Professionals Will See Higher Starting Salaries in 2016

Salaries for professional occupations should rise by an average of 4.1% next year, according to a new report from staffing firm Robert Half.

The 2016 Salary Guides from Robert Half tracks salaries in five fields. Among these, the research found that starting salaries are rising fastest in the technology sector, which is projected to see base salaries rising an average of 5.3%

Creative and administrative professionals should both see starting salaries rising by 3.8%, while legal professionals will see average base pay expected to rise by 3.1% next year.

Accounting and finance professionals will see average compensation increases of 4.7%, the company said.

Robert Half senior executive director Paul McDonald said “Organizations continue to compete fiercely for skilled talent, particularly in the areas of big data, compliance and mobile applications development.”

However, companies in a range of industries are struggling with what they see as a limited pool of qualified talent.