CHICAGO, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Nine out of 10 U.S. job seekers finding new professional positions won compensation equivalent to or better than what they had, a survey said Thursday.
The 92 percent figure is the highest showing among college-educated, skilled professionals since 1997, the Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. survey said.
"Job seekers are in the driver's seat," Chief Executive John Challenger said. "Low unemployment throughout the year forced employers to increase wages, improve benefits and offer new perks in order to attract and retain the most talented workers."
Challenger added that even with these measures in place, "some employers had to delay expansion plans due to the lack of skilled candidates."
The job-improvement rate represents the 2006 average of the Challenger Job Market Index, a quarterly survey of some 3,000 job seekers in a variety of industry and job categories across the United States.
