Archinect - News

Quality-of-life benefits increasing in architecture firms, but compensation lags behind inflation, says AIA report

2023-08-30T13:51:00-04:00

The AIA has released what it describes as its “most comprehensive report on architecture firm compensation and benefits trends in 15 years.” The 2023 edition of the AIA Compensation & Benefits Report includes an analysis of how firms have addressed rising inflation, staff shortages, increased financial pressure, and the impact of such pressures on recruitment and retention.

The report found there to be a rise in “quality-of-life benefits” at firms, particularly casual dressing policies, child-friendly and pet-friendly offices, flexible work hours, work-from-home opportunities, and adopting Juneteenth as a paid holiday. 57% of firms also reported hiring students for part-time work in 2022, an increase from 35% in 2020.

A greater emphasis on equity, diversity, and inclusion was noted at firms, with 73% of large firms reporting having internal values-based employee committees and resource groups. 66% of large firms also conducted salary assessments by gender in 2022, and 62% by race.

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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...

New AIA report reveals salary decline across most positions at small architecture firms between 2019 and 2021

2021-12-02T19:19:00-05:00

The third edition of AIA’s Small Firm Compensation Report has been released detailing how sole proprietorships and firms with fewer than three architectural staff employees fared during the tumultuous period between 2019 and 2021.

The report includes data on compensation trends, employee demographics, trends in pay practices, and details on employee benefits. It also details pandemic impacts to salaries, employment levels, and firm culture.

According to AIA, for most positions at small architecture firms, salaries declined or remained the same between from 2019 to 2021. Firm leaders saw the steepest compensation declines, most notably solo architects, who experienced average annual losses of 6.5 percent if they were sole proprietors and annual losses of 7.3 percent if they were not sole proprietors. Firm principals who are sole proprietors also saw losses, for an average annual decrease of 3.8 percent from 2019 to 2021.

Previously on Archinect: Architects' compensations have not ...

Value learning over money. In the long run, it will pay off

2020-01-17T13:47:00-05:00

In many of my conversations about career with soon to be graduates, recent graduates, early professionals, and even intermediate professionals salary is probably one of the most frequent topics. Here are some of the questions I hear from professionals looking for their first full time job, for example:

"How can I negotiate a good salary?"
"Salary is probably the most important factor in my search, which firms pay the most?"
"I was excited about this job, but I just found out my friend at another firm is getting paid more than me. Should I change firms?"

What's the problem here? The preoccupation with money is truly bewildering. Early on, it's quite simple: know what the average pay is for your experience level and make sure you aren't being underpaid. If you are at a firm that can pay you more, then kudos to you, but the obsession with money at this point in a career is misplaced. We should all be fairly compensated for our work, this is a given.

Thought experiment: what's the better o...

Architecture apprenticeship model launching next month between UK schools and firms

2018-08-23T14:58:00-04:00

The first group of architectural apprentices will start at leading practices such as AHMM, Hawkins\Brown and PRP next month as a major new sector initiative gets underway. Practices AtelierWest, GPA (Get Planning and Architecture), Ingleton Wood, and To-Do Design are also pioneering two types of apprenticeships as a route into the profession in collaboration with London South Bank University.

Following the architecture apprenticeship initiative led by Foster + Partners, the first group entering the ‘earn while you learn’ program will begin next month in the UK. This approach will offer both professional experience and tuition-free academic training, while also providing a salary to apprentices.

Charles Egbu, dean of London Southbank’s School of Architecture and the Built Environment stated, "These apprenticeship courses will provide an alternative, more cost-effective route to ARB registration, while diversifying the profession and strengthening ties between the architectural industry and academia."

London Southbank’s School of Architecture will be the only one to offer Level 6 apprenticeship. Participating schools also include De Montford, Northumbria, Oxford Brookes, and Portsmouth offering Level 7 qualification.

Firms with wage bills of more than $3.8 million a year have been charged 0.5% of their total wage bill to fund these new apprenticeships. Smaller firms outsi...

It's now illegal to ask job applicants for salary history in NYC and California. Is it legal where you live?

2018-01-03T12:00:00-05:00

Thanks to recent legislation, architecture job seekers in competitive markets like Los Angeles and New York City won't have to worry, for the most part, about the dreaded salary history question when applying for a job.

In an ongoing trend, states and cities across the U.S. are passing laws that prohibit employers from asking potential new hires about their salary history. Advocates of banning salary history inquiries argue that such laws will help foster pay equity.

California is the latest state to enforce a ban. The law, which went into effect January 1, makes it illegal for public and private employers to inquire about salary history from their job applicants. It also requires employers to disclose a salary range of the position they are hiring for, should the applicant request it.

