Finance Salaries Off to a Good Start

Starting accounting/finance salaries are expected to increase by an average of 6.9% next year, up from 4.7% this year, according to the report.

And a graduate degree or professional certification can increase a candidate’s base compensation by an average of 10%, according to the report.

Financial Matters

The largest increases are expected for financial analysts, where starting salaries for senior financial, budget and cost analysts at small companies could rise as much as 14%, with base pay ranging from $37,750 to $55,750.  Manager base compensation is projected to increase 13.5% at mid-sized firms, to between $56,500 and $69,250 per year.

Payroll clerks at mid-sized firms are also expected to fare well, with base pay increases of 14.8% anticipated, and starting base pay in the $28,000 to $34,000 range. Payroll managers at large firms will see the second highest increase, in the range of $42,250 to $58,750/year, a 14.4% increase.

Other key findings in the Salary Guide:

• Chief financial officers and treasurers will see starting salaries increase 11.7% at companies with up to $50 million in sales ($81,000 to $107,250/year)
• Accounting managers at companies with $25 million to $250 million in sales will see an 8.9% rise in starting pay ($50,000 to $63,250 annually)
• Assistant controllers will see starting salaries increase 8.4% at companies with more than $250 million in sales ($72,250 to $91,500/year)

Robert Half and Accountemps are the full-time and temporary placement divisions, respectively, of Robert Half International. The annual salary survey is based on an analysis of the thousands of job orders managed by the company’s US offices.

For a free copy of the 2001 Robert Half and Accountemps Salary Guide, call 800-474-4253 or request one at www.roberthalf.com .