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In 2023, labor, unions, and salaries were up for discussion and debate in architecture

2023-12-24T08:00:00-05:00

At the end of last year, we described 2022 as the year that “architecture’s labor movement roared back to life.” In 2023, the movement kept the volume on 'high.' Across the U.S. and internationally, reforms in labor conditions continued from the top down and the bottom up.

Throughout the year, worker-led movements across both academia and practice exercised their right to form a union, as well as their right to strike against unfair or unsatisfactory working conditions. Meanwhile, conversations over working conditions in design studios were joined by concerns over treatment and protections for construction workers.

In tandem with conversations over workplace conditions, moves were also made to improve salary transparency, whether from the passing of new laws on a state level, or workers themselves taking the initiative to collect and share salary information.

To further explore these trends, we have set out the key developments and stories throughout 2023 related to topics surroundi...

Ranking UK firms by pay: The Pay 100's report on salaries and unpaid overtime

2023-11-02T12:10:00-04:00

The UK-based salary transparency advocates The Pay 100 have released their latest set of survey data on average salaries across UK firms. Expanding upon last year’s inaugural snapshot of results, the 2023 addition also includes data on unpaid overtime.

As reported by the Architect’s Journal, almost 1000 submissions have been made to the database. Like the 2022 edition, the latest tables are organized into three common job titles in the UK industry: Part I Architectural Assistant (less than three years in the role), Part II Architectural Assistant (less than three years in the role), and Architect / Architectural Designer (less than five years in the role).

The Archinect Salary Poll features thousands of crowdsourced salary data from across the architecture community

For Part I Assistants, the highest average annual surveys were to be found at Foster + Partners (£31,000), Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (£30,000), Burwell Architects (£30,000), and Zaha Hadid Architects (£29,000). For Par...

New York State’s salary transparency law comes into effect

2023-09-18T11:48:00-04:00

New York State’s pay transparency law has come into effect, requiring employers to disclose proposed pay rates. As of Sunday, September 17th, employers with at least four workers must disclose the minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly range of compensation in any advertisement for job, promotion, and transfer opportunities.

The law covers advertised opportunities “physically performed, at least in part, in the State of New York,” including “any opportunities that are performed outside the state, including remote or telecommuting opportunities, that report to a supervisor, office or other work site in New York State.”

“If an employee’s physical presence in New York State is only for occasional work-related purposes, such as a meeting, a conference, or communicating with employees based in New York State, that would not be enough activity to be considered a job performed in New York State,” New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) adds.

Related on Archinect: The 15 highest-pa...

The 15 highest-paying countries for architects, according to Yahoo! and ERI research

2023-09-11T13:21:00-04:00

Yahoo! Finance has compiled a list of the highest-paying countries for architects. Using data acquired from the Economic Research Institute (ERI), the outlet “identified the countries with the highest demand for architects and then made a list for 27 countries with the average salaries for architects.”

“Of those 27, the 15 with the highest average salaries were selected and have been ranked,” Yahoo data journalist Afifa Mushtaque added.

Yahoo!’s resulting list of countries, and the average salary for architects, is as follows (salaries in USD):

Switzerland — $130,898
Luxembourg — $111,552
United States — $100,330
Denmark — $96,877
Ireland — $89,943
Belgium — $87,626
Germany — $84,679
Australia — $84,230
Norway — $83,515
Netherlands — $82,893
United Arab Emirates — $79,274
Canada — $78,019
Finland — $76,279
France — $73,627
United Kingdom — $72,557

Yahoo!’s analysis derives from data collected by the ERI...

New York State to require salary ranges in job adverts from September 2023

2022-12-22T12:36:00-05:00

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation establishing a statewide pay transparency law in New York State. The law was passed by both the New York State Assembly and Senate in June, and requires employers to list salary ranges for all advertised jobs and promotions.

The new legislation closely resembles a similar salary transparency law that recently came into force in New York City last month, requiring employers of at least four businesses with four or more employees in the city, including architecture firms, to include salary ranges in job adverts or risk a financial penalty.

The New York State law will apply to jobs which “can or will be performed” in the state, as well as positions that are performed out of state but report to a New York employer. Individuals will be able to report violations of the law to the New York State Department of Labor, which can issue fines for non-compliance....

