Security Clearance Jobs Salary Survey Shows Further Wage Increases For Security-Cleared Candidates

New Jersey Boasts Highest Salary Increases; Candidates Dissatisfied Despite

Increases

    DES MOINES, Iowa, March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- ClearanceJobs.com, the
 leading Internet-based job board for professionals with U.S. government
 security clearances, today announced the results of its third Security
 Clearance Jobs Salary Survey. According to the nationwide study, average
 salaries of security-cleared professionals rose 1 percent to $68,139. The
 survey indicates a widening of the already large wage gap between similarly
 skilled cleared and uncleared candidates to a difference of approximately
 25 percent.
     Other key findings of the survey include:
 
     * Among the 10 highest paid locations, salaries for security clearance
       jobs in New Jersey increased 7.7 percent to $74,756 since the last
       survey was published in October 2006; statewide salaries in Maryland
       dropped nearly 5.6 percent to $74,292
     * In metro Washington, D.C., top paying locations are split between
       Arlington and Fairfax counties, with Fairfax clearance jobs paying
       higher
     * Professionals with clearances issued by the Department of Energy command
       higher salaries than professionals cleared by the Department of Defense
       or other federal agencies
     * Candidates who have passed polygraph tests earn approximately $10,300
       more a year than candidates without one
     * Security-cleared women closed the gender gap by an additional 1 percent
       since last surveyed
     * Despite high wages, the majority of polled candidates with clearances
       were not satisfied with their present salaries
     "Security-cleared candidates continue to be in short supply --
 particularly at top levels and in fields that are highly specialized.
 Salary growth to attract and retain these individuals has remained strong
 over the past quarter," said Evan Lesser, director and founder of
 ClearanceJobs.com. "The market is also seeing movement in terms of metro
 areas with the highest paying security clearance jobs. Since the last
 survey, statewide salaries in Maryland fell from the second highest
 position to the sixth. However, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. showed
 strong gains, both moving up on the Top 10 list."
     With the inclusion of the Pentagon, Arlington County has the highest
 concentration of security clearance jobs nationwide. However, the 2005 Base
 Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decisions could force thousands of defense
 industry jobs to leave Washington, D.C. and Arlington for suburban
 communities over the coming years. The impact this issue will have on
 salaries in the area is unforeseen, but ClearanceJobs.com will continue to
 track this data.
     Candidates with security clearances issued by the Department of Energy
 typically earned 12.7 percent more than their counterparts with National
 Security Agency (NSA) or CIA-issued clearances. This gap stems from the
 fact that there are fewer DOE-cleared candidates in the labor market, and
 they tend to have specialized and unique skill sets from valuable
 scientific and research backgrounds. Nationwide, candidates with
 lower-level confidential level clearances saw the greatest overall salary
 gains since the last edition of the survey with an 8 percent increase to
 $56,522.
     Passing a Counterintelligence or Lifestyle polygraph significantly
 differentiates earnings potential among cleared professionals. Of the
 approximately 20 percent of all security-cleared candidates who have passed
 either polygraph, most earn about $10,300 more per year than candidates who
 have not.
     The survey also found that cleared women working in the U.S. defense
 industry are continuing to close the salary gender gap. Security-cleared
 women earn approximately 0.89 cents for every dollar that cleared men earn.
 In comparison, uncleared women make 0.77 cents to every dollar of uncleared
 men. This reflects a 1 percent change in the salary gender gap in favor of
 women since last surveyed.
     "The data indicates that security clearances have a slight leveling
 effect on the salary gender gap," said Lesser. "In an industry where demand
 is high and cleared candidates are in short supply, we expect to see more
 comparable wages between the genders over time."
     Finally, despite earning 20 percent higher salaries than their
 non-cleared counterparts, almost 60 percent of polled candidates with
 clearances were not satisfied with their present salaries. The
 dissatisfaction can be primarily attributed to earnings disparagement
 between similarly skilled cleared and non-cleared counterparts, salaries
 that are disproportionate to high costs of living, and better salaries
 among government employees rather than contractors.
     Users can visit http://clearanceJobs.com/salary for the full survey
 results, including reports and analysis on salaries by location, clearance
 level, polygraph level, industry, gender and salary satisfaction. Data for
 the Security Clearance Jobs Salary Survey Report was collected from more
 than 2,050 security-cleared professionals registered on ClearanceJobs.com
 between October 1, 2006 and March 1, 2007.
     About ClearanceJobs.com
     ClearanceJobs.com is the leading Internet-based job board dedicated to
 matching job seekers that hold an active security clearance to the best
 hiring companies searching for new employees. Authorized U.S. government
 contractors and their representatives utilize the secure service to quickly
 and easily locate candidates with specific security clearance requirements
 to fill open jobs. ClearanceJobs.com is owned by Dice Holdings, Inc. For
 more information, please visit http://www.clearancejobs.com.
     About Dice Holdings, Inc.
     Dice Holdings, Inc. is the leading provider of specialized career sites
 and career fairs for high growth vertical sectors. With a 16-year track
 record of meeting the ever-changing needs of companies and recruiters, our
 specialty focus and exposure to highly skilled professional communities
 enable employers to reach hard-to-find, experienced and qualified
 technology and engineering, accounting and finance, capital markets, and
 security-cleared candidates.
     Dice Holdings, Inc. provides services to help recruiters, consultants
 and businesses hire and train highly qualified professionals through its
 five businesses: Dice, the leading career site for technology and
 engineering professionals (www.dice.com); JobsintheMoney, the leading
 targeted career site for accounting, finance, retail banking and wealth
 management professionals in the United States (www.jobsinthemoney.com);
 eFinancialCareers, the leading global career site network for jobs and
 career management in investment banking, asset management and securities
 professionals (www.efinancialcareers.com); ClearanceJobs, the premier
 secure job board focused exclusively on candidates with active or current
 U.S. Government security clearances (www.clearancejobs.com); and Targeted
 Job Fairs, the premier producer of career fairs and open houses for
 technology and engineering, accounting and finance, and security-cleared
 candidates nationwide (www.targetedjobfairs.com).
 
 

SOURCE ClearanceJobs.com