PYCe

Paytrendsand

modernmarketpricing

intheageofAI

Data-drivenanalysisonthestateofthelabormarket,

wagetrendsfromPayscale’sPeerdataset,andan

explorationofAI-poweredcompensationtoolsshaping

thefutureofmarketpricingin2025andbeyond.

Introduction

Underacloudofeconomicuncertainty,employersmustcarefullybalancecompetitivepaywithcost

constraintsandretentionstrategies.Whileacool

labormarketmayappeartogiveemployersmore

In2025,theU.S.labormarketissoftening.Jobgrowthisslowing,unemploymentisrising,andlaborforceparticipationisdeclining.Whilewagegrowthiscurrentlyoutpacinginflation,thecostoflivingisincreasingandcontinuestobeahardshipforconsumers.

leverage,therealityismorecomplex:“

jobhugging

,”

wideningwageinequality,andmismatchesbetweenpayanddemandpresentcompensationchallenges.

Tonavigatethemodernera,compensation

professionalsneedmoderntools.Thiswhitepaper

combinespaytrendsdatafromPayscale’sPeerdatasetwithAI-driveninsightsfromPayscaleExplore

tohelporganizationsunderstandmovementinthemarketandhowtopricejobsaccurately,respondtomarketshifts,andmakepayastrategicadvantage.

Whetheryou’reassessingsalarystructure

adjustmentsforfastmovingjobsorevaluatingpaydifferentialsbylocation,theneedforprecision

andagilityhasneverbeengreater.AI-powered

compensationplatformscanhelpyoufilldatagaps,managerisk,andensurepayequityacrossrapidlychangingmarkets.

PaytrendsandmodernmarketpricingintheageofAI|

2

Labormarketanalysis

TheU.S.labormarketisshowingsignsof

stagnationthatpointtoapossibleeconomiccontractionorrecession.

InSeptember2025,theU.S.BureauofLabor

Statisticsreportedthatjust22,000jobswereaddedinAugustandrevisedpreviousnew

jobaddsdownwardbyalmost

onemillion

forthefirstquarterandanetlossof13,000jobsreportedforJune.ThisisthefirstmonthlyjoblossreportedsinceDecember2020duringtheCOVID-19pandemic.

TheJobOpeningandLaborTurnoverSurveydata,

lastreportedinJuly2025

,showed

7.18millionjobopeningswithanopenings

rateof4.3%,ahiresrateof3.3%,aquitsrateof2.0%,andlayoffsanddischargesat1.1%.

Thelowchurnsuggestsalabormarketwhereemployeesaren’twillingtoleavetheirjobs

voluntarily,aphenomenonreferredtoas“jobhugging”colloquially.

Butunemploymenthasrisento4.3%—the

highestlevelsincelate2021.Meanwhile,labor

forceparticipation,whichwasrecoveringto

pre-covidlevelsbetween2020and2024,hasdroppedto62%inrecentmonths.

Whiletheselabordynamicsfavoremployers,

stagnationinthelabormarketcanhavea

negativeimpactoncompanyhealthand

growthprojectionsasemployeesaremore

pronetobecomingdissatisfied,distrustful,

anddisengaged,andjobcandidateslosehopeandleavethetraditionalworkforcealtogether.

Jobopenings,hires,separations,layoffs,&unemployment

allindustries

16%

14%

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%

20062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025

HiresJobopeningsLayoffsTotalseparationsUnemploymentrate

PaytrendsandmodernmarketpricingintheageofAI|

3

Paymarketanalysis

SincetheCOVID-19pandemic,wagegrowthintheU.S.has

experienceddramaticswings,initiallyoutpacinginflationduringthe

earlylockdownperiodduetomasslayoffsbutfallingbehindasinflationsurgedin2021and2022.Wagegrowthhasbeendecliningsince

mid-2022,butbeginningin2023ithasbeenconsistentlyoutpacing

inflation.However,lower-wageworkersareseeingsmallergainsthanhigherearners,andmostU.S.metrosstillhavenotregainedtheirpre-inflationpurchasingpower,highlightingpersistentinequalitybeneaththebroaderimprovementinwage-inflationdynamics.

Whilenominalpaycontinuestorise,payincreasesareexpectedto

declinein2026,despitesignsthatinflationmaysurge(currently

hoveringaround2.7%).Accordingto

Payscale,s2025-2026Salary

BudgetSurvey

,U.S.employersareplanning3.5%averagesalary

increasesfor2026,aslightdeclineof0.1percentagepointfromtheratein2025.Inorderforwagegrowthtooutstripinflationbyatleast1%,organizationsmayneedtoreevaluate.

