13.5% Wage Jump Means More Spending Money

For Immediate Release
August 12, 2005
Contact: Kate Achelpohl, SGIA
703.359.1301
kate@sgia.org

Fairfax, Virginia  — Wages in the U.S. specialty imaging industry increased by 13.5 percent between 2003 and 2005, while their Canadian counterparts increased by 12.7 percent, according to SGIA's 2005 Wage & Salary survey, conducted online at Surveys & Statistics at SGIA.org.

"The 13.5 percent increase is more than double current US inflation, which means our workers really do have more money in their pockets," said Alan Anderson, Vice President Management & Education Services.

Highest Growth in Production Jobs

"Most of the increases are showing up on the production line," Anderson noted. Production positions saw changes as great as 33.3 percent (apprentices) from 2003 to 2005 in the US and 32.2 percent (digital systems operators) in Canada. US production managers, however, saw an overall dip of 9.4 percent.

Regions Leading Wage Hikes: US Mountain, Canadian Central

Clearly leading US growth, wages in Region 8 (Mountain) increased by about 22 percent, while north of the border, Canada's Region 3 (Central) blasted forward by more than 26 percent. At the lowest end of the spectrum, US Region 7 (Heartland) showed only a 0.5 percent increase, and the Canadian Region 2 (Eastern) came in at 14.3 percent. The chart at the end of this press release lists the states, provinces and/or territories in each region.

SGIA conducted the 2005 Wage Survey online at Surveys & Statistics at SGIA.org, and will give participants a free copy of the final report. To purchase a copy, visit the SGIA.org e-Store or contact SGIA directly: 888.385.3588 or assist@sgia.org.

U.S. Regions/States & Territories Within

• Region 1: New England/Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island
• Region 2: Mid-Atlantic/New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia
• Region 3: Great Lakes/Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan
• Region 4: Appalachia Highlands/West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia
• Region 5: Southeast/South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Puerto Rico
• Region 6: Southwest/Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Arkansas
• Region 7: Heartland/Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas
• Region 8: Mountain/Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
• Region 9: Pacific/California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam

Canadian Regions/Provinces & Territories Within

• Region 1: East Central/Ontario
• Region 2: Eastern/Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick
• Region 3: Central/Manitoba, Northwest Territories
• Region 4: Western/Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon Territories

SGIA — Supporting the Leaders of the Digital & Screen Printing Community
"Specialty imaging" comprises digital imaging, screen printing and the many other imaging technologies SGIA members use, including those they'll tap in the future. These are the imaging processes and technologies employed to create new products and to enhance existing products including point-of-purchase displays, signs, advertisements, garments, containers, and vehicles. To make the most of your specialty imaging business, take full advantage of the information on SGIA.org, and experience the specialty graphic imaging industry first-hand at SGIA'05 (September 28–October 1, New Orleans, Louisiana).

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