New York City's salary history ban went into effect on October 31, 2017. Public and private employers in the city cannot ask about an applicant's salary history during the hiring process, including in...

Are enough high-wage jobs being created across the United States?

2016-09-13T13:52:00-04:00

Unsurprisingly, the majority of the U.S.' job growth over the past five years has been centered in large metro areas like Los Angeles and New York. What might be surprising is how the majority of those newly created jobs are either "mid-wage" or "low-wage" jobs, here defined as those that pay under $21.14 an hour. In a study conducted by CityLab's Richard Florida based on facts compiled by the economic data modeling firm Emsi, Florida notes that:

Low-wage jobs accounted for the largest increase in new jobs between 2011 and 2016, adding 4.5 million jobs, compared to 4.1 million high-wage jobs and 3.5 million mid-wage jobs. Low-wage jobs accounted for 34 percent of jobs in 2016 (a total of 48.2 million jobs), while mid-wage jobs accounted for 29 percent (a total of 40.7 million jobs)...

The top ten metros for job growth are a mix of knowledge-based and service-based metros. The tech hub of Provo, Utah, tops the list with a 26.8 percent increase in jobs; Austin (21.9 percent), San Jose ...

ArchiteXX and the Wage Project to inform women in architecture on important salary negotiation skills

2013-10-18T13:52:00-04:00

Especially for recent graduates, knowing how to smartly negotiate salaries can be a little confusing--and what with the ongoing issue of the gender wage gap. To offer help on the popular topic, ArchiteXX (formerly Women in Architecture) and the Wage Project will hold their first event tomorrow, Oct. 19 in New York City.

Led by Evelyn Murphy, the workshop event will teach all women practicing in architecture--from recent graduates to the more experienced--the necessary skills to be a sharper salary negotiator.

To buy tickets for the event and additional details, click here. Space is limited!

2013 AIA Compensation Report - It Pays to be Senior

2013-08-16T14:58:00-04:00

It’s no longer so bleak. For all the dispiriting data in the 2013 AIA Compensation Report, there are plenty of reassuring numbers, too. Although overall architecture salaries barely inched up since the last AIA report, in 2011, and salaries for most positions again failed to keep up with the pace of inflation, senior design and project management staff enjoyed a nice bump in compensation.

Wanna find out where your salary stands in comparison with thousands of other architects? Head over to Archinect's Architecture Salary Poll, submit your info anonymously, and start comparing: salaries.archinect.com.

Exploitation of Interns Coming to an End?

2012-12-27T13:17:00-05:00

Unpaid interns are common in architecture firms, but recent lawsuits brought by interns across other industries may have the architecture industry forking out some cash. In many industries, the term ‘intern’ is often used to describe someone who works for no pay, but the NCARB’s IDP has been trying to detach interns from the assumption by architecture firms that they are willing to work for free. The council defines architectural internships as post-graduate, pre-registration professional work.

Editor's Picks #287

2012-10-22T00:13:00-04:00

The latest Archinect ShowCase featured Cassia Co-op Training Centre by TYIN tegnestue Architects. The project is located in Sungai Penuh, Sumatra, Indonesia.

News
The New York Observer reported on Cornell’s plans (unveiled this week) for a brand new 12.5-acre tech campus on Roosevelt Island this week. The master plan is by SOM and Field Operations, the first academic building is by Thom Mayne. snail commented "So they would have us believe that a great center of future technological innovation will look like a standard tower-in-the-park development with a few curves thrown in, and an atrium borrowed from John Portman?"

For his part toasteroven thought “cornell is trying to recreate MIT's medialab in NYC - on an island - by making a fancy new campus - BEFORE they've even established the program?...The city is making such a huge deal about this - but it seems like it's primarily being used as a marketing ploy to sell NYC as a new tech hub or something...it seems like there's a...

The Earnings Curve: Perspectives on Career Compensation

2012-03-19T18:25:36-04:00

The Learner stage generally lasts about three years. Entry level compensation starts at roughly $36,966 and can grow to $46,701 during that time — an increase of 26 percent, or nearly 9 percent per year. The starting base is small, but the growth potential is large in percentage terms.

Interns File Suit Against ‘Black Swan’ Producer

2011-09-29T17:44:25-04:00

Two men who worked on the hit movie “Black Swan” have mounted an unusual challenge to the film industry’s widely accepted practice of unpaid internships by filing a lawsuit on Wednesday asserting that the production company had violated minimum wage and overtime laws by hiring dozens of such interns.