GREENSBORO -- Most of North Carolina’s workers can expect modest pay raises to continue this year and next as employers continue to take stock of the state’s economy, according to the 2005 Wage and Salary Survey by employers association CAI.
CAI’s survey of wage projections is drawn from 614 participating companies and organizations with more than 180,000 workers across almost two-thirds of the state.
Salaried workers on average this year have received a 3.4 percent wage increase, while hourly employees are getting a 3.3 percent raise and executives get a 3.5 percent hike, according to the survey (there are exceptions – see page 2 for examples of greatest employment growth).
The level of planned pay raises on average are almost identical to those forecast in 2004. Employers are a little more optimistic for 2006, projecting pay increases of 3.6 percent for salaried employees, 3.4 percent for hourly workers and 3.9 percent for executives overall, the survey finds.
As in recent years, the size of raises this year and next depends on the industry. The smallest increases the survey found are in the manufacturing economy. On the other hand, industries such as pharmaceutical and biotechnology are providing raises of 4.2 percent or more, the survey finds. For example, non-manufacturing executives report average raises closer to 4.7 percent, more than a full percentage point higher than their manufacturing counterparts, the survey found.
This year’s salary survey includes wage and salary findings gathered by Greensboro-based Piedmont Associated Industries (PAI) which completed a merger with Capital Associated Industries based in Raleigh. The merger added almost 100 new employers to the survey’s database, drawing from a 12-county area of the Piedmont west to the foothills.
For the third year in a row, most survey participants describe themselves as non manufacturers – continuing a shift away from a manufacturing base in North Carolina’s workforce, according to CAI President and Chief Executive Officer Bruce Clarke.
“It appears to us that employers are continuing a fairly cautious approach to wage and salary increases, with more flexibility in certain segments of the economy, such as in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, and in specific geographic pockets such as the Triangle,” said Clarke. “Rural areas and others dependent on traditional manufacturing see less wage growth.”
CAI has produced the annual wage and salary survey for more than 20 years. Clarke said the survey is the most comprehensive snapshot of wage and salary plans in North Carolina because of the number of participating employers as well as breadth of data. More than 300 specific jobs types with multiple pay grades are categorized in this year’s survey report.
The report is provided to CAI members and is available for purchase by non-member employers.
Note to reporters: Other findings of the report include:
- Almost 10 percent (9.7%) of those surveyed said executives received no raise
- For hourly employees, the figure is much smaller – 4.6 percent
- For salaried employees, the percentage getting no raise is about the same as for their hourly counterparts – 4.8 percent
Among those jobs with the greatest year-to-year percentage employment growth are:
- Clinical Data Administrator
- Manager of Clinical Monitoring
- Clinical Monitor
- Clinical Project Manager
- Clinical Data Manager
Those with the greatest job loss are primarily manufacturing-related positions.
CAI
CAI is a not-for-profit membership-based employers’ association that provides human resource information, training and compliance services to North Carolina employers. CAI offers services such as compensation audits and surveys, management education programs, affirmative action plans, assessment services, telephone assistance, reference and background checking and on-site human resources support. For additional information, go to www.capital.org
