
Manager’s keys to engagement. ‘‘Engagement really impacts every part of the employee’s
life cycle, and research shows that the manager is
critical to driving that employee engagement,’’
Karu said.
Karu said there are six keys to engagement that
companies should expect for managers to be able
to drive engagement: (1) talent acquisition; (2) onboarding; (3) setting expectations; (4) coaching:
tactical and development; (5) feedback; and (6)
performance management.

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Compensation Strategies
Table 1

What are the most important prerequisites for a manager/leader to become
successful using coaching skills?

Demonstra
ated em
motional/
/social in
ntelligence
Demonstra
ated lea
adership
p ability
Posittive pe
erformance
Expe
erience
e
Informal co
oach tra
aining
Accre
edited coach trainingg
Technical skills
Educcation

Very imporrtant
70%
58%
43%
28%
26%
15%
10%
9%

Source: HCI/ICF

Important
27%
39%
53%
61%
59%
24%
44%
40%

Neither
important or
unimportant
3%
3%
3%
7%
13%
39%
33%
38%

Unimportant
n/a
n/a
4%
3%
17%
9%
12%
A BNA Graphic/rssf2101

Two of the biggest roles that managers play are
as a coach and in identifying and leveraging employee strengths, according to Karu.

ployees; 51 percent received less than 30 hours of
informal coach training and 22 percent received
no training at all. according to the HCI/ICF study.

The manager as coach. There are many aspects to being an effective coach, according to
Backstrom. For example, a good coach asks questions to help an employee work through an assignment or project, listens, and gives positive and developmental feedback to help foster growth, Backstrom said.

Without training managers in coaching,
‘‘there’s a risk of a significant impact on the bottom line of the organization,’’ Backstrom said.

Coaching also needs to be personalized to be
effective; a good manager needs to recognize employees’ work, give credit and provide recognition,
Backstrom said.
How frequently a manager works on coaching
employees also matters, the HCI/ICF study said.
The survey found that 58 percent of employees
from a strong coaching culture said their manager
coaches them daily, compared with 34 percent in
other organizations.
Coaching conversations can occur during a
scheduled meeting or in the moment, such as
while passing in the hallway. Managers might also
call, email or text employees to discuss matters,
Backstrom said.
Few companies provide training. Many managers have received little training in coaching em-

REPORT ON SALARY SURVEYS

ISSN 1067-4551

Among companies that identified as having a
strong coaching culture, nearly 17 percent provide
managers with more than 50 hours of coach training, and 19 percent offer between 30 and 60 hours
of coach training, according to the HCI/ICF study.
When asked what the key prerequisites are for
manager/leaders using coaching skills, demonstrated emotional and social intelligence and leadership ability topped the list, according to the HCI/
ICF study (see Table 1).
Lower on the must-have list is whether or not
these managers/leaders have received coachspecific training, either informally or through an
accredited program.
For more information: Learn more about Human Capital Institute webcasts at http://www.hci.org.
‘‘Building a Coaching Culture’’ from the Human Capital
Institute and International Coach Federation can be found
online at http://coachingblog.lt/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/
2014BuildingACoachingCultureReport.pdf.
Find out more about Heather Backstrom Consulting at
http://heatherbackstrom.com/.
Find out more about RAE Development at http://
www.raedevelopment.com.

BNA

March 2015 

12

(No. 3)

Surveys Examine Outlook for Import/Export Professionals
A report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics forecast slower-than-average job growth in the
import/export field in 2012, but this outlook appears to be changing as the economy has continued to improve, according to Laurel Delaney,
president of GlobeTrade.com, a consulting and
marketing solutions company.
‘‘I think we will see an uptick in hiring in this
field as the global economy improves,’’ Delaney
told Bloomberg BNA. Technology makes it easier
to hire globally as needed and ‘‘allows you to
broaden your pool of exceptional candidates,’’ she
said.
The global hiring outlook also looks brighter because the S&P 500 companies achieved more than
half their sales outside the U.S. in 2013, according
to S&P Dow Jones Indices, Delaney said.
‘‘If that continues, you’ll see hiring numbers on
a global basis start to rise, no matter what kind of
position it is, provided it supports a company’s
global initiative,’’ she said.
Professionals in the import/export field need to
have an interest in international matters, cultural
empathy, multilingual capabilities and some international experience, according to Delaney.
Salaries in selected cities. The overall average salary for an import/export analyst is $71,200,
according to the ERI Economic Resource Institute’s
Salary Assessor (see Table 1). The ERI’s Salary Assessor includes data as compiled from available
published wage and salary survey sources.

