Utah maintaining steady salary increases

Utah’s average salary increased 3.3 percent since last year, matching the prior-year’s jump but staying ahead of rises seen in surrounding states.

The figures come from Employers Council’s 2020 Benchmark Compensation Survey, which also showed that the average hiring wage for full-time, inexperienced entry-level personnel rose to $15.65, up from $14.88 in 2019.

Utah’s 3.3 percent increases compares with 3.1 percent in Colorado, 3 percent in Arizona and 2.4 percent in Wyoming.

The survey features salary benchmarks for positions of all kinds, ranging from clerks to CEOs. More than 400 positions were surveyed and more than 11,000 employees participated.

The survey is designed to help Utah organizations stay current and competitive with employee salaries. It provides an examination of state and regional salary policies, including base salaries, average percent pay increases and hiring rates.

“This year’s annual Employers Council Compensation Survey with projected stats for the future may be particularly more important than previous years, considering how much has changed in the job atmosphere in 2020,” said Ryan Nelson, president of Employers Council’s Utah office.

“It’s always been a top priority of ours to provide relevant data to help support employers in their decision-making, and we hope our newest survey will be a strong resource for the next 12 months.”

Details and survey purchasing information are available at employerscouncil.org or (801) 364-8479.

Employers Council serves more than 4,500 employers, of all sizes and industries. Members are assisted by more than 70 human resource, organizational development and survey professionals and 60 staff attorneys out of offices in Salt Lake City; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Denver, Colorado Springs, Loveland and Grand Junction, Colorado.