To all the job seekers out there...

[gunz4me]

I have a question for everyone looking for a job. Is it me, or have salaries taken a huge dive compared to just 5 or 6 years ago? I was looking to make the transition back to being employed versus being self-employed, but some of the salary offers have been insulting. Then again, maybe that is the sign of the times with the race to zero. I just never thought I would be offered less money after 17 years of experience in my field than I was making 4 years just out of college.

Sorry, I just had to vent.

 

[Nomad.2nd]

Others have reported similar.

 

[noob]

I know my raises aren't what they used to. Reimbursement from the insurance company has been getting worse so that cuts into profits in by field. And the market is getting more and more saturated....

 

[sixgundunn]

Just out of curiosity, what field are you in? I find money tight all around. Raises, interest rates, and, most importantly, salaries have not kept pace with inflation and general cost of living increases. When Jimmy Carter was in office, themedia reported on iinflation daily. Now, the mainstream media rarely, if ever, comments on it. It's just another signof the times I guess.

 

[lilshaunsdad]

Been at my job for 7 years now. Raises use to come every year. We haven't had one in 3 years now.

 

[peterf225]

The big question is in what field and is it a specialized field. I have found that the more common fields have seen exactly what you're talking about. I have been lucky as I just took a position and stand to have a $15k pay increase going from an hourly position to a salary as a certified industrial electrician.

 

[gunz4me]

The big question is in what field and is it a specialized field. I have found that the more common fields have seen exactly what you're talking about. I have been lucky as I just took a position and stand to have a $15k pay increase going from an hourly position to a salary as a certified industrial electrician.

I'm a Certified Public Accountant with close to 10 years of ERP implementation experience. One of the last companies I interviewed at wanted me to come in, implement their accounting system, develop their accounting policies and procedures, draft full financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and do just about everything else under the sun. The salary they offered was less than what I made as a controller in the late 90s.

With the way the job market is looking, it is motivating me to find other ways to bring more business to my CPA practice.

 

[VeedUp]

After being laid off twice in 09, I did my own thing and started my own electrical business. Well about a year and half ago that got slow so I found an IE job doing time study rates for a performance rated company. It wasn't even close to what I was making in 09, well I found another job doing design work like I did out of college and I now make a few dollars less an hour than what I made before, but I do have some good benefits. I was asked if I could wait on my raise after my first year as work is just starting to get busy. I have made this place a ton of money I just hope it's worth the wait. I've had other offers but I would be driving an hour one way each day with out traffic and traffic in the evenings would add more time, I'm 10 minutes from home if that right now.

 

[whitsend]

We recently hired a CPA who was formerly a hospital CFO as a controller. He's from Denim Springs moved to nowhere, small town northeast Louisiana to get this job.
And hired a CFO who moved from Wisconsin to the same nowhere, small town for a job. They also interviewed applicants from MS, FL, and NC.
We are currently advertising for a staff accountant and have a ton of applicants.

It seems to me the accounting market is saturated with people looking for work.

 

[Pas Tout La]

We recently hired a CPA who was formerly a hospital CFO as a controller. He's from Denim Springs moved to nowhere, small town northeast Louisiana to get this job.
And hired a CFO who moved from Wisconsin to the same nowhere, small town for a job. They also interviewed applicants from MS, FL, and NC.
We are currently advertising for a staff accountant and have a ton of applicants.

It seems to me the accounting market is saturated with people looking for work.

I'm a Certified Public Accountant with close to 10 years of ERP implementation experience. One of the last companies I interviewed at wanted me to come in, implement their accounting system, develop their accounting policies and procedures, draft full financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and do just about everything else under the sun. The salary they offered was less than what I made as a controller in the late 90s.

With the way the job market is looking, it is motivating me to find other ways to bring more business to my CPA practice.

Well that's not good news to a new guy in the accounting field. Luckily I found an internship in college at a firm that turned into a full time position; but if for some reason I would ever decide to make a move to either another firm or into private accounting, it sounds like the field is full of other job seekers.