YOYgrowth:nominalwagesvsin?ation

Source:U.S.BureauofLaborStatistics

10%

8%

6%

3.9%

4%

2.7%

2%

0%

2016201720182019202020212022202320242025

YOYwagegrowthYOYinflation

PaytrendsandmodernmarketpricingintheageofAI|

4

PaytrendsandmodernmarketpricingintheageofAI|

5

Topwagegrowthindustries

Theindustriesshowingthehighestwagegrowthin2025arereflectiveoflaborshortagesandhigherdemandforlaborinthosesectors.

Ranking

Industry

Annualwagegrowth

1

Oil,Gas,&ConsumableFuels

8.0%

2

ElectronicEquipment,Instruments,&Components

5.5%

3

Construction&Engineering

5.2%

4

Food&Beverage

3.9%

5

FinancialServices

3.8%

6

Education

3.7%

7

Biotechnology&Pharmaceuticals

3.6%

8

Not-for-ProfitOrganizations

3.6%

9

HealthcareProviders&Services

3.4%

10

Manufacturing

3.4%

PaytrendsandmodernmarketpricingintheageofAI|

6

55%

70%

50%

20%

25%

75%um

40%

WagegrowthinOil,Gas,&ConsumableFuelsislikelybeing

drivenbyexpandedaccesstopreviouslyrestrictedresources,

deregulationoftheU.S.energymarket,andgeopoliticaltensionsdisrupting“businessasusual”amongglobalfuel,allofwhichareintensifyingcompetitionforskilledlabor.WagegrowthamongstElectronics&Componentsmaybedrivenbyatalentshortage,attributedtoanagingworkforcethatisnotsustainedbyyoungerworkers.Construction&Engineeringwagegrowthisfueledbyfederalandstateinvestmentininfrastructure.

TheFood&Beveragesectorfacespersistentturnoverand

post-pandemiclaborshortages,promptingemployerstoraisepaytostabilizestaffing.InFinancialServices,demandforriskmanagers,complianceexperts,andAI-proficientanalystsis

pushingupwages.

TheEducationsectoriscontendingwithwidespreadteacher

shortages,especiallyasworkingconditionsworsenandpay

remainscomparativelylow;meanwhile,highereducationis

squeezedbydecliningenrollmentandreducedfederalfunding.Nonprofitsareraisingpaytostaycompetitivewiththeprivatesector,particularlyinsocialworkandmentalhealthfieldswhicharespecializedandpronetoburnout.

Biotech&Pharmaceuticalssawearlyboostsfrompost-COVIDinnovationandaging-relatedtherapies,butinvestorsupportisnowshrinking.AndalthoughHealthcarecontinuestohavehighdemandandlaborshortages,wagegrowthisstartingtoplateauamidrisingoperationalcostsandfundingconstraints.

InManufacturing,demandforskilledlaborandreshoringeffortsaredrivingwagegrowth.

PaytrendsandmodernmarketpricingintheageofAI|

7

Topwagegrowthjobs

Compensationprofessionalsshouldmonitorpaytrendsforhotjobstomakesuretheirorganizationremainscompetitiveand

alignedwithmarketrealitiesforcriticalroles.Whileoverallwagegrowthisbelow4%in2025,somejobsareseeingwagegrowthwellabovetheaverage.

Trackingpaytrendsisusefulbecauseitcanprovideinsightinto

talentscarcityandhowcompensationisshiftinginrealtimeduetodemand,whichbroadmarketaveragescanmiss.Bytracking

payforhotjobs,professionalscanidentifyflightriskswhereskillspremiumsormarketadjustmentsmaybeneededtoretaintalent.

Ranking

Jobs

Annualwagegrowth

1

UtilizationReviewCoordinator

9.87%

2

PublicRelationsRepresentativeIV

8.77%

3

ITProjectManagementSpecialist

8.54%

4

InventoryControlPlannerIII

8.01%

5

ComputerOperationsManager

7.48%

6

CompensationandBenefitsManager

6.39%

7

SalesManager-Regional(Division)

5.94%

8

ConstructionProjectManagerIII

5.60%

9

RecruitingCoordinator

5.35%

10

AuditorIV-Internal

5.11%

Herearethetoptenjobsbywagegrowthin2025accordingtoPayscale’sPeerdata:

PaytrendsandmodernmarketpricingintheageofAI|

8

Thesehigh-growthrolesshareacommonthread:theyare

critical,mid-to-senior-levelpositionsthatsitattheintersectionofstrategy,operations,andriskmanagement.Whetherin

healthcare,tech,finance,orconstruction,thesejobsrequirespecializedexpertise,cross-functionalcoordination,andtheabilitytonavigatecomplexenvironments.

