engineering salary guide

engineering salary guide

At a time when lean practices and agile teams create the expectation of doing more with less, employers need to develop new strategies to attract and retain the best employees in a competitive talent market. Welcome to Randstad s 2016 Salary Guide 2 Randstad s 2016 Salary Guide highlights the engineering profession s most in-demand positions, as identified by our staffing and recruitment experts throughout the United States. We also present compensation ranges for other key engineering positions. Numerous projections, including data published by consulting firms Towers Watson and Mercer, state that employers are likely to increase base pay by an average of 3 percent in 2016, similar to wage increases in 2015. This guide provides anticipated average salary data for various geographic regions so you can compare compensation for your local area. We invite you to browse the guide s contents, bookmark knowledge points and connect with us to review how we can assist in building strong engineering teams poised to achieve your business objectives.

Engineering candidates continue to be in high demand across disciplines, especially more experienced professionals who can immediately impact results. Growing healthcare and medical device organizations continue brisk hiring of engineering talent, and utilities will likely pick up employment in the year ahead due to transmission network upgrades and expansions. Manufacturers are responding to increased customer demand with capital improvements, increasing the need for engineers with plant operations or capital expansion credentials. 2016 s most in-demand positions Randstad s employment experts are on the front line of engineering recruiting every single day. They are experts in what they do and have tremendous insight into matching companies needs with the available talent pool. Given their knowledge of current market trends and employers talent requirements, our teams predict the jobs outlined on the following pages are a few of the positions that will remain hot in 2016. 3

Manufacturing Engineer The national average starting pay for a manufacturing engineer with three to 10 years experience is $79,814. Thanks to a booming manufacturing environment, many businesses are expanding their product lines and facilities, resulting in increased demand for manufacturing engineers. The good news for employers is that despite being secure in their current positions, these candidates can sometimes be lured to new organizations and will entertain similar pay so as to gain extra experience in different industries. An ideal candidate will have five to 10 years of experience and a bachelor s degree. Top manufacturing engineers will be able to demonstrate proven results from their involvement with process improvement projects.

Mechanical Engineer Electrical Engineer The national average starting pay for a mechanical engineer with three to 10 years experience is $84,714. The national average starting pay for an electrical engineer with three to 10 years experience is $90,295. Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest disciplines within the engineering field. For that reason, a wide variety of industries and environments are looking to bring on talent with mechanical degrees and experience. Business and manufacturing growth, in addition to new technologies like 3D printing and the introduction of innovative materials, continue to create high demand for these professionals. Between five and 10 years of experience is preferred, along with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to changing technologies. The ideal candidate will have a BSME or MSME degree. The intricacies involved in electrical design and estimating keep the demand for electrical engineers very high; however, the corresponding and available talent pool is shallow, as unemployment in this field remains quite low. Employers with open positions for electrical engineers must be willing to extend generous salary offers, as these candidates command high compensation. An ideal candidate will have five to 10 years of experience and a bachelor s degree. Experience with all parts of the design and development process is preferred. Top candidates should have the ability to work on a multidisciplinary project team with other engineers and specialists such as architects, marketing and sales staff, manufacturers, technicians and customer service representatives. 5

Knowing which jobs will likely be in high demand in 2016 will help you create a strong recruitment strategy for those particular positions and attract top candidates to your organization. Additionally, the salary information in this guide provides a benchmark for assessing the strength of your compensation rates against those of your competitors, many of whom frequently vie for the same talent as you. We hope this year s salary guide provides valuable insight, and we offer a few last tips for your consideration: Factoring in salaries 1. Review the salary data common for your area and compare against your organization s current pay rates. 2. If your salaries are below average, calculate if the cost of losing talent to competitors justifies salary adjustments for new or existing employees. 3. Remember that salaries are more important to some employee demographics than others. For example, some employees would prefer greater flexibility over salary, and others will respond favorably to professional development opportunities that ultimately expand their career options. Please contact your local Randstad office today if you have any questions about this guide or how our staffing and recruiting specialists can help you build and maintain a strong talent attraction and retention strategy.