Table 1

Average Salary for Import/Export
Analysts and Clerks in Selected
U.S. Cities
Overall
Lo
os Anggeles
s
Miam
mi
New
w Yorrk
Chiccago
o
Hous
ston
n
El Pa
aso
Phoe
enixx
Attlan
nta

Ana
alyst
$71,200
0
$78,316
$68,057
$82,597
$75,820
$69,773
$61,361
$68,992
$68,374

Source: ERI Economic Research Institute

Clerk
$45,651
1
$49
9,689
$43
3,221
$52
2,262
$48
8,185
$43
3,984
$38
8,694
$44
4,390
$43
3,504
A BNA Graphic/rssf2106

In a major port city such as Los Angeles, the average salary for an import/export analyst is
$78,316 and the average salary for import/export
clerks is $49,689.
The overall average salary for an import/export
clerk is $45,651. The highest-paying city for both
job titles is New York, at $82,597 for the analyst
and $52,262 for the clerk.
Pay by title. An import/export analyst earns a
median $52,204, according to data from Payscale
(see Table 2). The pay range from Payscale compensation data comes from salary surveys from a
wide range of industries and geographic locations.
The data is validated by a survey system and compensation data team and falls within age requirements, according to Payscale.

Table 2

Pay for Import/Export Professionals
by Title

Mediian
Salary rangge
Bonu
us
Profitt shariing
Total

Im
mport Manager
$60,810
$39,827 – $86,,486
$0 – $9,8177
$1,340 – $9,6696
$40,028 – $90,,197

Export Ma
arkets
Developm
ment
Manag
ger
$64,916
$47,344 – $111,504
$0 – $558,723
n//a
$47,569 – $141,914

Exportt Sales
Man
nager
$59,928
$337,326 – $95,589
$0 – $17,920
$1,017 – $5,896
$0 – $37,500

Import/Export
Analyst
$52,204
$34,784 – $77,138
$0 – $6,411
$277.50 – $5,000
$31,317 – $78,344

Import/Export
Agent
$38,992
$28,521 – $50,596
$0 – $2,433
n/a
$27,047 – $49,8885

Source: Payscale

March 2015

Import/Export
Clerk
$35,691
$27,145 – $49,4005
$0 – $2,591
n/a
$24,013 – $47,8003

A BNA Graphic/rssf2107

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Import/export analyst job responsibilities include arranging communications and shipments
between a sales group and its customers. These
analysts are employed by a variety of companies
that distribute products, according to Payscale.
The typical career path for an import/export
analyst is to go on to the job of import manager,
according to Payscale.
The median salary for an import manager is
$60,810. An import manager is generally expected to have at least a high-school diploma or
equivalent and a minimum of five years of experi-

13

ence in importing and exporting, according to Payscale.
Most companies also require some experience
in warehouse management or another form of
managing experience, Payscale said.
For more information: The ERI Economic Research Institute’s Salary Assessor desktop software reports competitive salary, incentive, and base compensation ranges
for over 6,100 job titles and 7,900 geographic locations in
the US and Canada when combined with the Geographic
Assessor. Call 800-627-3697 or visit http://
www.erieri.com.
Data from Payscale.com can be found online at http://
www.payscale.com.
Learn more about GlobeTrade at
http://www.globetrade.com.

