Design Salary Schedules in Jeopardy As Demand for Talent Exceeds Supply
As many design firms work at or near full capacity, they increasingly are finding it difficult to find qualified people to do all the work. This has led to heavy pressure on firms’ salary structures. But those structures now are threatening to shatter from the increasing threats of the first round of retirements of the Baby Boom generation and, for those working in the international market, a weakening dollar and changes in tax laws.
Base salaries for senior managers at architectural, engineering and environmental firms are continuing to climb, according to a recent survey of design firm compensation published by ZweigWhite, a Natick, Mass.-based management consultant to the design market. “People are having a tough time finding professional and technical people on every level, and it is taking longer to find qualified managers,” says Jill Stoodley, managing editor of ZweigWhite’s management surveys. The biggest pay movement is for project managers, whose median total compensation now has hit the six-figure mark, and whose base salaries have risen 24% in the past five years, according to the survey.