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Professionals’ starting salaries to rise 4% next year, Robert Half reports

September 02, 2015

Starting salaries for professional occupations in the US are projected to increase by an average of 4.1% next year, according to the 2016 Salary Guides from Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE: RHI) released today.

“Organizations continue to compete fiercely for skilled talent, particularly in the areas of big data, compliance and mobile applications development,” said Paul McDonald, Robert Half senior executive director. “Managers who keep current on the latest salary and hiring trends can create more attractive job offers and improve their retention efforts.”

Among the five fields tracked, the technology sector is projected to see the greatest pay gains, with base salaries rising an average of 5.3%. Accounting and finance roles followed, with anticipated average compensation increases of 4.7%. The creative and administrative professions each registered projected starting salary gains of 3.8%, followed by the legal field, with average base pay expected to rise 3.1% in 2016.

Robert Half’s findings by industry include:

  • Accounting and finance: Average starting salaries in accounting and finance are expected to rise 4.7% next year. Steady demand persists for professionals such as business systems analysts, staff accountants and financial analysts. Individuals with advanced technology skills, certifications and specialized industry experience can command even higher salary increases.
  • Technology: Information technology professionals’ starting salaries are expected to increase 5.3% in 2016. Firms in a variety of industries seek big data engineers, mobile applications developers and data security analysts to remain competitive, improve customer experience and keep information secure. Wireless networking engineers will see the highest starting salary increase of all the positions included in the 2016 Salary Guides, with projected starting compensation levels rising 9.7% in the coming year.
  • Creative and marketing: Creative and marketing staff can expect average starting salary gains of 3.8% next year. Content strategy and mobile development roles are in particularly high demand as organizations focus heavily on initiatives that enable them to connect with customers anytime and anywhere.
  • Administrative and office support: Overall starting salaries for administrative professionals are expected to rise 3.8% in the coming year. As business picks up, firms are bringing on administrative staff to keep things on track, and seek human resources workers to assist with hiring and retention. In addition, continued changes in the healthcare industry are resulting in greater demand for those in coding and customer-facing roles.
  • Legal: In the legal field, next year’s starting salaries are anticipated to rise 3.1%. Increased litigation is driving up demand for lawyers and paralegals with backgrounds in insurance defense, commercial litigation and medical malpractice. Commercial law and compliance are particularly strong areas for legal hiring.