In 2022, architecture's labor movement roared back to life

2022-12-19T12:34:00-05:00

In any future analysis of architectural workplace conditions, the impact of 2022 cannot be understated. Throughout the year, our editorial played host to a wide variety of labor-related developments in the profession, from top-down efforts to improve salary transparency to bottom-up unionization drives across the United States and the world.

Notwithstanding decisions by lawmakers and firm principals to reform laws and business structures, respectively, the seismic shifts in architectural labor conditions were predominantly the results of grassroots efforts. Union groups such as Architectural Workers United and Bernheimer Architecture Union set valuable precedents for workers seeking to collectively organize in the years ahead, while The Architecture Lobby set out a vision for the profession that dispels the employee-employer relationship entirely.

Beyond the U.S., meanwhile, grassroots groups led to the formation of a union in Portugal, strike action and salary disclosure platforms...

UK salary transparency group releases first average pay lists in architecture firms

2022-11-03T04:00:00-04:00

A UK-based organization dedicated to salary transparency in architecture has published its first snapshot of salary results following hundreds of grassroots submissions. As we reported in October, The Pay 100 is calling on architecture workers in the UK to submit their salaries to the group, who will ultimately publish a list of the top 100 salary averages of UK practices.

The first salaries published by the group are organized in three categories corresponding to typical positions in the UK architecture profession. The group anticipate an additional seven categories will be published when sufficient data is collected.

The Archinect Salary Poll features thousands of crowdsourced salary data from across the architecture community

The three published categories center on positions typically occupied by those in the earlier part of their architectural career. The first category, “Part I Architectural Assistant <3 years” represents those in the UK system who are working in a practice ha...

New York City's pay transparency law is about to take effect after six months of delay

2022-10-31T12:11:00-04:00

Starting Tuesday, most employers in New York City will be required by law to post salary minimums and maximums in any open job posting. Almost all job postings online or on signs on storefronts across New York City will be required to list a salary minimum and maximum starting Tuesday. Postings can’t leave the salary open ended, like posting “$15 an hour and up.” Any job that can be performed at least partly in New York City is covered, whether the worker is in an office or working remotely.

The city had previously voted to delay the law from taking effect in May amidst resistance from the business community, which in the end only gained an amendment laden with small concessions. Now first-time offenders will no longer be penalized, though fines for any proceeding non-compliance can be enforced up to $250,000 if the posting is not corrected within 30 days. Industries like construction that are facing labor shortages will not be exempted in spite of the lobbying campaign.

A separate statewide transparency bill is still awaiting Kathy Hochul’s signature after it passed the State Assembly and Senate back in June. Both are considered ‘game changer[s]” for workers and have been lauded for the effort to address gender pay gap across various industries. They join a growing list of states that includes Washington, Maryland, and California who have all passed similar legislation aimed at the issue, which also disproportionately affects women of color and is seen as one of the g...

UK worker-led group launched to improve salary transparency in architecture firms

2022-10-13T03:13:00-04:00

A worker-led organization has launched in the United Kingdom with the aim of improving salary transparency in the architecture profession. The Pay 100, founded earlier this year, is currently calling on architecture workers in the UK to submit their salaries to the group, who will ultimately publish a list of the top 100 salary averages of UK practices.

“By incentivising higher wages using pay transparency, we can help reduce fee-undercutting between practices and benefit the profession as a collective,” the group says. “This is a systemic issue in which no one practice is solely responsible.”

The Archinect Salary Poll features thousands of crowdsourced salary data from across the architecture community

The motivation for The Pay 100 is fuelled by a stagnation of UK architectural salaries in recent years. According to the group, the annual publication of pay-scale bands for architectural positions in the UK has caused salaries to stand still despite rising costs of living.

“If we be...

Companies divided over including salaries in job adverts, survey finds

2022-10-05T15:36:00-04:00

A series of salary transparency laws emerging across the U.S. is already having an impact on how companies approach disclosing pay range information, one survey has found. The study, undertaken by insurance advisor company WTW, found that many businesses are choosing to include information on salary ranges in job adverts, even when not required to under state or local laws.

WTW’s Pay Clarity Survey elicited 388 responses from businesses across North America, and was not specific to architecture or the AEC industry.

The survey was conducted between June 27th and July 8th of this year, at a time when several U.S. states were advancing plans to introduce salary transparency laws for job adverts. In May, it was confirmed that New York City businesses will have to disclose salary ranges in job adverts starting from November 2022, while a similar move by New York State was advanced in June.

