Most Americans Are $5,000 Underpaid— Here’s The Proof

Based on salaries from all over the country (including Alaska and Hawaii) new Glassdoor data shows that most Americans are underpaid by an average of nearly $5000.

Wait, what? How?

Glad you asked.

Since launching in October, Know Your Worth by Glassdoor has provided hundreds of thousands of estimated market values for American workers taking into account personal characteristics like current job title, employer, current base salary, location and years of relevant experience. Using that as well as relevant open jobs in the market, we have seen that the majority of users are underpaid by about $4,700, when simply looking at base pay.

Those underpaid include employees from companies like Amazon, Oracle, Bank of America, Walmart and Boeing.

What does this mean?

It may be time for a talk with your boss. Really dig into your Know Your Worth salary estimate and check out salary reports on Glassdoor for your role at your company and other companies. These two pieces of research will help guide your discussion and explain the reasons why you feel a pay increase is warranted in 2017.

“As an HR practitioner, one of the challenges I had was helping managers come together with candidates and employees around salary. It’s a touchy subject in general, and it can be incredibly nerve-wracking,” said Ben Eubanks, Principal Analyst, Lighthouse Research & Advisory.  “I would recommend that employees and job seekers leverage the data available in Know Your Worth to take the emotions out of the salary conversation and instead focus on what matters, such as culture, expectations, and performance.”

Remember, to be open to feedback and listen to your boss’ explanation. The goal? Leave the conversation with a better understanding of where your fit and what it will take to advance to the next level, and thus earn more money.

Source: Glass Door