1996 Wyoming Statewide Wage Survey Results:

Professional & Technical Occupations

by: Wayne M. Gosar

Wyoming's wage survey is conducted on a three-year rotating cycle, covering one-third of all occupations each year. The occupations surveyed in 1996 are generally referred to as Professional & Technical occupations. Wages for the other two-thirds of the occupations have been adjusted with administrative records to 1996 levels based on information collected by survey in 1994 (Sales, Clerical & Service occupations) and 1995 (Agriculture, Forestry, Construction & Operator occupations). These occupational groups are formed according to Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) codes, which are shown in the wage tables. For a complete list of all occupations surveyed in Wyoming's wage survey over all three years, please refer to the Alpabetical List of All Occupations.

Representative accurate wage rates are important to business and economic development in Wyoming. The support of employers continues to be evidenced by our response rate, 53 percent; this also demonstrates that this Wyoming-specific wage data is considered valuable by employers across the state. The results of these surveys can also be used to pinpoint those sectors of the labor market most likely to be affected by a change in the minimum wage (i.e., those occupations which pay at or near the minimum wage, such as "Messengers", "Waiters and Waitresses", "Food Servers: Outside" and "Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants; and Bartender Helpers").

The 1996 survey began in January. A random sample of nearly 6,500 firms was selected to participate in the survey. Sampled employers received survey packets which contained descriptions of one to forty occupations, depending on the nature and size of the business being surveyed. We asked employers to categorize their workers by licensing requirements, part- or full-time work and years of service. A second request was sent to those employers not answering the first survey.

Survey responses were keyed into a database specifically designed for the wage survey. We summarized and compiled the data using statistical software. Summary statistics are presented in the main tables.

Please take the time to familiarize yourself with the terms used in the attached tables (refer to the Wage Survey Glossary). Understanding the table terminology will save you time and help you evaluate the quality of the results.

What Else is New ...

We are also publishing updated estimates for Sales, Clerical & Service occupations, first surveyed in 1994 and for last year's survey of Agriculture, Forestry, Construction & Operator occupations. The data as it was originally published also appears in these two tables, as do the adjustment factors which were used to bring the average wages up to estimated 1996 levels.

Our adjustment factors (refer to the Wage Survey Glossary for a detailed explanation) are based on employer's quarterly Unemployment Insurance administrative wage records. The difference in wages over time, for each industry, was then calculated for each occupation based on known staffing patterns among industries. For example, "Secretaries" (OES code: 55108) are found across all industries at least to some degree. In contrast, "Petroleum Engineers" (OES code: 22111) are found only in very limited number of industries. Thus, using knowledge of quarterly wage level changes among industries, and how occupations are distributed across industries, appropriate adjustment factors can be applied to estimate each occupation's rate of pay for the current year. In this way, current reasonable estimates of pay can be computed synthetically at a lower cost and burden than that of surveying employers. Furthermore, the reliability of this process can later be checked with new survey data.

Points of Interest in the 1996 Wage Data ...

Out of the nearly 6,500 firms surveyed, 20,168 people (valid cases) were found to be working in Professional & Technical occupations across Wyoming. On average, workers in these occupations make $16.02 per hour. The 1996 average represents an increase of $1.93 per hour compared to the 1993 average when Professional & Technical occupations were originally surveyed. The difference over three years indicates that, on average, wage rates grew by 13.7 percent or by 4.6 percent per year.

On an occupational basis, wage rates for Professional & Technical occupations continue to lead the overall wage structure. For example, 111 out of the 161 occupations surveyed (69 percent) had mean wages over $10.00 per hour, while estimated wages only showed 33 out of 121 Sales, Clerical & Service occupations (27 percent) had wages over the $10.00 threshold. Agriculture, Forestry, Construction and Operator occupations are estimated to have 47 percent of the occupations having estimated mean wages over $10.00 an hour.

Among Professional & Technical occupations surveyed this year, "Physicians and Surgeons" (OES code: 32102) had the highest mean wage, $57.49 per hour, while "Food Service and Lodging Managers" (OES code: 15026) had the lowest mean wage, $5.98 per hour.

The Next Survey Round ...

1996 is the last year for our current wage survey format. Changing federal programs have moved wage surveys into a common format, collection and processing cycle, for all states. One advantage of this new format is that every state will be conducting the same wage survey, allowing direct cross-state comparisons. Employers in Cheyenne, for example, will be able to legitimately compare wage rates by occupation in the neighboring labor market area encompassing Fort Collins-Loveland-Greely, determining whether or not local salaries are competitive.

One Final Note ...

We are proud of the wage survey and the positive response we have received every year from employers across the state. With very few exceptions, employers have encouraged our effort by responding to our requests for wage data and we thank them for their continued assistance.

Wayne Gosar, formerly an Economist with Research & Planning, who was instrumental in the early design of and subsequent implementation of the Wyoming wage survey, has recently accepted a new position. This work was completed prior to his resignation.


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