DES MOINES, Iowa, June 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite seismic
scandals affecting the security clearance community (from the
Office of Personnel Management hack to Edward Snowden) and a roughly 30 percent
reduction in the size of the cleared candidate pool, salaries
remain largely unchanged. According to the 2017
ClearanceJobs® Compensation Survey results, total
compensation for all surveyed security-cleared professionals
worldwide is $86,902. Average total
compensation is down 1.27% overall since 2014, the last time
ClearanceJobs, a DHI Group, Inc. (NYSE: DHX) service, conducted a
salary survey.
"These numbers really highlight the challenges facing recruiters
and hiring managers in the cleared space," said Evan Lesser, founder and president of
ClearanceJobs.com. "We have a very strong commercial sector and a
still struggling defense sector. While there are still high-paying
jobs, the competition for those professionals is incredibly
strong."
The top five highest-paid job categories are Systems Engineering
($118,865), IT Software ($116,881), Sales ($104,864), IT Security ($101,901) and Legal ($100,263).
Two market trends support salary stagnation in the defense
market today: the continued prevalence of Lowest Price Technically
Acceptable contract awards, and a shift in the demographic makeup
of the cleared candidate workforce. In 2013 then Director of
National Intelligence James Clapper
called on the intelligence community to reduce the number of higher
level security clearances, and that bore out in survey responses.
Professionals with a top secret or higher clearance made up 46% of
survey respondents in 2017 — down 5% since last surveyed in 2014.
Secret candidates made up nearly 39% of the respondents in 2017, up
1% since 2014.
The issuing agency behind the security clearance is also a major
driver of compensation. Candidates with security clearances issued
by the intelligence agencies (NSA, CIA, FBI) reported a 5.53%
increase in average base salary since last surveyed. Candidates
with security clearances issued by the Department of Energy (Q or
L) reported a 7.53% increase in average base salary since last
surveyed — the highest overall increase.
The top five highest-paying agencies are the CIA ($121,120), NSA ($107,947), Department of Homeland Security
($101,901), Department of Energy
($100,500), and Department of State
($98,146).
"With continued market uncertainty, processing delays and flat
compensation, you might think the cleared workforce would come to
work with a chip on their shoulder. That's hardly the case," said
Mr. Lesser. In fact, 64% of surveyed cleared professionals
indicated they are "somewhat" or "very satisfied" with their
current jobs. That's higher than the roughly 50 percent
satisfaction score the average American gives their current
job.i
More than half, 53% of security-cleared professionals surveyed
said they were "likely" or "very likely" to change jobs in the
coming year. Unsurprisingly, respondents whose salaries were in the
lowest 20% were the most likely to consider switching jobs. The
difference in the average base salary between those "very likely"
and those "not at all likely" to change jobs was 10%.
Read more survey results in our comprehensive Salary Report.
ClearanceJobs 2017 Compensation Report.
ClearanceJobs Salary Survey Methodology
The 2017 ClearanceJobs Compensation Report was administered online
between December 9, 2016 and
January 30, 2017. Participants had to
have a current, active federal security clearance and be currently
employed to be included in the results, which included 21,823
usable responses.
About ClearanceJobs.com
ClearanceJobs.com, the nation's leading security-cleared career
network, specializes in defense jobs for professionals with federal
security clearances. ClearanceJobs is committed to connecting
security-cleared professionals and employers in a secure and
private environment to fill the jobs that safeguard our nation.
Search thousands of jobs from pre-screened defense employers and
government contractors. ClearanceJobs is a DHI Group, Inc. (NYSE:
DHX) service.
Media Contact:
Lindy Kyzer
ClearanceJobs
202.374.4291
lindy.kyzer@clearancejobs.com
i
https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/06/20/most-americans-are-unhappy-at-work/#6159603e341a
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SOURCE ClearanceJobs.com