In early September, California lawmakers updated and passed their own salary transparency law, wh...

California lawmakers pass salary transparency law for job adverts

2022-09-02T11:43:00-04:00

Legislators in California have passed a bill strengthening the state’s pay transparency requirements. Elements contained in the bill, SB 1162, include a requirement for many employers to include salary ranges in job postings, disclose salary scales to employees for their current positions, and to file pay data reports.

The new bill requires an employer with 15 or more employees to include a pay scale in any job posting, and to maintain records of their employees' job titles and wage rate histories. The bill also requires that employers of 15 or more employees using a third party to advertise job postings to provide the pay scale to the third party for publication.

Upon request, an employer must provide an employee with the pay scale for the position in which the employee is currently employed. The bill also requires employers with...

Despite salary increases, construction job openings remain at a record high

2022-06-16T08:10:00-04:00

A major increase in hourly wages has not stopped a record number of unfilled positions in the construction industry, according to a new analysis by the Association of General Contractors of America (AGC).

While 36,000 employees were added to the construction industry last month, 494,000 open construction-industry jobs remained, representing a 40% jump on the previous year, and the largest total for any month in the 21st century. The unemployment rate in construction also fell from 6.7% to 3.8% over the past 12 months, which according to AGC, suggests there are few experienced construction jobseekers left to hire.

The association warns that the outstanding positions will undermine construction activity this year – a warning which we also noted in our coverage of the issue last year. “It is encouraging that contractors were able to add workers in May, but they will need many more to meet the increasing demand for infrastructure and private non-residential projects,” said AGC chief ec...

New York State may join NYC in wage transparency laws after senate vote

2022-06-09T08:00:00-04:00

A bill has passed both the New York State Assembly and Senate which would require employers to disclose salary ranges in job postings. If signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul, New York would become the latest state to pass wage transparency laws, following similar moves in Colorado, Nevada, Connecticut, California, Washington, and Maryland.

The news comes one month after New York City confirmed that its own salary disclosure laws would come into effect from November 1st of this year, following a six-month delay. The NYC law will require businesses with four or more employees in the city, including architecture firms, to include salary ranges in job adverts or risk a financial penalty.

The New York State bill, named S9427, pertains to adverts for new job positions, promotions, or transfer opportunities that will be fully or partly performed in the state of New Y...

New York City firms will have to disclose salary ranges in job adverts, but not until November

2022-05-06T10:20:00-04:00

The New York City Council has voted to postpone the enforcement of a new law which would have seen businesses with four or more employees in the city, including architecture firms, of including salary ranges in job advertisements. The law, which was set to take effect from May 15th, will now take effect on November 1st.

The law was originally passed in January, with the goal of closing the gender and race pay gap through encouraging more transparent salary information. However, heavy lobbying by business groups including JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs saw the implementation delayed by six months. Lobbyists also sought to exempt companies with fewer than 15 employees from the disclosure, up from the original bill’s threshold of four employees or fewer. However, this amendment was unsuccessful.

Under the new law, which will be enforced by the city’s Commission on Human Rights, em...

Explore 13 paid internship opportunities listed on Archinect Jobs

2022-02-02T18:03:00-05:00

For designers stepping into the workforce, looking for a viable internship opportunity can offer many benefits. In November 2021, we focused on paid internship resources for students and emerging professionals to navigate potential job listings.

At Archinect, we frequently highlight the importance of paid employment opportunities and the discourse surrounding fair and equitable practices. As the job market continues to unfold for 2022, firms seek skilled designers who have recently graduated or are looking to expand their experience in professional practice.

Below is a collection of 13 internship opportunities posted on the Archinect Job board with listings that outline compensation details and benefits.

West Coast Opportunities

Wakecrest Residence by ShubinDonaldson. Image © Benny Chan/Courtesy of ShubinDonaldson.

Otherworks seeks a Part-Time Intern: Rendering and 3-D Printing Focus
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Details: "Otherworks is seeking a local part-time intern (10-20 hours a ...

Architects in New York City may soon have to include salary ranges in job postings

2022-01-05T13:31:00-05:00

Architecture firms in New York City recruiting new staff may soon be required to include salary ranges in jobs postings, following the passage of a new bill through the New York City Council. The bill requires NYC employers with four or more employees to include the minimum and maximum salary offered in job postings for any position located in New York City.

