HRA-NCA 2012 Compensation Survey Report Released Washington Area Average Salaries were Up 2.1% Over 2011 Security Clearance Pay Differential Reported

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Human Resource Association of the National Capital Area (HRA-NCA), the local chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, has released its 2012 Compensation Survey Report.

305 Washington, DC area employers participated in the survey and provided compensation data for 512 jobs. These organizations employ 325791 employees and reported salary and compensation data on 84,682 incumbents while reporting on every major industry in the Washington region. This is the 33^nd Annual HRA-NCA Survey and it is widely viewed as the definitive source of human resource salary data and compensation practices in the greater Washington, DC region.

Highlights of the survey include:

1) From February 2011 through February 2012, the employees in the Washington area median increase in salary paid for all positions in the survey was 2.1% while employers are budgeting approximately 2.8% for exempt and non-exempt employees and 2.7% for executives. (This is the same as the 2.8% budgeted in 2011.)

2) Employee Total Turnover was reported at 17% in 2011 in the DC region and voluntary turnover was at 14%. This is approximately the same as reported in 2010.

3) When reviewing the data by job family on an incumbent-weighted basis, the largest increases were reported in the following job families: banking 19.1%, accounting and finance 6.7%, building and facilities maintenance 4.6% and IT and computer operations 4.4%.

4) The survey asked employers to report on pay differential for employees holding security clearances. 45% of government contractors reported that “cleared” personnel receive greater compensation than employees in comparable positions without a clearance. Employers indicated that employees with clearances received a median of 5% higher compensation than those without a clearance with the maximum reported by an employer of 12%.

5) Federal government pay for the jobs reported in the survey increased modestly in the Washington – Baltimore region from 2011-2012. On a weighted average basis, median pay increased 0.2% while average pay was flat- 0%.

The Professional Services Council, the trade association representing government contractors, is a partner with HRA-NCA in producing the Government Contractors’ Compensation Survey that will be released on September 30, 2012.

The survey reports are available for sale and further information can be found at www.hra-nca.org.

Press Notes: Reporters wishing to obtain further information about Washington area compensation, compensation policies and practices, and benefits should call Dave Sturtevant, PR Consultant, 703-402-3707 or email. Any reporters wishing to set up interviews with local compensation experts, need a copy of the presentations from the release event or the HRA-NCA Compensation Report should also contact Sturtevant.