No surprise that people in tech jobs saw their salaries increase this year, but so did Baristas, Cooks, and Cashiers.
BY LYDIA DISHMAN
Fast Company, September 23, 2015 — Even though the annual review has come under attack for its inability to affect positive change, the yearly sit-down is often accompanied by a salary increase at most companies, if the employee merits a pay bump.
But that bump has been diminishing or disappearing altogether in recent years, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average national wage growth is 2.2%.
There are some jobs that are exceeding the standard, according to the latest survey from Glassdoor.
Twenty positions that have seen a big spike in salary over the past year exceed the national average as salary increases ranged from 3% to 10% between September 2014 and September 2015.
The three jobs that experienced the biggest pay raises in order by percentage of increase are:
Business systems analyst—median total salary: $81,000, representing a 10% salary increase from 2014 to 2015
Security officer—median total salary: $24,000, representing a 7% increase
Sales consultant—median total salary: $49,008, also representing a 7% increase
Among the highest paid with better-than-average raises:
Research scientist (median salary $85,000, representing a 4% increase from 2014 to 2015)
Software engineer (median salary $105,000, representing a 3% increase)
Network engineer (median salary $87,903, representing a 3% increase)
Positions in Glassdoor’s report needed to have at least 500 salary reports shared by U.S.-based employees on the platform for 2014 and 2015. Salary reports represent total pay, which includes base pay, tips, commissions, bonuses, and all other forms of pay reported.
The jobs in Glassdoor’s report represent a variety of industries, including health care, tech, retail, and finance and education, something Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor’s chief economist, believes is worth noting.
“Most of these jobs are tech-related and in demand across a multitude of industries, not only by tech companies, but also employers in finance, health care, government, retail, and other sectors,” he says. This growing demand for jobs of the future emphasize that tech-related skills are being sought after by traditionally non-tech industries. Chamberlain believes that is putting upward pressure on wages for these jobs in order for companies to attract and retain talent.
On the flip side, says Chamberlain, are the lower-skilled hourly worker jobs, typically with no benefits, that are also experiencing a boost to paychecks. Of course, a 3% increase when you’re making minimum wage can’t compare to the 60% boost servers received at Seattle’s Ivar’s Salmon House earlier this year. Chamberlain maintains that the minimum-wage debate over the past year in cities such as Seattle has had an impact. The city has promised to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2017.
“For lower-skilled positions, there have been several high-profile minimum wage increases in the past year, and this is likely to have contributed to some of the wage growth we see for positions like baristas,” says Chamberlain.
According to Glassdoor’s salary data, baristas now earn an average of $23,600 per year, reflecting a 6% salary increase over 2015. For those working full time, that means they earn $11.80 per hour, which is considerably higher than the current federal minimum of $7.25. This can change the game, not only for the workers themselves and their families, but research shows that companies such as Costco and QuikTrip that pay better are actually performing better.
“Even if workers aren’t directly affected by the minimum wage,” notes Chamberlain, “employers often feel institutional pressure to raise wages for workers further up the ladder when wages rise for the lowest skilled positions,” which would also explain why some of these other jobs had salary increases.
If you’re curious about which jobs made the top 20, the complete list is here, and the top 10 are below:
1. Business systems analyst
2015 total pay: $81,000
2014 total pay: $75,554
% increase from 2014 to 2015: 10%
Number of job openings: 1,803
2. Security officer
2015 total pay: $24,000
2014 total pay: $22,460
% Increase from 2014 to 2015: 7%
Number of job openings: 5,198
3. Sales consultant
2015 total pay: $49,008
2014 total pay: $45,945
% increase from 2014 to 2015: 7%
Number of job openings: 3,169
4. Pharmacy technician
2015 total pay: $26,000
2014 total pay: $24,500
% increase from 2014 to 2015: 6%
Number of job openings: 14,318
5. Barista
2015 total pay: $23,600
2014 total pay: $22,249
% increase from 2014 to 2015: 6%
Number of job openings: 997
6. Customer service manager
2015 Total pay: $34,780
2014 Total pay: $33,051
% increase from 2014 to 2015: 5%
Number of job openings: 4,034
7. Certified nursing assistant
2015 total pay: $25,000
2014 total pay: $23,840
% increase from 2014 to 2015: 5%
Number of job openings: 9,734
8. Financial analyst
2015 total pay: $71,550
2014 total pay: $68,397
% increase from 2014 to 2015: 5%
Number of job openings: 5,544
9. Systems analyst
2015 total pay: $80,000
2014 total pay: $76,575
% increase from 2014 to 2015: 4%
Number of job openings: 1,796
10. Research scientist
2015 total pay: $85,000
2014 total pay: $81,680
% Increase from 2014 to 2015: 4%
Number of job openings: 597
