Kitchen & Bath Design News is the industry's leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.
Issue link: http://kitchenbathdesign.epubxp.com/i/391330
32 | Kitchen & Bath Design News October 2014 A fter a long, tough road, the last couple of years have fnally seen tangible economic im- provements, with the housing and remodeling sectors show- ing slow but steady growth. Kitchen and bath dealers have reported increased traffic, and while consum- ers are still cautious in their purchases, pent-up demand for home improvement pur- chases is fnally translating to increases in kitchen and bath remodeling – and even some luxury splurges. But, have these economic gains translated to wage in- creases for kitchen and bath designer/salespeople? The short answer is "somewhat." On the positive side, the number of designer/sales- people earning salaries on the lowest end of the spec- trum has decreased since 2012, with 17.7% saying they earn less than $35,000, com- pared to 26.3% in a similar 2012 survey. At the higher end, slight increases were evident, with 8% reporting annual incomes in excess of $100,000, compared to 7.2% in 2012. Additionally, more than half of those polled (52.2%) said they received a salary in- crease in the last two years, compared to 46% in 2012, and nearly 45% said they anticipate increased earn- ings in 2015. However, it's not all good news: More than a third of those surveyed said they had not received a salary increase since before 2011. And, the gender gap remained woe- fully evident in the survey results, with women repre- senting a disproportionate 71% of those making less than $35,000 annually. That's according to a re- cent survey by Kitchen & Bath Design News, which polled more than 280 kitchen and bath designer/salespeople across the country about their compensation packages. SALARY RANGES When asked to estimate what their total compensation range would be for 2014, the majority reported earning ei- ther $35,000-$49,999 (33%) or $50,000-74,999 (28.9%), with only 20% expecting to earn in excess of $75,000 (see Graph 1). Encouragingly, fewer re- spondents reported earning under $35,000 compared to a similar survey done in 2012 – suggesting that salaries are slowly climbing again as the market improves. When asked how they see the market going with regard to compensation, one survey respondent noted, "Things are getting better…but it's slow going." Another pointed out, "No one is that fast to throw money around anymore – not the clients, and not the dealerships, either. Everyone is still in cautious mode, so we're not going to see any kind of real increases unless we can do more and bigger projects." While traditionally, sala- ries tend to be higher on the East and West Coast – and, indeed, the higher salary categories were clearly more prevalent among East Coast respondents – the survey results showed some of the highest salaries coming from the Midwest, particularly in major metropolitan areas. Disappointingly, profes- sional credentials such as a CKD or CBD did not seem to correlate to a higher sal- ary, according to the survey results. This suggests that de- signer/salespeople may need to be more aggressive about marketing their credentials, and educating consumers to the value of these. The vast majority of those polled (78.7%) reported working 40-60 hours per week (see Graph 2), with fewer designer/salespeople reporting working part time hours as compared to a 2012 survey. Interestingly, those who said they worked in ex- cess of 60 hours per week did not report seeing mark- edly higher salaries. As one designer stated, "Working 80 hours a week is so over. It doesn't get you anywhere except exhausted, and then you make mistakes. I'd rather do my job well, be as efcient as I can and achieve some work/ life balance, and I think when you do that, you have a better chance of being successful anyway." Not surprisingly, there was a strong correlation be- tween years of experience and salary, with the high- est compensation being reported by those with more than 10 years of experience. Likewise, some of the high- Salary Survey By Janice Costa $ 75,000 — $ 99,999 12.2% $ 100,000 — $ 150,000 5.1% $ 150,000+ 3.1% 1. Average 2014 Compensation Range for K/B Designer/ Salespeople $ 35,000 — $ 49,999 33.0% $ 50,000 — $ 74,999 28.9% Under $ 35,000 17.7% 60+ 5.1% 2. Average Number of Hours Worked Weekly 40 - 60 78.7% Under 40 16.2% 3. Average Compensation Range by Gender Under $ 35,000 $ 35,000 - $ 49,999 $ 50,000 - $ 74,999 $ 75,000 - $ 99,999 $ 100,000 - $ 150,000 $ 150,000+ 28.6% Male Female 47.7% 39% 58.3% 60% 66.7% 71.4% 52.3% 61% 41.7% 40% 33.3% Salaries Edge Upwards, but Gender Gap Remains While salaries for kitchen and bath designer/salespeople are slowly edging up, particularly at the lowest end of the scale, the gender gap remains strongly evident.