Author: Dr. Al Lee

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Are Unemployment Rates Really Going Down?

How accurate is the unemployment rate? As it goes up and down each month it causes a lot of people, particularly those looking for work, quite a bit of stress. Do you ever wonder if it can really be trusted? Or, if it matters for you and your job security? Let’s look...

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Salary Raises: Understanding Cost of Living vs. Merit Pay Increases

I have been looking at pay raises lately, and one thing I have been struggling with is how HR managers talk about raises. For example, a recent question on an HR discussion board was whether companies should give cost of living adjustments (COLAs) or "merit" increases. In this post, I'll cover what...

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2010 March Salary Madness: Another Reason to Hate Duke

Here at PayScale, it's all about the Benjamins. So when we made our predictions for the 2010 NCAA Men's College Basketball tournament, we ranked the schools based on the earning power of each school's alumni. With Stanford (and the whole PAC 10) having a bad basketball year, who will wear the Salary...

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Comp. Time and Overtime: Only After 45 Hours of Work a Week?

Things have been busy at PayScale – we have been adding new features to our flagship professional product, PayScale Insight, and our Research Center – so I haven’t had as much time to post on salary issues. I did respond to a reader’s question about overtime; others might be interested in the question and...

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“Salaried, Non-Exempt:” When Hourly Rate is “Flexible”

The question of "salaried, non-exempt" jobs came up again in my inbox (I have changed a few details to make the email not personally identifiable): My classification was Salary Non-Exempt, and I am being told that I will not receive time and one half pay for these hours, such as a Non-Exempt...

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Are Ford Workers Really Paid $73 per Hour?

The David Leonhardt article in today’s New York Times on the pay of automotive workers for the Big 3 got me thinking about what hourly wages really mean. Are Ford workers really paid $73 per hour? I did a quick look in the PayScale compensation database. While I will get into details...

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Telecommuting From Home Success Stories

Csmonitor.com devoted an entire article to telecommuting from home success stories. In the age of Blackberry, Skype, e-mail and instant messaging, it is becoming more common for businesses to allow employees to telecommute from home, or even the local coffee shop. I touched on this in my previous post about legitimate work...

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University Graduate Salaries: Which Schools Pay Off?

PayScale just released a College Salary Report: Best Colleges & Degrees. With my able associate Erica Sanders, I had a great time digging through our extensive data to understand whether graduates of different schools have different long-term salaries. What makes our data so unique is that we have the jobs people are...

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Setting Pastor Salaries and Pastor Compensation

The stereotype of the televangelist with six cars and seven houses has pretty much faded away. When it comes to setting pastor salaries these days, BaptistStandard.com reports that the national average pastor compensation is $77,096. This average comes from The Compensation Handbook for Church Staff an "industry" survey of compensation. This average...

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Legitimate Work at Home Jobs: Work at Home Internet Jobs

We’ve all heard of outsourcing, but lately that trend is reversing somewhat, creating new legitimate work at home jobs in the U.S., according to an article on CSMonitor.com. These work at home internet jobs are called “home-based customer service agents.” When they clock in for work, their phones ring at home; they...

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Avoiding nightmarish job interview questions and other disasters: Don’t show up drunk, or talk about religion, or …

With graduation season in full bloom, new grads are sailing the job-interviewing seas, but some are drowning right out of the gate. Others will confront nightmarish–and sometimes illegal–job interview questions. One candidate at Tavalon Tea, a premium tea company based in New York, started bashing Tavalon, apparently too hungover to remember where...

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Graduate School: Is It Worth It?

I recently had the honor of guest-blogging for Michelle Goodman’s always-informative “Anti 9-to-5 Guide.” Michelle and I discussed whether–and how much–higher education is essential to certain career paths. We also chatted about the soaring costs of higher education, the value of community colleges, and trade school. For the full post, visit Michelle’s...

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List of Future Jobs in Demand: 2006-2016

"Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?" That is a hard-to-answer question in the ever-changing U.S. job market. What if you could look into a crystal ball, and see the fastest growing occupations ten years from now? While predictions about the future are hard, I recently came across a list...

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Software Developer Salaries: Ruby on Rails vs. Java

"willCode4Beer", a software engineer and blogger in the San Francisco Bay Area, recently posted a comparison of "Ruby on Rails" and Java software developer salaries, using PayScale data. Noting that the average salary for developers in San Francisco is $17,000 higher for Java than Ruby on Rails, he concluded he should stick...

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10 More Good Jobs with No College Degree Required

In today's economy where people are losing their jobs and needing to start over, a hot topic is top paying jobs for people with no college degrees. Topping that list is an employment recruitment specialist; someone who helps companies recruit job candidates. With a two-year degree (associates degree) in hand, the median...