Surveys Report More Pay, Demand for IT Help Desk Professionals
The help desk, desktop support or service desk
field is a growing one, with substantial demand for
professionals who can handle the technical skills
required for the job, according to two salary surveys.
‘‘The field is growing rapidly,’’ Ivy Meadors,
CEO of High Tech Solutions, a consulting firm for
call center and technical support help desk operations, told Bloomberg BNA.
Meadors helped to create one of the first help
desks for a large communications firm in 1983,
and is also a co-founder of the Customer Service
and Support Professionals (CSSP) group, a professional organization.
Booming growth in help desks. The help
desk field is growing exponentially, according to
Meadors. Technology trends such as cloud computing, mobility and BYOD (bring your own device)
translate into a greater need for help desk professionals to manager security, privacy and storage
for the organization, according to Meadors.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts the job
outlook to grow at a pace of 17 percent between
2012 and 2022, which is faster than average. The
growth stems from the need for support services as
organizations upgrade their computer equipment
and software, according to BLS.
REPORT ON SALARY SURVEYS

ISSN 1067-4551

The help desk is needed to support the many
technologies that businesses increasingly rely on,
according to Meador. ‘‘The greatest asset to any
company is the help desk, because everyone has a
device, BYOD, and so on, and everyone needs help
with it,’’ Meador said.
Not enough skilled workers. Adding to the
difficulty is that there are simply not enough skilled
professionals to fill the positions, according to
Meadors. ‘‘There’s a shortage of skills, especially
in Seattle. The University of Washington is trying to
pump people out as fast as possible and Bellevue
College also offers classes that involve teaching
specific help desk skills,’’ she said.
There is also a demand for help desk professionals in the Midwest and the Northeast, with the
skills as difficult to find, Meadors said. ‘‘There is a
demand across the nation. The help desk is hot,’’
she said.
Several levels of technicians. Companies are
finding it difficult to find skilled professionals for
help desk positions, according to the ‘‘HDI Support
Center Practices & Salary Report’’ from HDI, an association for technical service and support professionals. The online survey was completed by 1,369
desktop support professionals representing 30 industries.
BNA

March 2015 

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(No. 3)

Table 1

Salary ranges for desktop
support professionals
Dediicatted Deskktop
Supp
portt Ma
anag
ger
Distrribu
uted Des
sktop
Supp
portt Ma
anag
ger
Direcctorr
Supp
portt Tecchniccian
Ju
unio
or-LLevel
Supp
portt Tecchniccian
Seniior-L
Leve
el
Supp
portt Tecchniccian
Supp
portt Tea
am Lead
Source: HDI

Low
w

High

Average

$7
70,090

$88,773

$80,015

$6
66,440

$89,171

$78,820

$9
96,155
$4
41,175

$123,237
$62,642

$106,744
$51,060

$3
38,987

$54,919

$45,796

$4
47,640

$66,709

$56,226

$5
56,263

$73,671

$64,369

A BNA Graphic/rssf2108

To help ease the shortage, nearly a third of organizations allow some of their technicians to work
from home, the survey found.
Most desktop support teams (63 percent) include more than one level of desktop support technician, according to the HDI survey.
Desktop support technicians at the senior level
earn an average of $56,226 and have two more
years of experience than those at the junior level,
according to the HDI survey (see Table 1). A juniorlevel support technician is paid an average of
$45,796.

It found that in 2012, 59 percent of organizations reported their desktop support and service
desk teams were separate, but this dropped to 52
percent in 2014, the HDI survey said.
Service desk workers typically have better communication skills, according to Meadors. A service
desk will handle matters such as setting up a service call, while a help desk handles troubleshooting for devices, which requires more technical
knowledge.
‘‘Help desk people don’t like to talk on the
phone, but they earn more for their technical
skills,’’ Meador said.
Help desk is a first step for some. Working at
the help desk is considered by some to be a stepping stone to working at a service desk, according
to Meadors.
‘‘They will get certification in ITIL and want to
work at the service desk,’’ she said.
ITIL, formerly known as the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, is a set of practices for IT
service management (ITSM) that focuses on aligning IT services with the needs of business.
It was originally developed from a set of recommendations by the U.K.’s Government’s Central
Communications
and
Telecommunications
Agency.

More than half, 57 percent, of companies have
dedicated desktop support managers, who earn an
average of $80,015, according to the HDI survey.

