March 16, 2018 • Local News
El Paso Times: El Paso among worst cities with low work salary satisfaction
U.S. workers appear to be growing more satisfied with the salaries they are receiving thanks to a robust economy and a healthy labor market, according to a new study.
However, that same study finds that among the 50 largest cities, El Paso is in the top 12 with the lowest satisfaction rates.
The employment review and research site, kununu, found that its salary satisfaction index — based on a 5-point score — rose from 2.82 to 3.11 from 2016 to 2017.
The study, based on 69,378 reviews conducted in 2017 for companies located in the largest U.S. cities, asked employees whether they feel they are fairly compensated for their work.
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"The war for talent has definitely led to more aggressive competition between employers with employees benefiting from better salaries," said Johannes Prüller, head of global communications and insights at kununu.
The Vienna-based kununu launched in the U.S. in 2017 in a joint venture with job search site Monster.com.
The study also ranked salary satisfaction in the largest 50 cities, with Washington, D.C, taking the top spot.
Salary figures are important; however, not necessarily the be-all, end-all in terms of satisfaction.
The third-most highly ranked city for salary satisfaction, Seattle, has a higher average annual wage ($61,170) than the No. 2 city on the list (Minneapolis, $55,010).
Here are the top 10 large cities ranked by kununu’s salary satisfaction score:
"Some of these cities are dominated by high wage industries like tech and finance," Prüller said, and "are home to corporate and regional headquarters of big companies, which are able to offer high salaries."
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Nationally, average annual pay for 2016 was $53,621, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median wage in the fourth quarter of 2017 was $857 per week or $44,564 per year for a 40-hour week.
In contrast, some of the lower rated cites are characterized by lower wage industries like tourism or agriculture, Prüller said.
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The greater El Paso area scored a 2.93 rating on a scale of 1 to 5, with an annual average wage of $37,440 in 2016. Other cities with the lowest salary satisfaction include Denver, Houston, San Antonio, Las Vegas and Albuquerque.
Here are the bottom 12 large cites in salary satisfaction, including El Paso:
But how closely is salary satisfaction related to job satisfaction?
Compensation is still a major factor when job seekers consider where to work, Prüller said. Yet, the study also found that compensation was not among the top contributors to overall workplace satisfaction.
Creating a strong culture with good teamwork and gender equality, offering challenging work with a purpose that makes employees proud of what they do, and giving them autonomy is especially important to retain your best talent and keep them satisfied, Prüller said.
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