Highdemandisusuallyduetotalentshortages,evolving

organizationalneeds,andheightenedexpectationsfor

businessagility.Whenadvertisedpayrangesandsalaryoffersareineffectiveatattractingtalent,employersraisewagesto

attractcandidateswhocandeliverhigh-impactresultsinrolesthatareincreasinglydifficulttofill.

Let’slookatthepaytrendsforafewexamples.

Utilizationreviewcoordinatorwagetrends

AUtilizationReviewCoordinatorisahealthcareprofessionalwho

reviewsmedicalservicesandpatientrecordstoensuretreatmentsaremedicallynecessary,cost-effective,andcompliantwithinsuranceandregulatoryguidelines.

WagesforUtilizationReviewCoordinatorshavebeenrisingduetoa

combinationofincreaseddemandforhealthcarecostcontrol,growingcomplexityininsuranceandregulatoryrequirements,andashortageofqualifiedprofessionals.

Asyoucansee,payhasincreaseddramaticallyforthispositionjustin

thefirsthalfof2025,meaningthatsalariesreflectinglastyear’swagesmaybeinsufficienttoattractandretaintalentinthisjob,leadingtobothturnoverandchallengesinattractingqualifiedcandidates.

UtilizationReviewCoordinator

$93,000

$90,000

$87,000

$84,000

$81,000

$78,000

$75,000

$91,892

9.87%

$83,641

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%

Aug24Sept24Oct24Nov24Dec24Feb25Mar25April25May25June25July25Aug25

BasepayAnnualwagegrowth

PaytrendsandmodernmarketpricingintheageofAI|

9

PaytrendsandmodernmarketpricingintheageofAI|

10

Computeroperationsmanagerwagetrends

AComputerOperationsManageroverseesthedailyfunctioningof

anorganization’sITinfrastructure,ensuringsystemsrunsmoothly,

managingtechnicalteams,coordinatingmaintenance,andminimizingdowntimetosupportbusinessoperationsefficientlyandsecurely.

WagesforthispositionarerisingduetoincreasingrelianceoncomplexITsystems,growingcybersecuritythreats,andtheneedforcontinuousuptimeinhybridandcloudenvironments.Thisdemandsexperienced

managerswhocanoverseetechnologyoperations,coordinateteams,andensurebusinesscontinuity.

Asyoucanseefromanalyzingpaytrends,wagesforthisjobclimbed

dramaticallyinMarch,spikedinApril,andthenleveledoff.Payforthisjobissignificantlyhigherthanitwasayearago.Thespikecouldreflectshort-termurgency,suchasnewsrelatedtodatasecuritybreachesorpolicychangesrelatedtonationalcyberdefense.

$135,000

$132,000

$129,000

$126,000

$123,000

$120,000

$117,000

ComputerOperationsManager

$132,660

7.48%

$123,432

8%

7%

6%

5%

4%

3%

2%

1%

0%

Aug24Sept24Oct24Nov24Dec24Feb25Mar25April25May25June25July25Aug25

BasepayAnnualwagegrowth

AuditorIV–internalwagetrends

AnAuditorIV–Internalisasenior-levelinternalauditorresponsibleforleadingcomplexauditsthatassessanorganization’sfinancialpractices,operationalprocesses,compliancewithlawsandregulations,and

internalcontrols.

Sincethepandemic,manyorganizationshaveexpandedinternalauditfunctions,especiallyinhighlyregulatedsectorslikefinance,healthcare,andITsecurity.Recruitmentsurgedfrom2022throughmid-2023.

However,internalraisesmaynothavekeptup,leadingtoturnoverinsubsequentyearsandtheneedtoincreasesalaryoffersevenmore.

Proposedeconomicpoliciesandrelatedregulatoryshiftsmayalsohavecontributedtoheighteneddemandforinternalauditrolesasorganizationsleanedontheirinternalfinanceteamstomanage

uncertaintiesandprotectagainstrisk.

AuditorIV-Internal

6%

$126,000

5.11%

5%

$124,000

$123,854

4%

$122,000

3%

$120,000

2%

$118,000

$117,832

1%

$116,000

0%

$114,000

Aug24

Sept24

Oct24

Nov24

Dec24

Feb25

Mar25

April25May25

June25

July25

Aug25

Basepay

Annualwagegrowth

PaytrendsandmodernmarketpricingintheageofAI|

11

ExploreAI-poweredmarketpricingwithdifferentials

AIistransformingcompensationstrategy,

especiallywhenitcomestomarketpricing

andpayanalysis.Payscale’snewExploretool,poweredbyPayscaleVerse,isattheforefrontofthisshift.Exploreautomatessalaryrange

creationwithAI-poweredcompensationdata

tofilldatagapsforjobswhentraditionaldataissparseoroutdated.

