Nearly 93% of colleges and universities surveyed awarded salary increases in 2006, Watson Wyatt Data Services Reports
More than half of responding institutions intend to raise salary range midpoints in 2007. Almost 100% of employees eligible for tuition reimbursement programs offered by participating institutions.
ROCHELLE PARK, N.J., (November 7, 2007) – Watson Wyatt Data Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Watson Wyatt Worldwide, today announced the publication of its 2007/2008 Survey Report on College and University Personnel Compensation. Overall, 92.1 percent of this survey’s participating institutions granted salary increases in 2006. The percentage of employees actually receiving increases in 2006 ranged from a low of 96.4 percent for Exempt, Non-Management staff to a high of 96.6 percent for the faculty and nonexempt group.The overall 2007 salary increase budget of 3.8 percent reported by participating institutions is 0.1 percentage points higher than the 2006 actual increases of 3.7 percent. A somewhat equivalent increase is anticipated for all employee groups with the exception of the Executive/Managerial and Faculty group, who received on average 3.7 percent and 3.9 percent increases, respectively, in 2006 and are expected to receive identical increases in 2007.
A reported 60.5 percent of responding institutions plan to increase salary range midpoints by an overall increase of 3.8 percent in 2007. The average increase to range midpoints in 2006 ranged from 2.7 percent for Nonexempt, Exempt, Non-Management and Executive/Managerial to 3.0 percent for Faculty staff, as compared to a 2007 planned increase ranging from 3.8 percent for Faculty employees to 4.0 percent for Executive/Managerial staff.
Trends and Practices
Overall, 32.6 percent of institutions surveyed provide Tuition Reimbursement Programs and 83.7 percent of institutions provide Tuition Waiver Programs to one or more employee groups. In 97.5 percent of the institutions offering some type of program, the employee is eligible to participate. In 80 percent of the surveyed institutions, the employee’s spouse is eligible to participate, and children of the employee are eligible to participate in 85.0 percent of the responding institutions.
For each employee group (with the exception of the Faculty group), the same percentage of respondents have a severance and paid medical benefit continuance program. For the Executives/Managerial, Exempt, Non-Management and Nonexempt groups, 23.1 percent of respondents reported having a severance plan. A total of 10.3 percent of the Faculty group respondents have a severance plan in place.
This report is based on responses from 113 institutions encompassing 113 locations reporting data on 34,957 incumbents. A total of five geographic areas as well as the entire United States are reported on in this year’s edition.
Based on feedback from clients, 20 positions were added to this year’s survey. The report covers a full range of college and university personnel, including executive, accounting and finance, human resources, campus security, facilities, food services, admissions, information technology, marketing, public relations and fundraising, risk management, student services, library services, secretarial, athletics, department chairs and faculty. The 2007/2008 Survey Report on College and University Personnel Compensation is available online, on CD or in a printed book format.
About Watson Wyatt Data Services
Watson Wyatt Data Services (WWDS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Watson Wyatt Worldwide, is a leading provider of compensation, benefits, and employment practices information to the global employer community. From offices around the world, we solicit, analyze, and publish an extensive library of printed, interactive and online survey reports. Our compensation databases are recognized worldwide as the most reliable source of current data for compensation planning.
Global scope, local knowledge …
Covering more than 95 countries across six continents, our data centers in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, and Latin America annually compile reports on the remuneration, benefits, and employment practices of local and multinational companies. Our “in-country” experts apply their local knowledge of the varied employment markets, practices, and customs to deliver a complete compensation picture that can be used to create sound, market-based pay programs for entire institutions. Our international databases contain compensation information covering millions of employees based on the annual survey participation of organizations ranging from emerging growth companies to many of the world’s largest conglomerates.
In addition to compensation surveys, WWDS also publishes references that help HR practitioners attract, retain, and reward exceptional employees. These guides cover a wide variety of subject areas, including variable pay, performance management, and personnel policies on a local, regional, and global basis. For more information, visit our Web site at WWDS.com.
For more information, contact:
MaryBeth IannacconeWatson Wyatt Data ServicesTel: (201) 843-1177, extension 3480E-mail: Marybeth.iannaccone@watsonwyatt.com