Looking for the highest paid job in your organization? Business & Legal Reports, Inc. (BLR) has just released its 2005 Survey of Exempt Compensation, and the top spot for high pay goes to the position of Legal Counsel, at just over $100,000. It got there via a hefty 13.89% average salary increase over the 2004 pay. Director of Engineering was in second place at $95,418, which increased 2.59% in 2005.
Compensation.BLR.com, where compensation professionals go for reliable compensation data, conducted its annual salary survey in early 2005. BLRís website and associated print service, Employee Compensation in Your State, surveyed salary data among 4,100 U.S. employers. The average exempt salary increased 4.2% in 2005, higher than either last year (2.76%), or that seen in BLRís 2005 Survey of Non- Exempt Compensation for hourly workers (-1.13%).
ìLaw and engineering are the places to be this year,î commented Susan Schoenfeld, BLRís senior compensation editor. ìOther than CEO jobs, these are the only positions experiencing double digit salary increases.î
Engineering background yields healthy pay increases Schoenfeld pointed out that along with law, two jobs with engineering backgrounds also had significant salary increases. Safety managers experienced a 12% increase ($46,456), while plant managers had a healthy 9.5% raise (to $73,563). Human resource generalists ($45,016) also experienced big increases (8.3%) in 2005.
For better pay raises, head west
Compensation.BLR.comís survey reported that the Far West experienced the biggest salary increases this year at 7.7% (average exempt salary of $60,479). The Northeast, where the 2005 average salary was $60,669, had the smallest increase among the regions at a paltry .79%. Schoenfeld commented: ìThere seems to be some year to year volatility around these regional numbers. The Northeast still pays the most, thanks to some big increases in 2004. But in 2005 that gap narrowed in the Far West and Rocky Mountains.î
Executive Summary
Employers or journalists may obtain a free Executive Summary of BLRís 2005 Survey of Exempt Compensation at http://www.blr.com/82008500/PRS15
Old Saybrook, Conn.-based Business & Legal Reports, Inc. has published plain-English HR and compensation compliance and training materials since 1977. Contact BLR: 800-727-5257 or editors@blr.com
2005 Salary Survey from Compensation.BLR.com
Finds that the Two Highest Paid Jobs are Legal Counsel and Director of Engineering
