The PayScale Index (US): Trends in Compensation

2012: In Q1 2012, wages for workers in transportation jobs continued their steep climb, growing 1.7 percent in one quarter, which was by far the best quarterly growth out of any job category tracked by The PayScale Index. For the first time in almost three years, pay growth for transportation workers came close to national trends.

2007-2011: Earnings for workers with transportation jobs had a good 2007, ending up 4 percent from 2006. In 2008, wages continued to surge, gaining about another 3 percent by the end of the year, and ending substantially above the overall trends. However, 2009 was not a good year for these jobs, which are tied closely to global commerce and recreational travel. Wages dropped nearly 5 percent. After moving sideways for most of the year, 2010 ended on a down note, leaving workers’ incomes about 1 percent lower than the year before. Then, steady growth in 2011 gave reason to hope for a recovery from the damage done by the recession.

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Transportation (SOC Codes 11-3070.00 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers; 53-0000.00 Transportation and Material Moving Occupations) jobs specialize in getting stuff safely from here to there. This job category covers a variety of roles, including piloting a jet or freighter, packaging goods for shipping or moving boxes around in a warehouse. While often found in the transportation and warehousing/storage industries, these workers may be employed in diverse industries like mining (e.g. mine shuttle car operator) or building management (e.g. parking lot attendants).

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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