Internet: www.bls.gov/ro3/ | PLS – 4466 FOR RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2008 |
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INFORMATION: | Thomas McGettigan (215) 597-3282 |
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MEDIA CONTACT: | Gerald Perrins (215) 861-5600 |
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Highlights of Reading, PA National Compensation Survey January 2008 (PDF)Workers in the Reading metropolitan area averaged $18.31 per hour during January 2008, according to new survey results from the National Compensation Survey (NCS) released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that wage data were reported for workers in a wide range of occupational groups, including average hourly earnings of $15.44 for production occupations and $14.98 for transportation and material moving occupations. Another occupational group, office and administrative support, had a mean hourly wage rate of $14.69. The January 2008 NCS data available for the Reading area include earnings for 17 major occupational groups with additional detail for selected occupations within those groups. (See table 1.) Within the production occupational group, printing machine operators earned $18.32 per hour, while cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders were paid $13.88. The average hourly wage for truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer, part of the transportation and material moving occupational group, was $17.24; laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand earned $15.44 per hour. In the office and administrative support occupations, executive secretaries and administrative assistants were paid $18.80 per hour. (See table 1.) Broad coverage of selected occupational characteristics is available from the NCS for the local area. Full-time workers were paid an average of $19.51 per hour and part-time workers earned $9.42. Hourly wages for union and non-union workers were $22.21 and $17.60, respectively. Workers in establishments with 1-99 workers earned $16.33, those in establishments with 100-499 workers earned $19.89, and those in establishments with 500 or more workers earned $20.44 per hour. The occupational wage data available from NCS may be used by businesses for establishing pay plans, making decisions concerning plant relocation, and in collective bargaining negotiations. Individuals may use such data to help choose potential careers. NCS results also include the work level and respective earnings for occupations determined by a point factor leveling process. The four occupational leveling factors are: knowledge, job controls and complexity, contacts, and physical environment. Details on the NCS are available at www.bls.gov/ncs/. The NCS data reported here covered 190 establishments with one or more workers in private industry and State and local governments. Agricultural establishments, private households, the self-employed, and the Federal Government were excluded from the survey. This sample of establishments represented 167,800 workers in the Reading, Pa. Metropolitan Statistical Area which consists of Berks County in Pennsylvania. Survey AvailabilityComplete survey results are contained in the Reading, PA National Compensation Survey January 2008 which is available on the Internet in both text and PDF formats at www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/compub.htm. For personal assistance or further information on the National Compensation Survey data, as well as other Bureau data, contact the Mid-Atlantic Information Office by calling (215) 597-3282 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. |
Occupation(3) | Total | Full-time workers | Part-time workers | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mean | Relative error(4) (percent) | Mean | Relative error(4) (percent) | Mean | Relative error(4) (percent) | |
All workers |
$18.31 | 3.1 | $19.51 | 3.0 | $9.42 | 9.1 |
Management occupations |
43.01 | 14.4 | 43.16 | 14.6 | – | – |
Business and financial operations occupations |
28.87 | 8.5 | 28.87 | 8.5 | – | – |
Computer and mathematical science occupations |
28.42 | 5.9 | 28.42 | 5.9 | – | – |
Community and social services occupations |
21.88 | 22.3 | 21.88 | 22.3 | – | – |
Education, training, and library occupations |
32.38 | 7.8 | 34.47 | 7.5 | 13.92 | 24.0 |
Postsecondary teachers |
41.62 | 3.9 | 41.87 | 4.2 | – | – |
Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers |
34.37 | 7.9 | 36.25 | 6.7 | – | – |
Elementary and middle school teachers |
36.73 | 5.6 | 36.79 | 5.7 | – | – |
Elementary school teachers, except special education |
38.44 | 2.9 | 38.59 | 2.5 | – | – |
Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations |
25.96 | 10.9 | 26.71 | 9.8 | 21.87 | 15.3 |
Registered nurses |
33.27 | 27.7 | 37.23 | 27.3 | – | – |
Therapists |
32.00 | 5.6 | 32.00 | 5.6 | – | – |
Healthcare support occupations |
12.80 | 4.6 | 12.98 | 4.7 | – | – |
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides |
11.88 | 2.2 | 11.88 | 2.2 | – | – |
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
11.51 | 2.2 | – | – | – | – |
Miscellaneous healthcare support occupations |
14.01 | 5.3 | – | – | – | – |
Protective service occupations |
17.92 | 15.4 | 18.32 | 17.2 | – | – |
Food preparation and serving related occupations |
7.73 | 4.0 | 9.72 | 3.9 | 6.25 | 6.8 |
Food service, tipped |
3.91 | 17.4 | – | – | 4.23 | 17.4 |
Waiters and waitresses |
3.49 | 18.5 | – | – | 3.72 | 20.2 |
Fast food and counter workers |
10.25 | 13.3 | – | – | 8.26 | 7.8 |
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
10.52 | 13.2 | – | – | – | – |
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
12.07 | 6.2 | 12.82 | 2.8 | 8.36 | 11.1 |
Building cleaning workers |
11.08 | 8.4 | 12.61 | 5.2 | – | – |
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
12.29 | 5.2 | 12.98 | 5.1 | – | – |
Personal care and service occupations |
11.03 | 16.8 | – | – | 8.91 | 6.5 |
Sales and related occupations |
14.70 | 11.8 | 19.64 | 17.0 | 7.70 | 9.6 |
Retail sales workers |
11.77 | 14.3 | 15.28 | 20.9 | 7.65 | 11.6 |
Cashiers, all workers |
7.40 | 4.6 | – | – | 6.87 | 3.2 |
Cashiers |
7.40 | 4.6 | – | – | 6.87 | 3.2 |
Retail salespersons |
16.87 | 33.9 | 18.52 | 32.2 | – | – |
Office and administrative support occupations |
14.69 | 3.2 | 14.97 | 3.2 | 12.27 | 9.4 |
Financial clerks |
16.56 | 8.6 | 16.80 | 8.5 | – | – |
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
16.64 | 16.5 | – | – | – | – |
Customer service representatives |
15.26 | 5.5 | 15.61 | 5.6 | – | – |
Receptionists and information clerks |
12.17 | 3.1 | – | – | – | – |
Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
15.92 | 5.7 | 15.92 | 5.7 | – | – |
Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
13.11 | 5.7 | 13.23 | 6.5 | – | – |
Stock clerks and order fillers |
9.62 | 11.6 | – | – | – | – |
Secretaries and administrative assistants |
16.18 | 6.1 | 16.30 | 6.6 | – | – |
Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
18.80 | 4.9 | 18.80 | 4.9 | – | – |
Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
15.39 | 8.8 | 15.38 | 8.8 | – | – |
Office clerks, general |
14.16 | 10.4 | 14.16 | 10.5 | – | – |
Construction and extraction occupations |
17.36 | 3.0 | 17.37 | 3.0 | – | – |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
20.43 | 13.4 | 20.51 | 13.4 | – | – |
Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers |
20.20 | 1.8 | 20.39 | 1.8 | – | – |
Maintenance workers, machinery |
19.84 | 6.5 | 20.46 | 4.6 | – | – |
Production occupations |
15.44 | 1.7 | 15.69 | 1.6 | – | – |
Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators |
14.29 | 2.8 | 14.41 | 2.4 | – | – |
Miscellaneous food processing workers |
11.63 | 3.3 | 11.63 | 3.3 | – | – |
Molders and molding machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
19.40 | 3.9 | 19.40 | 3.9 | – | – |
Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
19.40 | 3.9 | 19.40 | 3.9 | – | – |
Printers |
18.20 | 2.0 | 18.20 | 2.0 | – | – |
Printing machine operators |
18.32 | 1.5 | 18.32 | 1.5 | – | – |
Cutting workers |
13.88 | 8.9 | 13.88 | 8.9 | – | – |
Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
13.88 | 8.9 | 13.88 | 8.9 | – | – |
Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
14.06 | 9.0 | 14.06 | 9.0 | – | – |
Miscellaneous production workers |
13.92 | 7.7 | 13.92 | 7.7 | – | – |
Transportation and material moving occupations |
14.98 | 4.4 | 15.10 | 4.6 | – | – |
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers |
15.79 | 4.7 | 16.11 | 4.2 | – | – |
Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
17.24 | 2.8 | 17.24 | 2.8 | – | – |
Laborers and material movers, hand |
14.64 | 3.7 | 14.69 | 3.8 | – | – |
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
15.44 | 7.5 | 15.44 | 7.5 | – | – |
Footnotes: |
Last Modified Date: November 18, 2008