In the Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC) industry, technology, best practices and other topics are freely shared between colleagues, yet compensation is often considered a “taboo” subject, causing a serious lack of data on which to benchmark one’s salary. To combat this lack of data, ClearEdge3D surveyed more than 6,500 executives throughout the industry on pay levels, salary increases and other compensation related information.
Perhaps the most startling finding is that more than 1/3 of the industry did not receive a pay increase in 2016, despite two years of excellent industry growth. In some industry sectors, the stagnant salary number was over 50%. Chris Scotton, CEO of ClearEdge3D, was particularly struck by this.
“Salary increases are a key motivational tool in retaining a firm’s top performers. The level of zero salary growth really took us by surprise.” However, those lucky enough to receive a raise did get a healthy bump, with 40% receiving between 3-15%. This shows that while some companies find themselves having to maintain or reduce overhead, others are experiencing strong growth, and handsomely rewarding employees for their contributions.
Another intriguing, albeit less surprising, conclusion from the survey is that a gender gap still exists within the AEC industry, across all pay levels. 30% of male AEC executives earn over $100,000, compared to only 23% of female AEC executives, despite women having comparable experience and slightly higher education levels. At lower salaries, the difference is even more pronounced, as 36% of women earn less than $50,000, while only 19% of their male counterparts fall below this figure. Although females have been making strides in this male-dominated industry, the gender gap appears to still exist.
The 2017 AEC Industry Salary Report details salary, experience and education levels for specific job titles, different company types, global regions, gender and more. To download a free copy of the report, click here: http://bit.ly/2jYX21p
Graphs courtesy of ClearEdge3D