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Hollywood Writer Salaries, Hollywood Writer’s Wages: Why They Are On Strike

You may have heard that members of the Writer’s Guild are on strike, but it’s not just Hollywood writer salaries that are in jeopardy. According to Reuters.com, non-writing staff members of TV shows are being shown the door. NBC recently laid off the entire production staff of the Tonight Show and workers...

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25% Regret New Jobs: What to Consider When Considering a Job Offer

I have a colleague whose friend was one offered the head-writing job on the Fox-TV series America’s Most Wanted. He accepted the job, but was then told he would have to fly to a different location every week with the crime-fighting host John Walsh. The problem? His friend hated flying. Accepting the...

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Starting Lawyer Salary: Partner Lawyer Salaries

Wal-Mart is famous (or infamous depending on your POV) for its employees' salaries, and now it appears the big box giant is concerned about today's starting lawyer salary. As recently reported by the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart sent a memo to its legal counsel bemoaning an increase in legal fees and pointing...

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Reining in Unwieldy Meeting Costs

Meetings come in all shapes and sizes. There are one-on-one meetings that can actually be productive, where you discuss a new strategy with a like-minded colleague. High-level, closed-door meetings are another sort, a permanent haven for some bosses. And there are off-site meetings--where you pack your bag, board a plane, sleep in a hotel. The last kind...

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Salary of Surgical Technologist

Name: Patricia Eder, CST/SA/CTBSJob Title: Surgical Technologist/Surgical AssistantWhere: Kenosha, WIEmployer: Aurora Health CareYears of Experience: 34Education: Associate Degree +Salary: See the PayScale Research Center for median surgical technology salaries. Salary of Surgical Technologist How much do surgical technologists make? In this Salary Story, surgical technologist Patricia Eder told us about her life...

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State Teacher Salary Comparisons: Texas Teacher Salary Gap

Texas state teacher pay is an interesting topic. In a previous column (Salary for Teachers vs. Average Pay for High School Coaches), I noted how high school football coaches earn a far greater salary than most teachers in Texas. The Statesman.com also reported on more state teacher salary comparisons; this time between...

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Oil and Gas Geologist Jobs: Striking It Rich

With gas prices going through the roof over the past year, you might think the only ones doing well in the petro industry were oil company executives, but oil and gas geologist jobs are also bringing in strong annual salaries, according to a recent report by the Houston Chronicle. The oil biz...

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Professional Careers in Demand for the Future

Part of the American Dream is moving upwards, doing better than your father did, but a recent report on Money.CNN.com, suggests that the average job salaries of American men are heading downwards, and that they are actually earning less than dear old dad. The report cites an 18-month ongoing study by the...

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Typical Salaries for College Professors, Higher Fees for Students?

Will the increase of typical salaries for college professors ultimately affect average salaries for college grads? That’s a question raised in a recent article in the New York Times. More public universities are charging higher prices for certain college courses in order to pay for equipment and college professor salaries – those...

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My Job Duties Exceed My Pay; What Should I Do?

A couple of readers asked the following questions: "[1] How do I get an accurate report on comparable salaries when my job duties far exceed my job title? I took a "part time" while finishing school which has transformed into much more than administrative assistant. [2] How do I know the true...

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Summer Seasonal Jobs: Students Getting a Summer Job?

In the ancient days known as B.C. (before cable TV), summer for teens meant (1) getting out of school and (2) students getting a summer job, at least part-time. But these days, as the Christian Science Monitor recently reported, summer seasonal jobs are turning very competitive. The article says that "summer jobs...

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Employee Wages: What is the Typical Wage in the USA?

A couple of comments by readers got me thinking about typical wages again. In the process, I realized that even the federal government does not know what a "typical" worker in the United States earns. This came as a shock to me. With the frequent publication of average household income statistics, wage...

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Working for the Airlines: the Worst of Times?

Once upon a time, the U.S. airline industry was a good place to work, and employees showed up at work with smiles on their faces. So went the discussion I had recently with a retired airline worker, as we endured an almost eight-hour delay on a flight from the West Coast to...

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Talk Show Host Salary: The Top Talkers

Getting paid millions to talk is about the easiest job out there, but getting there is another matter. Forbes recently covered the topic of talk show host salary. You may be surprised to learn that the largest talk show host salary belongs to Howard Stern. The outrageous radio show host receives $500...

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Are PayScale Surgeon Salaries Off?

