What, How Much and Where: Check Wages For Best Career Moves
Wages have increased in some cities and in some fields, but the gender pay gap persists.
Super good news for your wallet if you work in San Francisco, Seattle, Austin or Pittsburgh. Awesome if you are in transportation, marketing and advertising, or IT.
PayScale Inc.’s latest Q3 2019 PayScale Index, which tracks quarterly trends in compensation, shows that overall wages in the U.S. increased 2.6 percent in the past year, with job growth averaging 161,000 new jobs per month for the first nine months of the year.
“@PayScale Inc.’s latest Q3 2019 PayScale Index, which tracks quarterly trends in compensation, shows that overall #wages in the U.S. increased 2.6 percent in the past year. #WageGrowth”
If you are job hunting, considering a new field or a new city, some trends you need to know are that San Francisco had the largest wage increase of 4.3 percent. In addition, the tech cities of Seattle and Austin also saw wages increase 4 percent annually. Wages in Pittsburgh grew 3.7 percent.
“If you are job hunting, considering a new field or a new city, you need to know are that San Francisco had the largest wage increase of 4.3 percent. #CareerAdvice #JobHunt”
Jobs in transportation grew 4.9 percent annually, with jobs in the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation industry increasing wages by 3.4 percent. Information technology jobs increased wages 3.2 percent and marketing & advertising jobs showed notable wage growth of 2.9 percent. Manufacturing and the Energy and Utilities industries showed lackluster annual wage growth of 2.3 percent.
According to USA Today, while overall increases in pay are good, the gender pay gap is omnipresent in every city and state.
“According to @USATODAY, while overall increases in pay are good, the gender #PayGap is omnipresent in every city and state. #WageEquality”
Read more in Take The Lead on the gender pay gap
“It’s an issue that every state has in common – all of them have a pay disparity between men and women. But the severity of the issue varies by state. When you compare the gender pay gap statistics in each state, there’s a difference of more than 20 percentage points between those at the top and bottom of the list.”
In Delaware, where salary secrecy is illegal, women's median salary is 79.35% of men's. “The state has worked hard to eliminate the gender pay gap in recent years, most notably through a 2017 bill that banned employers from requesting prior salary information from prospective employees,” USA Today reports.
Read more in Take The Lead on closing the pay gap
In Florida, the women's median salary is 79.21% of men's. “To the state’s credit, it had a 6.3% increase in women working in professional and managerial positions from 2004–15. However, it's also one of the states with the smallest percentage of its women in the labor force. With a women’s labor force participation rate of 53.1%, Florida ranks 42nd in the United States,” USA Today reports.
The best areas for women to be paid close to or better than men are in Washington, D.C., where women earn 88.69% of a man’s salary and Puerto Rico, where women earn more, or 101.42% of what men earn there.
“The best areas for women’s wages are in Washington, D.C., where women earn 88.69% of a man’s salary and in Puerto Rico where it’s 101.42%. #WageEquality #SalaryEquity”
Closing the gap and raising wages equally for men and women is the best solution and aligns with Take The Lead’s mission of leadership parity across all sectors by 2025.
“Closing the #paygap and raising wages equally for men and women is the best solution and aligns with @takeleadwomen mission of leadership #parity across all sectors by 2025. #PayEquality ”
Read more in Take The Lead on Payscale tips
According to the Arizona Capitol Times, “Staggering losses in career earnings for women compared to men with similar educational achievements are reported by the National Committee on Pay Equity: $700,000 lost for a high school graduate, $1.2 million forgone by a college/university alumna, and $2 million denied to women with advanced degrees.”
The report continues, “The loss in wages appallingly begins immediately after university graduation, as young people enter the career workforce. The American Association of University Women reports a 7% wage differential between males and females just one year out of college. The discrepancy occurs even when taking into account college major; occupation, industry, sector; hours worked, workplace flexibility, experience, educational attainment, enrollment status, grade point average, college selectivity, age, race/ethnicity, region, marital status, and motherhood.”
The Payscale Q3 report also shows areas of the country where growth was the least, including Kansas City, where wages dropped an average of 0.7 % and Houston where they dropped 0.6 percent.
Fields where wages were nearly stagnant were social services with a growth of 1.3 % and arts and design with a growth in wages of only 1.1%.
Making choices in your career of what and where are key, and knowing the latest on wage growth and gender pay gap stats can guide you to make better decisions.
“Making choices in your career of what and where are key, and knowing the latest on #WageGrowth and gender #PayGap stats can guide you to make better decisions. #PayEquality”