The bill states that the range would need to “extend from the lowest to the highest salary the employer in good faith believes at the time of the posting it would pay for the advertised job, promotion or transfer opportunity.” Employers who do not comply with the requirement will be deemed to be engaging in discriminatory practices.

Having passed the New York City Council, the bill will now move to the Mayor of New York City for enactment. If signed, the bill would take effect 120 days later.

The move would have the potential to cau...

Unpaid internships 'deepen existing barriers' for emerging architects, says NCARB

2021-10-19T13:24:00-04:00

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has released a statement reaffirming its opposition to unpaid internships in architecture as well as offering advice for how firms and students can help combat the issue.

Under NCARB’s licensure rules, employers are required to compensate all students and licensure candidates for their work, regardless of duration or experience level. NCARB’s AXP Guidelines also state that “unpaid internships are not eligible to earn experience hours” with exceptions made for certain experiences garnered outside of architecture firms.

More broadly, the 1938 U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act demands that interns be paid at least the minimum wage, apart from a handful of exceptional circumstances including work shadowing, education, and an absence of financial benefit to the employer from the intern’s work.

“We believe that all e...

Architects' compensations have not kept pace with the broader economy, new AIA report on architecture salaries during COVID-19 finds

2021-08-25T11:42:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has released the latest edition of their biannual Compensation Report, offering an insight into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on architectural salaries. The report found that despite a steep economic recession during the first half of 2020, salaries for architectural staff in the U.S. saw little change over the past two years.

The report also found that between February and July 2020, U.S. architecture firms lost 16,000 positions, or 8% of all payroll positions. The profession nonetheless showed a higher resiliency compared to the overall economy, where 21 million payroll positions, or 16.5% of total payrolls, were lost.

“Like many professions, architecture firms across the country have had to weather an incredibly volatile period,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker. “While we have seen an unprecedented recovery in architecture firm billings during 2021, this report provides a valuable snapshot of the impact the pandemic had l...

Leading national architectural organizations collaborate to provide guides to help students and teachers explore careers in architecture

2021-04-16T10:25:00-04:00

Two new resource guides have been made available to help students and educators explore careers in architecture. “Your Guide to a Career in Architecture” is designed for high school students interested in joining the architectural community, while “Your Guide to Helping Students Consider a Career in Architecture” is intended for school counselors and educators to advise students through the process.

The guidelines are the result of a collaboration between the AIA, the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). As well as providing additional information for K-12 students already interested in an architectural career, the reports strive to broaden the base of students who may not have considered a pathway in architecture, but whose imagi...

Protesting Architectural Assistants in the UK are Fed Up: Is the Architectural Education System at Fault?

2021-03-22T14:40:00-04:00

The tough competition faced by architecture practices in the UK has led to the hiring of workers at pay rates that make commercial sense, and there’s not much the RIBA can do to change that.

Part 1 and 2 ‘assistant architects’ have turned to mass protest against the working conditions of the architecture profession with little to no hope for future prospects. Protesters appear to be most strongly after attaining higher salary levels for the profession--a problem that has haunted the professional life of architecture work for many years.

Check out Archinect's Just Design series, in collaboration with the Architecture Lobby, highlighting practices that exhibit fair labor practices in architecture

Tracing back to the 1970s, the Salaried Architects Group was a popular radical reform organization dedicated to changing the RIBA. The group had hoped to foster recognition of design work and the level of RIBA membership fees rather than salaries--since many members were architects. Since the...

AIA / NCARB Survey Indicates Higher Employment Rates for Intern Architects

2013-04-17T20:04:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) conducted an Internship and Career Survey that revealed that there is a steady rise in employment for intern architects, along with a general sense of optimism in the future of employment prospects for the architecture profession.

Highlights from the full report include:

78% of respondents reported being employed in professional architecture work – an 8% increase from 2010
6% of respondents reported that they are unemployed – an 11% decrease from 2010
70% of respondents said that they would remain in the architecture profession after having been laid off
62% of interns indicate it taking three to five years to complete the Intern Development Program (IDP)
53% of interns were able to complete all 17 IDP experience area requirements at one firm
40% of interns are taking the Architecture Registration Examination concurrent with IDP

There were more than 10,000 responses to the survey that was executed in 2012 by The Rickinson Group, an independent third-party marketing research supplier.

For more data on internship salaries, take a look at the "Intern" salaries on Archinect's Salary Poll.

* Image above from Joann Lui, from her blog Just an Intern : our architectural life inbetween

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