The new 2020 Macroeconomics Trends Analysis (META): Pro AV Channel Employment Report, produced by AVIXA, looks at the global workforce in the commercial AV industry, beginning with macroeconomic effects and diving into job categories, salaries, education, skills and other factors.
Survey respondents for the Pro AV Channel Employment Report indicated substantial raises for 2019, with pay increases of nearly five percent in the US and in other high-per-capita-gross-domestic-product (GDP) countries. Raises were even higher in low-per-capita-GDP countries, clocking in at nearly eight percent. The report revealed the average income for a full-time AV technician in the US is $64,959. The average income for a full-time technician in a high-per-capita-GDP country outside the US is $52,529. Those incomes—and incomes throughout different AV job categories—compare very favorably to the overall countrywide averages.
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has created an extremely weak labor market, which you might expect to cause incomes to decline. Extensive research shows that is not the case. Even during major employment crises, such as the Great Recession, wages held remarkably steady. Rather than incomes, what drops is the quantity of jobs available, giving rise to unemployment. Steady wages and rising unemployment cause businesses to become more selective in their hiring. The market for unskilled workers softens, heightening the value of traits like experience and certification.
The report revealed significant wage benefits from obtaining certifications. In the US, Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) accreditation increases a worker’s value by slightly more than seven percent, a more advanced Certified Technology Specialist – Installation (CTS-I) certification increases one’s value by about 14 percent and the most advanced Certified Technology Specialist – Design (CTS-D) increases a worker’s value by nearly 30 percent.
Worker compensation differs between provider and end-user firms. Overall, workers are satisfied in both environments, but their pay, benefits and work life are all different. Provider respondents reported substantially higher income, whereas end users had better benefit packages. Provider respondents worked more hours on average, although neither group felt overworked.
For the report, AVIXA surveyed 3,830 AV industry professionals from 77 countries from January 24 to March 15. To learn more about the 2020 META: Pro AV Channel Employment Report, visit www.avixa.org/employmentreport.
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