Employers Resetting Worker Pay Levels

Washington, DC, August 29, 2024-"Bosses are quietly trying to reset worker pay levels, saying the era of overpaying for talent is over,” reports the Wall Street Journal.

“Pay for many white-collar recruits shrank last year, and now wages for new hires in construction, manufacturing, food and other blue-collar sectors appear to be ebbing too, according to an analysis of millions of jobs posted on ZipRecruiter.com.

“Job seekers report seeing roles that once offered salaries between $175,000 and $200,000 a year ago now being advertised for tens of thousands of dollars less, a change that has had them rethinking their pay expectations. Companies are also moving job openings to lower-cost cities or offering them as lower-paying contractor roles, recruiters and corporate advisers say.

“The push to reset employee salaries reflects a power shift in the cooling hiring market. Employers have more choice of who they can hire, and at what pay level, and are questioning whether they really need star hires when a workhorse will do. Even hourly jobs that were until recently the toughest for employers to fill are being advertised at lower pay than a year ago, as are some professional roles, according to business leaders and recruiters.

“‘A lot of companies are thinking they can get away with paying a cheaper salary because they know us job seekers are desperate,’ said Eric Joondeph, 31 years old, who has been looking for a senior customer-experience role for nine months. He has lowered his pay expectations by at least $20,000 a year since he started looking.”