 

[poor_shot]

I don't think they took a dive, at least not in my industry. It's just that the salaries aren't raising at the same rate as infationtion. Plus the market in SouthEast Louisiana is very bad. When I resigned my boss tried to counter my current company but later admitted he couldn't compete in then end.

 

[franch1se82]

in my particular field (Hotels and Hospitality), the pay scale has not necessarily taken a dive, but the general work load had increased 2, sometimes even 3 fold. In my current position (Event Operations) I now do the work of 3 people, which is indicative of the new job requirements and business models to increase the bottom line.

Just 5 years ago, you couldn't hire enough people to fill positions.

 

[gunz4me]

in my particular field (Hotels and Hospitality), the pay scale has not necessarily taken a dive, but the general work load had increased 2, sometimes even 3 fold. In my current position (Event Operations) I now do the work of 3 people, which is indicative of the new job requirements and business models to increase the bottom line.

Just 5 years ago, you couldn't hire enough people to fill positions.

That sounds like my last job supporting a PeopleSoft Financials installation. They kept running off people in my department, and instead of hiring replacements, they just made us remaining employees work more. After 5 years with no raise and sometimes working 16 hour days with lots of late nights/weekends, they had the nerve to ask me why I was resigning. The thing that really took the cake was that my supporter salary was significantly less than the salaries normally paid to the staff Certified Public Accountants. I can't tell you how many times I had to fill in when a CPA quit, went on vacation, etc. OR how bitter that made me since I was assured that I would be performing NO CPA functions when I was initially hired...

 

[Emperor]

What do you expect? All businesses (small, large, and corporate), are being constantly sqeezed by the parasitic thieves in D.C. It's real simple; the owners of the businesses take all the risks. Why take it in the ass any more than you have to in an employers market?

And guess what? When this dummy's health care scam kicks in at the end of this year and small to medium businesses start cutting down to below 50; it will be even more of an employers market.

Get ready.

I got 5 that will be unemployed by January 1, if 5 others don't quit or get terminated first before that! And those that are working twice as hard or twice as much longer; or are doing the job of two or three? You will be pushed even harder come the New Year.

 

[gunz4me]

What do you expect? All businesses (small, large, and corporate), are being constantly sqeezed by the parasitic thieves in D.C. It's real simple; the owners of the businesses take all the risks. Why take it in the ass any more than you have to in an employers market?

And guess what? When this dummy's health care scam kicks in at the end of this year and small to medium businesses start cutting down to below 50; it will be even more of an employers market.

Get ready.

I got 5 that will be unemployed by January 1, if 5 others don't quit or get terminated first before that! And those that are working twice as hard or twice as much longer; or are doing the job of two or three? You will be pushed even harder come the New Year.

I know all about that too... I already watched one local company that was approaching 200 employees break into FOUR corporations. Some of the other places are making their full-time employees go part-time just below the required minimum to qualify for company benefits. In fact, one of my clients even talked about hiring me part-time for the next few months as I look for something. Sadly, his part-time salary offer is within 15% of the full-time salary I was last offered.

I hate to be a doomsday naysayer, but this is the worst I have ever seen it in this area.

 

[sandman7925]

Still not near as bad as some places up north. Remember that when you get frustrated.

 

[gunz4me]

Still not near as bad as some places up north. Remember that when you get frustrated.

True, it could be worse. To flip it, one of my friends told me that when his company advertises for positions, they get loads of people who aren't even qualified for the position that they are advertising and have to throw most of the resumes in the trash. Heck, my former employer advertised my old position TWICE and never filled it due to a lack of qualified applicants. The good news is after April, company policy will allow me to work for my former employer on a contract basis.

 

[Gus McCrae]

I hate to hear it, but with companies being squeezed by the Tax Fairies in DC, and lack of real job market improvement.... I guess this is what you see. Engineering hasn't be hurt as bad, but we still get to see the effects of next year.

 

[gunz4me]

One of the places I sent a resume' to several weeks ago called me yesterday. They did not list a salary range in their advertisement for a position, so I asked what the salary range was in the brief telephone call. After they told me the average salary paid, I asked them to remove my resume' from consideration. Afterward, I kind of felt like a jerk, but I figured there was no point in wasting everybody's time for a salary that I wouldn't even consider.