Top 10 engineering jobs by salary increase Job Title National Median Salary Increase 2014-2015 These 10 jobs recorded the highest year-over-year salary increases from 2014 to 2015. With the national average increase hovering at approximately 3 percent, employers may need to stretch above national averages to attract top candidates for these highly competitive roles. Electronics/Computer Engineer 8.31% 7.38% 7.36% Aerospace Engineer 6.89% 6.89% 6.75% Chemical Engineer 5.09% Biomedical Engineer 4.42% 3.91% Construction Manager 3.76% Data provided by Economic Research Institute. 7

The data presented within this section represents a geographic listing of starting salary ranges typical for new hires with approximately three to 10 years experience. Any roles with the title of manager represent seven to 10 years of experience. Each job title listed includes three salary data points: low (25th percentile), median (50th percentile) and high (75th percentile). Please note that for contract positions, these salaries will likely increase 10-15 percent. Using the Randstad Salary Guide for engineering positions 8 Please note that salaries in your area may vary based upon local market conditions and position-specific requirements such as experience levels, professional certifications or certain software knowledge. In addition, the salary data has been drawn from multiple industries and may not accurately portray a company s specific situation. Salary data is a combination of proprietary Randstad Engineering information and data that was provided by Economic Research Institute (ERI). ERI is a widely known provider of robust job competency, cost-of-living, executive compensation and salary surveys (containing 565,000 organizations data). www.erieri.com Because every organization structures its internal departments differently, the job titles presented here may not match those within your organization. For more detailed information and market-specific analysis, please contact one of our staffing and recruitment specialists at your local Randstad office.

Salary Key Salary data is reported for nine geographic areas: East North Central Illinois Indiana Michigan Ohio Wisconsin East South Central Alabama Kentucky Mississippi Tennessee Mid-Atlantic New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Mountain Arizona Colorado Idaho Montana Nevada New Mexico Utah Wyoming New England Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island Vermont Pacific Alaska California Hawaii Oregon Washington South Atlantic Delaware Florida Georgia Maryland North Carolina South Carolina Virginia Washington, DC West Virginia West North Central Iowa Kansas Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota West South Central Arkansas Louisiana Oklahoma Texas 9

East North Central Aerospace Engineer Biomedical Engineer Electronics/Computer Engineer Environmental/EHS Engineer 3-10 Years $83,315 $91,785 $102,701 3-10 Years $74,407 $80,102 $87,443 3-10 Years $67,644 $74,139 $82,529 3-10 Years $81,696 $89,478 $99,509 3-10 Years $76,336 $83,642 $93,062 7-10 Years $108,424 $119,250 $133,142 3-10 Years $77,627 $85,084 $94,714 3-10 Years $74,788 $81,972 $91,248 3-10 Years $76,716 $84,053 $93,514 3-10 Years $65,852 $72,183 $80,361 East South Central Aerospace Engineer Construction Manager Drafter/Designer Environmental/EHS Engineer 3-10 Years $78,232 $86,669 $97,459 3-10 Years $62,883 $69,234 $77,454 7-10 Years $83,495 $92,374 $103,809 3-10 Years $45,329 $53,946 $67,683 3-10 Years $76,640 $84,382 $94,290 7-10 Years $99,584 $110,073 $124,266 3-10 Years $72,149 $79,435 $88,872 3-10 Years $66,363 $73,071 $81,754 3-10 Years $71,716 $78,989 $88,340 3-10 Years $61,132 $67,298 $75,295 10

Mid-Atlantic Aerospace Engineer Biomedical Engineer Construction Manager Environmental/EHS Engineer 3-10 Years $88,629 $97,792 $109,522 3-10 Years $79,043 $85,194 $93,076 3-10 Years $71,801 $78,788 $87,782 7-10 Years $84,745 $94,701 $104,937 3-10 Years $86,889 $95,304 $106,083 7-10 Years $121,793 $133,706 $148,755 3-10 Years $82,393 $90,412 $100,737 3-10 Years $72,165 $79,190 $88,234 3-10 Years $81,522 $89,450 $99,625 3-10 Years $69,879 $76,679 $85,440 Mountain Aerospace Engineer Construction Manager Electronics/Computer Engineer Environmental/EHS Engineer 3-10 Years $81,624 $90,129 $101,051 3-10 Years $72,639 $79,731 $88,921 7-10 Years $86,750 $95,715 $107,298 3-10 Years $80,010 $87,817 $97,851 3-10 Years $74,638 $81,953 $91,387 7-10 Years $103,027 $113,598 $127,678 3-10 Years $75,774 $83,174 $92,762 3-10 Years $73,005 $80,137 $89,378 3-10 Years $75,027 $82,373 $91,842 3-10 Years $67,469 $74,051 $82,591 11 B

