DALLAS — North Texas residents are asking for more money at lower rates than those around the state, according to a report from Robert Half.
Professionals in Austin asked for more pay the last time they got an offer letter 63 percent of the time, while those in Houston asked for more pay 60 percent of the time. But in Dallas, professionals only asked for a higher salary with their last employment offer only 55 percent of the time.
While DFW had the lowest recorded ask-rate in the state, the 55 percent figure is a 15-point increase from when professionals were last surveyed a year ago.
The survey, done by staffing firm Robert Half, asked more than 2,800 workers across the country whether they tried to negotiate for higher pay the last time they received a job offer. Workers across the country asked for a larger paycheck at the same rate as Dallasites — 55 percent of workers said they had negotiated.
For a look at how other metros throughout the country ranked, click here.
"The reason more than half of Dallas workers feel confident negotiating pay is because I think they realize what’s going on in the market. The supply and demand for top talent is creating a very competitive hiring climate right now in Dallas,” said Mark Malone, senior regional vice president for Robert Half, in an email. “Workers are finding themselves with multiple offers in today’s tight job market and that gives them a lot of confidence in negotiating salary, perks and benefits.”
Employers expect candidates to ask for more money at a much higher rate though, according to the study. Nearly two-thirds of hiring managers expect potential employees to negotiate their salary when they receive an offer. Due in part to the tight job market, 62 percent of managers are more open to hammering out salary terms than they were last year.
“With the unemployment rate in Dallas at 3.3 percent, and with some (jobs requiring) specialized skill sets even below 1 percent locally, it’s not surprising that many employers’ initial offers are not being accepted,” Malone said. “They are lucky if they get the chance to negotiate because some (employers) don’t.“
Despite the job market giving potential employees what seems like the upper hand in negotiations, Dallasites are asking for more money at a lower rate than half of the metros surveyed by Robert Half.
In Miami, for example, more than two-thirds of workers asked for more money the last time they got a job offer.
Malone chocks it up to employees expecting satisfactory salaries in the original offer letter.
“While the majority of professionals in Dallas are comfortable asking for higher pay, it is still below other cities in Texas, (like) Houston and Austin for two examples,” Malone said. “That doesn’t mean they don’t want and expect competitive offers. It just means not as many will be willing to negotiate, and employers risk landing their first or even second choice candidates if they aren’t aggressive in their initial offers.”
