Wage Information
The 2011 Athens Area Wage and Benefit Survey is based on joint research by the Athens Economic Development Council and Marilyn Young, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Tyler. Wage and benefit information was obtained from the results of a mail survey from 36 respondents with a 31% return rate. Responses were segmented among the manufacturing sector, service sector, and total respondents.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Size of Company
The size of the organizations surveyed ranged from 1 to 490 employees.
Tenure of Employees
Athens area employers (service and manufacturing) indicated their employees had been with the company from 1 to 20 years with an average of 8 years.
Job Applications
Approximately 61% of all employers indicated they normally advertised for job openings and received an average of 34 responses per job. The number of job applications companies had on file ranged from 3 to 500 with a median of 25 applications. Employers retained the applications an average of 8 months.
Holidays, Vacation, and Time Off
A wide majority, 89%, of all companies indicated they provide paid vacation for employees, and 17% provided pay in lieu of vacation. The average (median) number of vacation days were 10 days after working one year; 10 days after 3 years; 12 days after 5 years; and 15 days after working 10 years. Also, 89% of the employers indicated they had paid holidays; 11%, floating holidays; 11%, unpaid holidays; and 6%, holiday premium pay. The median number of holidays provided to employees was 8 days. Other types of time off included: Paid sick leave, 58%, paid jury duty, 67%; time off to vote, 33%; time off as a witness, 33%; and personal paid time off, 31%.
Insurance
A majority, 64% of the manufacturing sector and 86% of the service sector, offered health insurance to employees. Also, a large proportion offered insurance to employee dependents. A total of 50% of the manufacturers and 55% of the service sector offered dental insurance to employees. Only 43% of manufacturers and 41% of the service sector offered vision/eyewear insurance. A large portion of manufacturers (50%) and service sector (68%) provided life insurance, while 43% and 50% provided disability insurance, respectively. Many of these insurance benefits were offered to dependents, and the amount paid by Athens area employers varied significantly as to whether the costs were paid by the company, employee, or shared. Some 57% of manufacturers and 64% of the service sector provided workers’ compensation. In addition, 21% of manufacturers and 18% of the service sector had a self-insured option.
Retirement
A slight majority of the total employers sampled, 57%, had some type of retirement plan. Furthermore, 90% indicated they matched the employees’ contribution. The median employer contribution was 6%. The major type of retirement plan was the defined contribution, e.g., IRA and 401k plans.
Tuition Reimbursement
Approximately 31% of Athens area employers provided tuition aid to the employees. In addition, 22% of the employers had profit sharing as an option, and only 6% had a savings and thrift plan.
Value of Benefit Package
The average (median) estimate of the employee benefit package per employee was $4,286 per employee. Employers estimated the value of the benefit package as a percentage of wages with a median value of the benefit package at 15%.
Seasonal Hiring Patterns
Approximately 21% of all companies indicated they had a seasonal hiring pattern.
Salary Increases
The majority of both sectors reported they had some type of wage-level adjustments. A majority, 64%, reported they based their salary increases on merit. Another 52% indicated they had annual adjustments in salary increases.
Bonuses and Incentives
The major type of bonus given was premium pay for overtime which was provided by 39% of the employers.
Hourly Wages
Hourly wages are shown in Tables 15 - 18. The earnings for manufacturing and service sectors were calculated using both weighted and unweighted averages with the median and range for each of the occupational classifications.
Athens Area Labor Market
The Athens area is defined as a 30-mile radius which includes Henderson County.
