New AIA report highlights positives and negatives of compensation and benefit trends in architecture

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/resources\/8066-aia-compensation--benefits-report-2023","target","_blank"]],["strong"],["a",["href","http:\/\/info.aia.org\/salary\/","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/resources\/6325300-virtual-education"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/aiau.aia.org\/power-moves"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/aiau.aia.org\/courses\/negotiate-with-confidence-WLS-2020"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/resources\/6246433-guides-for-equitable-practice"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/content.aia.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2021-12\/AIA_Bias_Interrupters_FINAL.pdf"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The "],[0,[0],1,"AIA Compensation and Benefits"],[0,[],0," report is the most\ncomprehensive resource on architecture firm compensation trends in the industry.\nThe just-released 2023 edition is the most robust report since 2008 and\nanalyzes how firms address rising inflation, staff shortages, and increased\nfinancial pressures and their impact on recruitment and retention."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Pay practice is one of the key areas of the report, and\nfindings show that compensation gains did not keep pace with the rising cost of\nliving over the last two years. Compensation increased approximately 4% over\nthis time period, while inflation increased 5% in 2021 and 8% in 2022, the\nlargest two year gain in consumer prices in 40 years. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The metropolitan areas that have the highest starting\ncompensation also have the highest cost of living, with the most share of\ncompensation devoted to rent costs. For example, a recent college graduate\n(non-licensed) in New York City will devote about 55% of their salary to rent,\nwhile a recent graduate in Des Moines, Iowa, will devote about 24% of their\nsalary to rent. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Given the wide variation in rents nationally, there is\nconsiderable disparity in the share of income that would need to be allocated\nto rent for a typically priced rental unit across metro areas. On average,\nrents accounted for just under 35% of median starting compensation."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The report looks at compensation and benefit trends across\n37 metropolitan regions with data reported from nearly 40 states. The report\nexamines professional pay practices across all regions, while looking at\nworkplace culture, and employee benefits on a broader scale."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The report finds that salary growth was more substantial at\nsmaller firms than larger firms. Small firms were more likely than larger firms\nto report offering a greater premium for architecture employees with a\nprofessional degree, with 21% indicating that they generally offer 10\u201314% more\nfor a professional degree. In contrast, 14% of mid-size and 11% of large firms\nreported the same."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"A little more than one third (34%) of small firms reported\noffering a premium over 10% upon licensure, higher than the 24% of mid-size and\n10% of large firms reporting the same. In addition, large firms were more\nlikely to indicate that they do not offer a salary increase to unlicensed\nemployees who become registered\u2014more than one-third (37%) indicate they do not\nprovide an increase, versus 23% of mid-size and 16% of small firms reporting\nthe same."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"Benefits"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Casual dress policies, child- and pet friendly offices,\nflexible work hours, work-from-home opportunities, and the adoption of\nJuneteenth as a paid holiday were among the biggest common quality-of-life\nbenefits outlined in the report. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Although there were fewer remote workers in 2022 than in\n2020, the number of remote workers remained higher than pre-pandemic levels. In\n2022, just over a quarter (27%) of staff worked remotely all or most days, with\nan average of 69% of staff working remotely in some capacity\u2014notable drops from\nthe spikes in 2020, when 72% of staff were working full-time remote and 83%\nwere remote working in some capacity. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"However, with the decline of full-time remote work, many\nmore firms reported that they permit staff to work remotely multiple days a\nweek (i.e., hybrid remote and in person work) in 2022 (59%). Approximately 91%\nof small firms reported allowing employees to work remotely in some capacity,\nup from 77% in 2018 prior to the pandemic."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Student support was also up exponentially as firms prioritized\ncreating a better pipeline to employment for students. 57% of firms reported\nhiring students for part-time work in 2022, up from 35% in 2020. Additionally,\nmore firms contributed to student loan repayment, with 14% of firms with 50-99\nemployees and 13% of firms with 100+ employees contributing to repayment, up\nfrom 6% and 5% in 2020, respectively. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The full report contains many additional insights and\nprovides a wide ranging view of salaries and benefits across the country to\nensure that architects are compensated fairly. \nAlso available is an updated version of "],[0,[2],1,"the free salary calculator"],[0,[],0," an easy-to-use tool that shows how your salary stacks up with others in similar\npositions and regions. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"AIA has myriad resources on similar subject matter,\nincluding "],[0,[3],1,"webinars\non how to advance your career"],[0,[],0,", the AIAU \u201c"],[0,[4],1,"Power Moves"],[0,[],0,"\u201d series, an "],[0,[5],1,"AIAU\nsalary negotiation course"],[0,[],0,", "],[0,[6],1,"the\nGuides for Equitable Practice"],[0,[],0,", and the "],[0,[7],1,"Elephant\nin the Well-Designed Room: An Investigation into Bias in the Architecture\nProfession"],[0,[],0,". "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n"]]]]}