Chris, a reader, commented on the surgeon vs. football player salaries post, "Many of the average/base salaries for physicians/surgeons posted in this article are off by hundreds of thousands of dollars." I am confident that the data points that make up our averages correspond to the actual salaries received by individual surgeons....

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Salary for Teachers vs. Average Pay for High School Coaches

Teachers don’t make a lot of money. That’s common knowledge. Still, it may surprise readers to learn that the average salary for teachers in Texas public schools is significantly less than the average pay for high school coaches, according to an article in the Austin-Statesman. The paper reported that Texas high school...

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Registered Nurse Careers

Name: Kim McAllister Job Title: Registered Nurse - Staff EmergencyWhere: San Francisco Bay Area Employer: Medium-sized community hospitalYears of Experience: 29Education: Associate's Degree in Nursing, Currently in school for my BSNSalary: According to the PayScale Research Center, the median registered nurse salary (for those who work in emergency rooms) can range from...

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Misleading Average Salary Predictions: Your Pay Will Increase 3.6 Percent in 2007

World at Work (the compensation professional organization) released recently a compensation budget survey by Compdata Surveys. The big news: the average preliminary pay increase budget is 3.65% for 2007! Broad averages like this drive me berserk. It is incredibly precise, but downplays the huge variations that affect individual companies and employees. There...

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Pro Athletes and Their Salaries

Athletes and their salaries are making the news often these days, CNN.com reports that international soccer star David Beckham has signed a 5-year deal worth $250 million dollars (salary + endorsements) with the Los Angeles Galaxy. The 31-year-old will be earning about $1 million a week, the highest professional athlete salary for...

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Top Paying Jobs for People with No College Degrees

In a previous column, I mentioned some top paying jobs for people with no college degrees.  The response was so strong that we are back for round two of the "best career choices with no college degree." Lest any parents out there accuse me of being an incompetent career counselor, keep in...

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Salary Range for Recreational Therapist

Name: Sherri Kelly Job Title: Recreational TherapistWhere: San Diego, CA Employer: Various - Independent ContractorYears of Experience: 1Education: BS, Recreational Management, Utah State UniversitySalary: Use the PayScale Research Center to find the median salary range for recreational therapist professionals. Salary Range for Recreational Therapist For readers who are considering a career as a recreational therapist or...

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Salary Comparison: Married vs. Unmarried

Within the U.S. armed forces, married soldiers are paid a higher annual salary than military singles. This salary comparison hasn’t gone unnoticed by military singles who are marrying strangers in order to get a higher salary, according to a recent report by LAWeekly.com. It’s called a “marriage contract” and it works like...

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Salary Requirements for H-1B Visa: Pros and Cons of H-1B

Marketwatch.com recently reported that Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, appeared in front of Congress, which was weighing the pros and cons of H-1B workers. Gates advocated more H-1B visas to lure foreign workers to the U.S. because these "workers are uniquely talented" and are “taking jobs that pay over $100,000 a year.”...

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It’s All About Your Salary — and Your Debt

A recent New York Times story details the debt of Christine and Mark Moellering, a Midwestern couple earning average salaries–she earns $30,000 a year as an administrative assistant, while he makes $36,000 a year as a software applications designer. (PayScale data show Mr. Moellering’s pay is typical for software application/Web designers in...

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Wolfowitz to Depart World Bank

Paul D. Wolfowitz, president of the World Bank, on Thursday night announced his decision to resign following a weeks-long ethics controversy. According to the New York Times: The decision came four days after a special investigative committee of the bank concluded that he had violated his contract by breaking ethical and governing...

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America’s Squeezed Middle Class

A recent New York Times article examines two explanations for the so-called middle-class squeeze: inequality and instability/volatility. According to the story: The first one is about inequality. The top 0.1 percent of earners — that’s one taxpayer out of every 1,000 — now brings in 11 percent of the nation’s total income,...

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He Earns, She Earns

A new study by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation that cites a pay gap between men and women has sparked a flurry of discussion. According to an AAUW release: ” … just one year out of college, women working full time already earn less than their male colleagues, even...

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Do Women and Men Earn Equal Pay in 2007?

Do women and men earn equal pay? I blogged some about this last year, but the gender gap in wage earnings was in the spotlight again when kgw.com (and other media) reported that five restaurant owners in Oregon plan to drop their prices for female customers by 23 cents. The restaurants want...

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Praise Run Amuck

Management should shower accolades on the habitually tardy worker who suddenly shows up for work on time. That’s what a source says in a recent Wall Street Journal article on how many of today’s young adults can’t cope in the workplace without boatloads of backslapping and gold stars. According to the article:...