New England Aerospace Engineer Biomedical Engineer Construction Manager Environmental/EHS Engineer 3-10 Years $86,057 $94,864 $106,168 3-10 Years $76,825 $82,732 $90,340 3-10 Years $69,860 $76,564 $85,241 7-10 Years $94,994 $104,604 $116,929 3-10 Years $84,381 $92,470 $102,859 7-10 Years $112,406 $123,540 $137,856 3-10 Years $69,710 $76,401 $85,062 3-10 Years $77,229 $84,644 $94,244 3-10 Years $79,212 $86,831 $96,648 3-10 Years $72,771 $79,748 $88,792 Pacific Aerospace Engineer Biomedical Engineer Construction Manager Electronics/Computer Engineer 3-10 Years $92,018 $101,241 $113,077 3-10 Years $82,311 $88,527 $96,515 3-10 Years $74,940 $82,030 $91,162 7-10 Years $100,560 $110,628 $123,517 3-10 Years $90,254 $98,732 $109,615 3-10 Years $84,414 $92,385 $102,631 7-10 Years $118,792 $130,409 $145,029 3-10 Years $75,316 $82,444 $91,625 3-10 Years $84,828 $92,832 $103,118 3-10 Years $76,636 $83,891 $93,241 12

South Atlantic Aerospace Engineer Construction Manager Drafter/Designer Environmental/EHS Engineer 3-10 Years $84,823 $93,641 $104,918 3-10 Years $68,547 $75,318 $84,007 7-10 Years $93,405 $103,011 $115,312 3-10 Years $48,988 $58,970 $64,085 3-10 Years $83,142 $91,247 $101,614 7-10 Years $110,789 $121,953 $136,567 3-10 Years $68,398 $75,157 $83,832 3-10 Years $68,903 $75,712 $84,448 3-10 Years $77,967 $85,618 $95,413 3-10 Years $66,685 $73,283 $81,754 West North Central Aerospace Engineer Biomedical Engineer Electronics/Computer Engineer Environmental/EHS Engineer 3-10 Years $78,368 $86,595 $97,194 3-10 Years $69,787 $75,268 $82,355 3-10 Years $67,153 $73,719 $82,263 3-10 Years $76,811 $84,358 $94,087 3-10 Years $71,620 $78,674 $87,806 7-10 Years $101,970 $112,537 $126,667 3-10 Years $70,796 $77,718 $86,729 3-10 Years $63,668 $69,897 $78,005 3-10 Years $71,999 $79,084 $88,251 3-10 Years $64,722 $71,038 $79,273 13 B

West South Central Chemical Engineer Construction Manager Environmental/EHS Engineer General & Operations Manager 3-10 Years $80,018 $88,712 $99,774 3-10 Years $79,319 $87,455 $97,871 7-10 Years $87,747 $97,141 $109,150 3-10 Years $88,763 $97,750 $109,178 7-10 Years $104,715 $115,722 $130,513 3-10 Years $74,520 $82,167 $91,959 7-10 Years $81,670 $91,026 $102,992 3-10 Years $66,446 $73,265 $81,997 3-10 Years $75,497 $83,201 $93,021 3-10 Years $64,238 $70,834 $79,290 14

For more than 25 years, Randstad Engineering has been connecting global companies to professionals and customized engineering solutions that meet and surpass objectives. We combine our deep industry expertise with our broad range of full-service capabilities to deliver the right fit to our clients and candidates. From recruitment to focused engineering solutions, we power our clients success and drive our candidates growth. Currently, Randstad Engineering services most of the Fortune 500 companies across the United States, supplying them with a range of solutions and technical talent. We work closely with our clients to realize their specific business goals by quickly connecting them with the expert support they need when and how they need it. Randstad US is a wholly owned subsidiary of Randstad Holding nv, a $22.9 billion global provider of HR services. As one of the largest staffing organizations in the United States, Randstad provides temporary, temporary-to-hire and permanent placement services each week to over 100,000 people through its network of more than 900 branches and client-dedicated locations. About Randstad US Employing over 5,300 recruiting experts, the company is a top provider of outsourcing, staffing, consulting and projects and workforce solutions within the areas of Engineering, Finance & Accounting, Healthcare, Human Resources, IT, Legal, Manufacturing & Logistics, Office & Administration, Pharma and Sales & Marketing. Learn more at www.randstadusa.com and access Randstad s panoramic U.S. thought leadership knowledge center through its Workforce360 site that offers valuable insight into the latest economic indicators and HR trends shaping the world of work. 15

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