The PayScale Index (US): Trends in Compensation

2012: Extra! Extra! In Q1 2012 wages for workers in media and publishing grew to their highest point in over three years. In fact, wages are now within 0.3 percent of peak levels in Q2 2008, after a 0.5 percent quarter-over-quarter growth.

2007-2011: From 2007 through 2009, media and publishing jobs saw steady, though not spectacular, wage increases of about 2 percent per year, running slightly slower than the national average. In 2009, wages dropped sharply by almost 3 percent, leaving this jobs category about 2 percent below the general trend. After recovering a bit at the end of 2009, wages remained basically flat through the end of 2010. In 2011, earnings for workers with media and publishing jobs finished up a respectable amount, nearly 1 percent higher than a year earlier.

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Media and publishing (SOC Codes 11-2030 Public Relations and Fundraising Managers; 27-2000.00 Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers, 27-3000.00 Media and Communication Workers; 27-4000.00 Media and Communication Workers) jobs happen both in front of the cameras as "talent," as well as behind the scenes writing and editing content and making sure it all gets to the masses. These jobs are often found in the publishing and broadcast (information) industries, but they also are anywhere an organization needs someone to tell its story (e.g. public relations) or describe how to its products work (e.g. technical writing).

The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) system is used by Federal statistical agencies to classify workers into occupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, or disseminating data. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The PayScale Index tracks quarterly changes in total cash compensation for full-time, private industry employees in the United States. In addition to a national index, it includes separate indices for specific industries, metropolitan areas, job categories, and company sizes. The PayScale Index uses 2006 average total cash compensation as a baseline.

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