BackedbythesamerobustdatasetasPayscalePeer,Exploresuggestssalaryrangesbased

onhowsimilarcompaniesarepayingfor

comparableroles.However,unlikemodelsthatcanoverweightalargeemployer’sdata,Verse

usesdatadominancecontrolstoensurethatnosingleorganizationcanskewresults.

UsingExplore,compensationprofessionalscanreviewjob-specificdifferentialsbyindustry,

location,andcompanysizewhenactively

pricingjobs.

PaytrendsandmodernmarketpricingintheageofAI|

12

StartafreetrialwithPayfactorsExplore

Learnmore

Payimpactsbyindustry

Biotechnology&Pharmaceuticals

38.3%

TechnologyElectronicEquipment,

Instruments,&Components

29.7%

20.1%Manufacturing

13.6%FinancialServices

HospitalityHealthcareProviders&Services

Compensation&BenefitsManager

SalesManager

Regional(Division)

ITProjectManagementSpecialist

Payimpactsbylocation

Atlanta,GA

3.99%

Chicago,IL

Washington,DC

7.79%

-0.15%

Denver,CO

Seattle,WA

11.86%

Houston,TX

Newyork,NY

Compensation&benefitsmanager

Salesmanager

Regional(division)

ITProjectmanagementspecialist

Comparedifferentials

fortopwagegrowthjobs

UsingPayscaleExplore,poweredbyPayscaleVerse,

compensationprofessionalscanexaminewhichjobsmay

warrantasalaryadjustmentbasedontheindustry,geographicallocation,orcompanysize.

Forexample,lookingatthetopwagegrowthjobs,wecansee

thatSalesManagersandITProjectManagementSpecialists

earnsignificantlymoreintheBiotechandPharmaceuticals

industrywhereasCompensation&BenefitsmanagersearnmoreintheFinancialServicessector.

Correspondingly,whenitcomestogeographicallocation,IT

ProjectManagersmakethemostinWashingtonDC,Sales

ManagersmakethemostinNewYorkCity,andCompensation&BenefitsManagersdonotseeradicalshiftsbylocation.

PaytrendsandmodernmarketpricingintheageofAI|

13

Getindustry-specificaccuracy

8.9millionemployees

withPayscaleIndustryNetworks

5,430organizations

15industries

Toensureyourpayrangesalignwiththetruecostoflaborinyourindustry,considerjoiningPayscaleIndustryNetworks.

55countries

PoweredbyPeer,PayscaleIndustryNetworksallows

compensationprofessionalstoaccessanonymized,verifiedsalarydatafromspecificcompetitororganizations.Thisenablesyouto

>5,000thousandjobs

marketpricejobswithhighprecision,comparingyourpayrangesdirectlyagainstcompanieswithsimilarroles,workforcestructures,orgeographicfootprints.

PayscaleIndustryNetworks(2025)

Airlines

Construction

Architecture,

Engineering,

&Design

Homebuilders

BioPharma&LifeSciences

Hospitality

BusinessServices

Manufacturing

College&Universities

Retail

UsingPayscalePeer,youcanfilterbyindustryorlocalcompetition,gainingvisibilityintowhatyourdirectcompetitorsarepayingfor

comparabletalentinspecificmarkets.Thisisespeciallyusefulin

high-demandorspecializedroleswheretraditionalsurveysmaylag.

BycombiningmarketdatasetswithPeerinsights,HRteamscanconfidentlyadjustsalaryrangestoreflectcurrentlaborcostsandmaintaincompetitiveness,helpingtoretaintalent,reducepay

compression,andensureequitablecompensationpractices.

AskyourPayscalecustomerrepresentativeaboutjoiningPayscaleIndustryNetworks.

PaytrendsandmodernmarketpricingintheageofAI|

14

LearnmoreaboutPayscaleIndustryNetworks

Getstartedtoday!

Methodology

Overview

Payscaleprovideswagegrowthtrendsbyindustryandoccupation,pay

differentialsusingPayfactor’sAItechnology,andlabormarketmetricssourcedfromtheBLStoprovidecompensationinsightintotoday’sjobmarket.

Methodology

Payscaleleveragedouremployer-reportedsalarydatanetwork,named

Peer,todeterminemedianpayandannualwagegrowthforthesejobsandindustries.Medianpayreportedhasaneffectivedateof08/01/2025.

PayscalePeerdataisrepresentativeofmorethan8.9millionemployeesandover5,430organizations,across115industries,55countries,and