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NASCAR Drivers Salaries

Most people know that the National Football League (NFL) is the most popular sport on TV, but it may raise a few eyebrows to hear that the second highest-rated sport is NASCAR –the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. No longer just a heartland sport, NASCAR is broadcast in over 150...

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Global Warming Ventures

Is global warming heating up the U.S. job market? I spent the last few weeks asking that question, and found a trove of answers. Yes, experts explained, the way our country is beginning to confront climate change is spurring jobs now, and has the capacity to create more in the future. But...

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No College Required: UPS Drivers’ Salaries and More

The route to financial success – I won’t even attempt to say what it takes to have a successful life in general – does not have to pass through college. Billionaire media mogul David Geffen went from high school graduate to talent agent assistant, talent agent, owner of two record companies (Asylum...

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Starting Salaries: College Grads

My son is a high school senior, so the angst is rising about applying to colleges, wondering about majors, and, generally, life choices. This got me thinking: what does the PayScale salary data tell us about colleges, majors, careers, and income? It turns out that the PayScale data has a lot to...

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Dream Job Description: What Is Yours?

“If you find a job you love, then you’ll never work a day in your life." I don't remember where I heard this first, but I think Confucius said the same thing centuries ago. Yet, according a recent survey by CareerBuilder.com and the Walt Disney Corporation, very few Americans are actually living...

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Salary Range: Human Resources

Most children don’t dream of someday working in human resources, well, except maybe the precocious kids at HR.com. “Payroll administration,” “team-building games,” and “benefit guidelines” are not the most spine-tingling phrases in a job description. Still, there’s no denying that HR is with us for the long haul and is a growing...

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Pro Football Salaries vs. Surgeon Salaries: The Salary Super Bowl

As Super Bowl start time nears, this seems like an opportune moment to examine pro football salaries. Of course, the big question is, “Who is the highest-paid player?” The often-disappointing Atlanta Falcons failed to make the playoffs, but their quarterback, Michael Vick had a great season. He topped all pro football salaries...

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Federal Judges’ Annual Salary: Constitutional Crisis

In his second annual report, Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts advocated an increase in federal judges’ annual salary, as reported by the New York Times. Roberts warned that federal judges’ annual salary “has now reached the level of a constitutional crisis that threatens to undermine the strength and independence of...

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Hourly Wage: Santa Claus

One of the more unique jobs out there is working as a Santa Claus. The job requirements include a sizeable tummy, a real beard (fake ones are out) and a convincing “ho-ho-ho.” While it may sound like holiday heresy to mention “Santa” and “salary” in the same breath, you might be surprised...

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Career Salaries on TV

We all know that TV Stars, from Jerry Seinfeld to Ray Romano, pull in very large career salaries, but did you ever wonder what their characters make salary-wise? Remember the Baywatch cast? Back in their glory days, Pamela Anderson was raking in a reported seven-figure salary, but how much was her character,...

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High Salary Range: Surprising Jobs

Would you like to make six figures? Who wouldn’t? Well, it may surprise you to learn that not everyone has to get a medical degree, work as a broker on Wall Street or spend their days inside a law firm to earn in the $100,000 annual salary range. According to Forbes, there...

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Salary Calculator: Nursing 101

Recently the National Labor Relations Board issued a ruling (3-to-2) that will re-classify registered nurses — and possibly 8 million other workers — as “supervisors” if they perform certain types of duties. The National Labor Relations Board ruled that a worker would be a supervisor if he or she: exercised “independent judgment,”...

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Average Salary: Working in Iraq Worth the Risks?

It might surprise most Americans to learn that there are over 25,000 private contractors in Iraq. These contractors make up the third largest international force in the war-torn country, behind U.S. military and U.K. troops. For this reason, private contractors are often called the “shadow army in Iraq .” Many jobs that...

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Mean vs. Median Salary: Why was mean ever used?

In a previous post, I showed how the mean salary and median salary can be very different. The median is much better than the arithmetic mean for giving a “typical" annual salary; median is the method that we favor in our PayScale salary survey. In fact, the median is better for characterizing...

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Why Is Median Better Than Mean for a Typical Salary?

In a previous post, I commented that PayScale's Salary Survey preferentially reports typical salaries based on the median instead of the arithmetic mean (average). Why is the median better than the mean for measuring "typical" values? The best way to understand what is wrong with the mean is to look at how both...

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Why Is There No Salary Standard Deviation on PayScale?

I am sometimes asked, "why doesn't the PayScale Salary Report and Research Center show the standard deviation of the data? (See Wikipedia for the (useless) mathematical definition of standard deviation.) People are are interested in the standard deviation, because it attempts to give the typical variation in salaries. The first thing they calculate...