US Wages Continue Upward Trend But Growth Is Sluggish; Median Base Pay Rising Nationally

MILL VALLEY, Calif., Oct. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- According to job site Glassdoor, the annual median base pay in the United States grew 1.8 percent year over year (YOY) in September 2017 to $51,491. The Glassdoor Local Pay Reports show pay growth ticked up slightly from a revised 1.6 percent growth last month. Pay growth peaked in January 2017 at a revised 3.5 percent.

The Glassdoor Local Pay Reports provide a unique monthly view into the country's wage picture with salary estimates for nearly 85 job titles and year-over-year pay growth trends in the United States. The reports include details on 10 major metros: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.¹

"Wage growth continued its slightly upward trend in September – rising 1.8 percent – similar to August's revised growth of 1.6 percent. However, at this snail's pace of wage growth it will take roughly 40 years for U.S. median annual pay to double," said Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist of Glassdoor.

Wage Growth Up for Some Healthcare Jobs, Others Fall in Demand and Salary
Wages are up for several healthcare jobs, including pharmacy technician (up 3.4 percent to $30,688), registered nurses (up 2.0 percent to $66,450) and certified nurses assistant (up 2.0 percent to $28,678). There are more than 878,000 open jobs in the healthcare industry on Glassdoor.² Highly paid pharmacists (up 0.4 percent to $127,506) and physical therapists (up 0.7 percent to $74,903) are experiencing a weaker labor market today and are not seeing a significant increase in pay.

Continued Chamberlain, "Healthcare jobs, such as pharmacy technicians, registered nurses and certified nurses assistants are seeing increased wage growth, a trend which is likely being fueled by rising demand for care from aging Baby Boomers and an increased need for these roles on the front lines of the healthcare system."

Technology Jobs and Demand for Multifaceted Roles
Solutions architect (up 3.7 percent to $102,184), web designer (up 3.4 percent to $51,767), and software engineer (up 2.7 percent to $85,806) are high-demand technology industry positions and continue to have strong pay growth in recent months. However, some technology jobs are seeing a decline in salary, including web developer (down 0.9 percent to $64,150) and java developer (down 0.1 percent to $75,124).

"The reports show that more sophisticated technology jobs like solutions architects and web designers are increasingly in demand because their mix of hard and soft skills allow them to navigate today's fast-changing tech landscape. As the need for single-skilled developers like java developers and web developers has waned, so has wage growth for those positions," noted Chamberlain.

Growth Continues for Retail Positions in Advance of the Holiday Season; Declines in Attorney Wage Growth
Pay growth continues for jobs in retail, as well as positions that directly support retailers. There are more than 690,000 open jobs in the retail industry on Glassdoor. Store managers (up 3.5 percent to $48,701) and cashiers (up 3.1 percent to $27,417) and who handle the front end, and truck drivers (up 5.0 percent to $52,280) who haul consumer goods on the back end saw above-average pay growth in September.

Among jobs experiencing the biggest declines in YOY pay growth in September, attorneys topped the list (down 1.9 percent to $93,920).

For a list of jobs with the biggest pay declines, visit the Glassdoor Economic Research blog. 

Fastest Pay Growth in Boston, Los Angeles; Houston Lags But Many Open Jobs
Among the 10 metros tracked, wage growth was fastest in Boston (up 2.1 percent to $58,887), Los Angeles (up 2.1 percent to $59,793), New York City (up 1.9 percent to $60,755) and Seattle (up 1.9 percent to $60,426). In Houston and Chicago wage growth was slowest and pay growth lagged behind the U.S. average. Houston, despite the recent storm devastation, has optimistic job growth with 93,500 open jobs, up 19.6 percent year over year.

For more on jobs with the highest and lowest pay, visit the Glassdoor Economic Research blog. 

The full data sets for the Glassdoor Local Pay Reports can be found on the Glassdoor Economic Research site, along with report methodology and Frequently Asked Questions.

Any individual can also keep tabs on their personal worth in their local job market through Know Your Worth™ by Glassdoor. Visit Glassdoor or download the Glassdoor Job Search apps for iPhone or Android.

To speak with Dr. Chamberlain regarding the Glassdoor Local Pay Reports or his predictions for this month's jobs report: [email protected].

About Glassdoor

Glassdoor is one of the largest and fastest growing job sites in the world today. Set apart by the tens of millions of reviews and insights provided by employees and candidates, Glassdoor combines all the jobs with this valuable data to make it easy for people to find a job that is uniquely right for them. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like job advertising and employer branding products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for approximately 700,000 companies in more than 190 countries. For labor market trends and analysis, visit Glassdoor Economic Research. For company news and career advice and tips, visit the Glassdoor Blog and for employer-related news and insights to help employers hire, visit the Glassdoor for Employers Blog. Visit Glassdoor.com or download our apps on iOS and Android platforms.

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¹ For full methodology of the Glassdoor Local Pay Reports and how salary estimates are compiled, visit: https://www.glassdoor.com/research/studies/glassdoor-local-pay-reports-methodology/.

² As of September 26, 2017.

SOURCE Glassdoor

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