ADP Sees Wage Growth for Workers in Q3

Overall wage growth increased an average of 2 percent across different industries during the third quarter, according to a new report from payroll giant ADP.

ADP’s Q3 Workforce Vitality Report found that workers who have held the same job for at least one year saw a 4.3 percent increase in wage growth. In real dollar terms, they are earning $9.48 more per hour year-over-year than workers who switched jobs during the third quarter.

Despite employment growth of only 0.1 percent in the manufacturing industry, it has seen surprisingly strong wage growth of 4.0 percent for full-time job holders in the third quarter. Changes in the manufacturing industry are driving demand for workers with the right skills.

In contrast, within the mining and resources industry, some workers are taking a pay cut to remain employed. Job holders in the mining industry experienced a 0.1 percent decrease in wages while those switching jobs experienced a whopping 9.6 percent decrease. This matches up with an 18.1 percent decrease in the industry’s labor force.

Service-providing workers are seeing better wage growth than those in goods-producing industries. Employment growth is slowest in the goods-producing industries, while the services sector is experiencing overall employment growth and wage increases on average.

For professional and business services, which includes accounting and tax preparation along with other types of services, full-time job holders saw wage growth of 4.6 percent in Q3, while job switchers experienced growth of 6.4 percent. Employment growth in professional and business services increased 2.8 percent on average in Q3, according to ADP. Wages were an average of $34.91 per hour.

The information industry continued to lead the way in terms of wage growth, reaching 5.2 percent in Q3, making it the highest paid industry overall at $41.37 per hour.

“Employees in the information industry are experiencing some of the highest growth in wages, while overall employment growth in this area is relatively slow,” said Ahu Yildirmaz, vice president and head of the ADP Research Institute, in a statement. “I believe this is fueled by a war for talent among information industry employers who are increasing wages to attract and retain top talent.”

 

TABLE: Q3 2016 Wages and Employment by Industry 

Industry

Wage Level

Full-Time

Wage Growth (yoy)

Full-Time

Employment Growth (yoy)

Holders

Switchers

Holders

Switchers

ALL

$32.10

$31.36

4.2%

5.0%

1.9%

Manufacturing

$32.15

$34.14

4.0%

2.7%

-0.1%

Construction

$29.52

$26.01

4.7%

4.4%

4.4%

Resources and Mining

$40.78

$29.04

-0.1%

-9.6%

-18.1%

Finance and Real Estate

$34.45

$30.84

4.6%

5.0%

2.2%

Information

$40.56

$41.37

5.2%

6.8%

0.5%

Professional and Business Services

$38.02

$34.91

4.6%

6.4%

2.8%

Leisure and Hospitality

$24.11

$16.63

5.2%

7.5%

2.8%

Education and Health Services

$30.05

$27.36

3.8%

6.6%

2.6%

Trade, Transportation, and Utilities

$29.50

$28.52

4.1%

4.4%

1.6%


 

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