Upper Saddle River, N.J. - May 2004 - Compensation Resources, Inc. has released the results of its 2003-2004 College Graduate Salary Survey. The purpose of this study was to obtain compensation data and information on recruiting and hiring trends for recent and new college graduates. The survey sampled compensation data from 71 organizations, including 1,253 jobs.

The results do not indicate any startling or unexpected results, and for the most part, they are consistent with other studies covering broader employee compensation trends. Among the most significant findings was that total cash compensation, which consists of salary and bonus/incentives, increased by a respectable 6.1%, even though salaries only increased by a modest 0.8%. This is consistent with the trend of increased use of variable pay elements by many organizations. Variable pay allows companies to offer competitive pay with upside potential, while controlling fixed overhead for payroll costs, and to some degree, lessening the impact of higher salaries on benefit costs (i.e., vacation and time off benefits, retirement, some insurances, etc.). Some additional highlights:

• Findings for 2004 indicate that the financial services industry is the top paying industry for recent college graduates ($60,900).

• Companies are currently utilizing a wide variety
  
  
  of methods to recruit recent college graduates. The three most equally popular methods are College Career Centers, Employee and Business Associate Referrals, and Internet Job Boards.

• The majority of responding companies have turnover rates of recent college graduates of 15% or less.

Compensation Resources, Inc. (CRI) provides compensation and human resource consulting to start-up, emerging, and middle market companies. CRI specializes in Executive Compensation, Board Advisory Services, Salary Administration, Performance Management, Salary Administration, Sales Compensation, and Expert Witness services.

For more information on our consulting services, please contact us at (201) 934-0505 or visit our website at www.compensationresources.com.

About The Author

Paul R. Dorf, Ph.D., APD
Compensation Resources, Inc. provides compensation and human resource consulting to mid-size and Fortune 500 clients as well as public, private, family-owned and emerging companies. CRI specializes in Executive Compensation, Salary Administration, Performance Management, Sales Compensation, and expert witness services. Our reference library boasts over 4,800 surveys.

ats@compensationresources.com