Companies also need to consider the cost implications of the different levels of technicians, according to Meadors.

At 23 percent of firms, the desktop support managers also oversee other areas, such as support
centers, network support or server support, and
earn $78,820 on average, the HDI survey said.

Organizations look at how much it costs to call
into the help desk, which might be $150 per call,
she said. ‘‘For more advanced people, it costs
$300 to $500,’’ she said.

Slightly less than half, 48 percent, of organizations have directors of desktop support, who have
about 13 years of IT support experience and are
paid $106,744.
Desktop and service desk differences. Organizations are training frontline agents to handle
desktop support, as well, according to the HDI survey.
March 2015

Rising starting salaries. Projected starting
salaries for help desk positions increased as much
as 6.4 percent in 2015, according to the ‘‘2015
Salary Guide’’ from Robert Half Technology.
The salary data is based on ‘‘thousands of fulltime and interim placements’’ made by Robert Half
Technology. The salary ranges reflect starting pay,
and do not include bonuses or other forms of compensation.

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Table 2

Salary ranges for technical services, help desk and technical support positions
by title
Mana
ager
Deskktop Su
upport Analyst
Syste
ems Administtrator
Syste
ems Engineer
Mess
sagingg Admin
nistrator
Help Desk Tier 3
Help Desk Tier 2
Help Desk Tier 1
Instructor/
/Trainerr
PC Te
echniccian
Busin
ness Continu
uity Analyyst

2014
$ 76,500 – $109,0
000
$ 49,750 – $ 73,0
000
$ 62,250 – $ 96,500
$ 76,750 – $111,2
250
$ 68,500 – $ 99,750
$ 53,000 – $ 68,500
$ 42,000 – $ 54,5
500
$ 33,000 – $ 44,250
$ 52,250 – $ 83,0
000
$ 32,250 – $ 47,5
500
$ 87,750 – $125,0
000

Source: Robert Half Technology

% change
5.3%
5.1%
4.7%
5.2%
5.5%
6.4%
5.4%
5.2%
4.6%
4.7%
5.6%
A BNA Graphic/rssf2109

For a help desk tier 3 professional, the salary
range rose 6.4 percent to reach $55,250 to
$74,000 (see Table 2).
Help desk personnel need problem-solving,
communication and interpersonal skills, along
with patience and a customer-friendly attitude, according ot the Robert Half Technology guide. They
also need a strong technical understanding of the
various hardware, software and networking systems being supported, the guide said.
Tiers of help desk professionals. A tier 1 help
desk professional has less than two years of experience and may require an associates’ degree or
coursework at a technical school, according to the
guide. This level takes initial phone or email enquiries and handles relatively simple issues, and earns
between $34,000 and $47,250.
Tier 2 positions require two to four years of work
experience and may require a bachelor’s degree
or a two-year degree plus experience, according to
the Robert Half Technology guide. This level resolves more complex issues, and earns a range of
$43,750 to $58,000, which is up 5.4 percent from
the previous year.
Tier 3 professionals tend to require four or more
years of help desk experience, a bachelor’s degree
in computer science or related field and/or a professional certification, such as HDI’s Customer Service Representative or Support Center Analyst or
REPORT ON SALARY SURVEYS

2015
$ 80,500 – $114,750
$ 52,000 – $ 77,000
$ 65,750 – $100,500
$ 80,250 – $117,500
$ 72,500 – $105,000
$ 55,250 – $ 74,000
$ 43,750 – $ 58,000
$ 34,000 – $ 47,250
$ 54,250 – $ 87,250
$ 33,750 – $ 49,750
$ 92,500 – $132,250

ISSN 1067-4551

the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)
designation, the guide said.
For more information: Find out more about High Tech
High Touch Solutions at http://www.hthts.com.
Learn more about Customer Service and Support Professionals (CSSP) at http://www.hthts.com/cssp.htm.
The ‘‘HDI Support Center Practices & Salary Report: can
be found at http://www.thinkhdi.com/topics/research/
support-center-reports.aspx.
The ‘‘2015 Salary Guide’’ from Robert Half Technology can
be found at http://www.roberthalf.com/technology/it-salarycenter.

