National Trends

2023 Salary Guide

Fierce competition for talent defines today’s hiring market. Salaries are surging as employers vie for top candidates and employees switch jobs by the millions. However, rising inflation and concerns about a recession further complicate an already challenging employment landscape.

Salaries soar, pressuring employers

Even with inflation, fear of recession, war in Europe and other uncertainties causing unease in the marketplace, starting salaries continue trending upward, sharply so for some positions.
The rise in starting salaries is causing pay compression: 60% of employers said some workers have raised concerns about pay discrepancies between new and longer-serving employees.
When determining compensation for remote workers, 40% of managers base salaries on the employee’s location, while 29% use the company’s location.

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of senior managers have given raises to employees who expressed salary concerns.

For employers, hiring is job No. 1

How employers are attracting skilled candidates

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Higher starting salaries46%
Signing bonuses34%
Flexible work options33%
Hiring of remote candidates31%

The quits won’t quit — millions of workers are resigning every month, putting companies in a tough spot as they try to replace them with new employees.
Improving the employee experience — including helping workers add skills and reach career goals and boosting environmental, social and governance efforts — helps draw in talent.

Why Quality of Hire Matters — And How to Improve It

Retention retains its importance

51% of hiring managers said quits at their company have increased; 78% are concerned even more employees will leave.
According to Robert Half recruiters, employers fostering a corporate culture of belonging where everyone can connect, thrive and grow are having more success with retention.

14 Effective Employee Retention Strategies

How companies are keeping top performers

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How companies are retaining top performers

Increasing compensation52%
Increasing recognition efforts46%
Allowing remote work options45%

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of employees work on a fully remote or hybrid basis.

Employees up the ante on workplace expectations

Flexible work — remote options and flexible schedules — is now an expectation among most professionals. Many factors — including work-life balance and the cost and time of a commute — make employees reluctant to return to pre-pandemic work arrangements.
Given a 5-day workweek, employees want to work remotely an average of 3 days.
Professionals eager to progress in their career want employers to offer more upskilling opportunities, and managers are listening: 59% are focusing more on staff’s career growth.

New Guide Dissects Fundamental Shift in Worker Sentiment

Hire Talent

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Companies lean more on contract talent

Hiring managers use contract talent to access specialized expertise, fill skill gaps, support core teams and more, and the tough market for permanent hires makes interim professionals even more valuable.
Many employers are bringing in contract professionals with an eye on their potential for joining the team in a permanent role.
Almost two-thirds of managers (64%) have converted more contract professionals to full-time hires in 2022 than in 2021.

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of companies plan to bring in more contract talent in the next year (up from 35% a year ago).

Managed services keep business moving

73% of companies use managed services arrangements — bringing in anywhere from one contract professional to an entire team to lead, help with or consult on projects — as part of business initiatives.
Areas of the business where companies use managed services the most include IT operations, data security, digital marketing, digital innovation and financial transactions.

How companies rank the benefits of managed services

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Top reasons companies use managed services

How companies rank the benefits of managed services58%
Access to a larger talent pool49%
Access to improved methodologies43%

Sources and methodology

The salaries listed in the salary tables represent starting compensation only, meaning pay for someone new to a company in the position listed. Our estimates do not include bonuses, benefits or perks. Since professionals joining a company may enter at a variety of experience levels, we report salaries in ranges.

How do we determine our salary figures? See our methodology.

Other data referenced in this Salary Guide is based on online surveys developed by Robert Half and conducted by independent research firms. Respondents included executives, hiring managers and employees from small (20-249 employees), midsize (250-499 employees) and large (500-plus employees) private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across the United States.