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| Job Classifications Manufacturing Sector |
Weighted Average | Median Wage | Low | High | ||||
|
Manufacturing/Processing, Distribution |
||||||||
|
Assembler (electrical) |
$9.00 |
$9.50 |
$8.00 |
$11.00 |
||||
|
Assembler (general) |
$9.63 |
$9.42 |
$9.42 |
$15.00 |
||||
|
Delivery driver |
$8.50 |
$8.50 |
$8.50 |
$8.50 |
||||
|
Extrusion worker |
$11.06 |
$11.06 |
$11.06 |
$11.06 |
||||
|
Fork lift driver |
$9.50 |
$9.50 |
$9.50 |
$9.50 |
||||
|
General laborer |
$10.55 |
$9.50 |
$8.00 |
$13.16 |
||||
|
Janitor |
$11.30 |
$11.67 |
$10.57 |
$11.67 |
||||
|
Machine operator |
$13.19 |
$11.00 |
$9.25 |
$20.23 |
||||
|
Maintenance (electrician) |
$21.40 |
$21.40 |
$21.40 |
$21.40 |
||||
|
Maintenance (general) |
$18.18 |
$19.37 |
$11.20 |
$21.40 |
||||
|
Mechanic (maintenance) |
$17.67 |
$18.00 |
$10.25 |
$24.9 |
||||
|
Molder |
$13.29 |
$13.29 |
$13.29 |
$13.29 |
||||
|
Production scheduler |
$19.00 |
$19.00 |
$18.00 |
$20.00 |
||||
|
Quality technician |
$13.31 |
$12.34 |
$10.00 |
$18.94 |
||||
|
Shipping clerk |
$10.11 |
$9.64 |
$9.64 |
$12.00 |
||||
|
Tool & die maker |
$24.74 |
$24.74 |
$24.74 |
$24.74 |
||||
|
Truck driver (light) |
$12.25 |
$12.25 |
$12.25 |
$12.25 |
||||
|
Truck driver (medium) |
$13.86 |
$13.86 |
$13.86 |
$13.86 |
||||
|
Warehouse worker |
$13.16 |
$13.71 |
$7.39 |
$13.71 |
||||
|
Welder |
$13.10 |
$10.50 |
$10.50 |
$23.40 |
||||
|
Supervisory |
||||||||
|
Accounting manager |
$33.46 |
$39.48 |
$12.00 |
$45.00 |
||||
|
Clerical supervisor |
$27.51 |
$27.51 |
$27.51 |
$27.51 |
||||
|
Customer service manager |
$31.23 |
$33.79 |
$17.31 |
$40.03 |
||||
|
H.R. administrator |
$28.43 |
$27.85 |
$19.23 |
$41.51 |
||||
|
Line supervisor |
$20.96 |
$19.23 |
$16.54 |
$25.88 |
||||
|
Maintenance supervisor |
$29.19 |
$27.88 |
$22.00 |
$37.70 |
||||
|
Office manager |
$20.55 |
$18.99 |
$10.00 |
$35.75 |
||||
|
Quality control manager |
$28.22 |
$32.81 |
$14.00 |
$35.03 |
||||
|
Production manager |
$32.68 |
$26.93 |
$15.00 |
$47.85 |
||||
|
Purchasing assistant/pricing analyst |
$13.91 |
$13.91 |
$13.91 |
$13.91 |
||||
|
Purchasing manager |
$28.19 |
$32.20 |
$12.00 |
$40.38 |
||||
|
Warehouse supervisor |
$33.01 |
$33.05 |
$27.53 |
$38.46 |
||||
|
Manufacturing/Processing, Distribution |
||||||||
| Job Clarifications Manufacturing Sector |
Weighted Average | Median Wage | Low | High | ||||
|
Office Support, Clerical, and Computer |
||||||||
|
Accounting clerk |
$16.92 |
$14.15 |
$11.80 |
$22.11 |
||||
|
Bookkeeper |
$21.04 |
$26.31 |
$10.50 |
$26.31 |
||||
|
Cashier |
$18.78 |
$18.78 |
$18.78 |
$18.78 |
||||
|
Clerk (general) |
$14.09 |
$12.15 |
$12.15 |
$18.00 |
||||
|
Customer service representative |
$15.45 |
$15.27 |
$14.42 |
$23.33 |
||||
|
Data entry |
$9.73 |
$9.73 |
$9.73 |
$9.73 |
||||
|
Drafter (CAD) |
$20.47 |
$22.35 |
$16.71 |
$22.35 |
||||
|
Drafter/designer |
$26.61 |
$20.54 |
$20.54 |
$38.75 |
||||
|
Human resources clerk (generalists) |
$17.09 |
$17.09 |
$16.83 |
$17.35 |
||||
|
Human resources assistant |
$15.14 |
$15.14 |
$12.00 |
$18.27 |
||||
|
Payroll clerk |
$26.14 |
$26.14 |
$26.14 |
$26.14 |
||||
|
Programmer |
$19.93 |
$16.25 |
$16.25 |
$27.30 |
||||
|
Receptionist |
$10.55 |
$11.66 |
$8.00 |
$12.00 |
||||
|
Sales support |
$20.78 |
$21.00 |
$18.75 |
$21.00 |
||||
|
Secretary (executive)/Administrative Assistant |
$18.17 |
$18.27 |
$9.00 |
$24.13 |
||||
|
Secretary (general) |
$15.25 |
$14.00 |
$14.00 |
$18.37 |
||||
|
Shipping receiving clerk |
$11.29 |
$11.29 |
$11.29 |
$11.29 |
||||