BBNA’s HR Benchmarks Survey!
Bloomberg BNA cordially invites you to
take part in our highly respected annual HR
Benchmarks Survey. In exchange for your
valuable time and insight, we will be
pleased to send you a complimentary electronic copy of the full survey report, HR Department Benchmarks and Analysis 20152016, as well as electronic copies of
Bloomberg BNA’s reports on 2015 Thanksgiving Holiday Practices and 2015 YearEnd Holiday Practices.
To take part in the survey, please fill it out
online at https://bna.az1.qualtrics.com/
SE/?SID=SV_3gTPMwNd09zkf0p
by
March 6, 2015.

BNA

March 2015 

16

(No. 3)

News Briefs
EBRI Survey Reports Most Workers Satisfied
But Want Change in Mix of Benefits and Wages

for constant change, companies must be ready for
high turnover.

The majority of workers are satisfied with the
health benefits they have, but nearly one-third are
interested in changing the mix of benefits and
wages they currently have through their employers, according to research from Employee Benefit
Research Institute (ERBI, http://www.ebri.org).

She said hiring in waves or ‘‘classes’’ helps fill
workplaces with fresh talent.

The report, ‘‘Views on Employment-Based
Health Benefits: Findings from the 2014 Health
and Voluntary Workplace Benefits Survey,’’ found
that nearly 70 percent of employees say they are
satisfied for now, but 19 percent said they would
give up health benefits for high wages, while 12
percent said they would give up wages for health
benefits.
The report is based on data from the 2013 and
2014 Health and Voluntary Workplace Benefits
Survey conducted by EBRI and Greenwald & Associates.
The willingness to forgo health benefits for more
money may reflect the desire for real wage growth,
according to EBRI. Even so, most workers said that
benefits remains an important criteria in choosing
a job, the survey found.
Rebounding Job Market Has Employees
Looking for Better Opportunities, Study Says
With the economic upturn spurring employee
optimism about the job market, half of workers
have their eye on a better job opportunity and 45
percent would leave their current position for a
new job, even if they are happy there, states the
fifth annual Jobvite ‘‘Job Seeker Nation Study: Inside the Mind of the Modern Job Seeker.’’
The Jobvite survey of 1,282 workers found 60
percent currently are optimistic about job opportunities.
Kimberley Kasper, chief marketing officer at the
San Mateo, Calif.-based social recruiting and applicant tracking software company, told Bloomberg
BNA that knowing the modern job seeker’s need

March 2015

‘‘Once employees are hired, accelerate the onboarding process to make the most of the time
they do have, and encourage employees to be
honest about their goals at the company,’’ she
said. ‘‘As the modern job seeker becomes the
modern job hopper, staying ahead of the curve
means fighting turnover with a smart, savvy recruiting strategy.’’
When employees do leave, Kasper said, employers should stay in close contact with these
‘‘alumni’’ for future employment opportunities.
The study found that higher compensation remains a key driver of turnover: 61 percent of respondents said that they would leave their current
job for higher compensation, followed by better location (42 percent), work-life balance (38 percent),
health benefits (36 percent) and opportunities for
growth (35 percent).
Research Shows Household Income Rose
In 2014, But Not From Wage Increases
Household income continues on a slow rebound, up 3.3 percent from December 2013 to
December 2014, the largest amount in nearly
eight years, according to analysis from Sentier Research (http://www.sentierresearch.com/).
A ‘‘significant factor contributing to the large increase in median income’’ was mainly due to falling energy prices, rather than wage growth, Gordon Green of Sentier Resarch said in a press release.
The December 2014 median income of $54,417
is 1.5 percent lower than the median income of
$55,228 in June 2009, which is the end of the recent recession and beginning of the economic recovery, and 3.2 percent lower than the median income of $56,237 in December 2007, when the recession began.

COPYRIGHT 姝 2015 BY THE BUREAU OF NATIONAL AFFAIRS, INC.

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