Analyzing Salary Surveys

Government Surveys

Government survey reports are free and statistically reliable. In fact, government efforts have contributed greatly to wage-survey techniques. But most employers, even while using government occupational-wage statistics, do not find them sufficiently timely or specific to meet their needs.

To illustrate the limitations of these surveys, let's look at two well-known surveys published by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

1. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Survey
2. National Compensation Survey (NCS)

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Survey

Working with the U.S. Department of Labor and state workforce agencies, the BLS, via the OEWS program, publishes wage survey data for approximately 830 occupations. The data is available for the nation, state level, and metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. National wage estimates are available for specific industries.

The National Compensation Survey (NCS)

The National Compensation Survey (NCS) disbanded in 2010. Prior to 2010, it analyzed jobs found in the federal government so that these federal jobs could be paid competitively. This survey existed solely as a mechanism by which federal government pay rates could be measured against local area pay rates. Benchmark jobs not found in the government were not surveyed.

The BLS expended millions of dollars to conduct these surveys. However, American businesses generally did not rely on U.S. government survey data in setting pay rates. This might have been reflective of the political and marginal nature of these government surveys. The National Compensation Survey (NCS) was replaced with the OEWS Survey.