Why You Need to Participate in SIA’s Wage & Benefits Survey

With the unemployment rate matching a 50-year low, this new SIA benefit gives your firm an edge in a tight labor market.

Are you wondering if your salary, wage and benefits packages are competitive? Are you struggling to attract the best workers during this period of low unemployment? Did you know the Fed just reported that the country is at a 50-year low, 3.5-percent unemployment rate?

To help your firm, the Security Industry Association (SIA) has embarked on the Security Industry Wage & Benefits Benchmarking Study, and insights from the study will be provided exclusively to all SIA members in the first quarter of 2020, with more in-depth analysis provided to member companies who complete the survey.

Access to the crunched data will be a benefit of your membership. This new benefit is worth $10,000 to $100,000 or more, depending on the size of your firm; those figures are the typical cost range executives and HR professionals pay when hiring out such a survey on their own.

But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what Tony Varco, vice president of electronic security for Convergint, had to say about why his firm completed the study:

“Competing for talent, in one of the tightest job markets in years, is no easy task. Now more than ever, it’s important for integrators and manufacturers to have the most current and accurate information available to attract, develop and retain perspective colleagues.”

Varco continued: “By completing the SIA Wage & Benefit Benchmarking Survey, Convergint saved tens of thousands of dollars and gained a competitive edge by better understanding the current state of compensation and benefits within the systems integration industry. We would highly encourage other SIA members to participate in this important survey and gain their own competitive advantage.”

Who it’s for: This first edition of the survey is designed to return data for integrators and companies that are manufacturing or developing security technologies, but first we need even more integrators and technology producers/manufacturers to respond.

Why are we asking for so many responses? If your firm has already responded, thank you! The reason we’re asking for so many responses is that they will make the data more meaningful and accurate, and with more responses, we can even start to define regional characteristics related to competitive wages and benefits.

Is my data safe? All the responses are entirely confidential and secure – we use a third-party firm, Vault Consulting, that has extensive experience in performing such research and salary studies for professional and trade associations like SIA. The Vault team securely receives the data and crunches the numbers, so not even SIA staff see your firm’s responses. See more about our data security practices on the official SIA Wage & Benefits Benchmarking Study landing page.

Is it easy? Yes! It’s easier than you think. According to Elaine Palome, director of human resources for Axis Communications, “The survey was straightforward to complete, and the information that we will gain was worth the few hours it took to complete it.”

How do I get started? Send an email to John Coleman of SIA’s membership team at jcoleman@securityindustry.org. John will provide your firm the detailed instructions, including how to securely provide your responses to Vault Consulting.

Still need some convincing? Security industry recruiter Rebecca Bayne of Bayne Consulting and Search works with integrators large and small to solve staffing challenges and develop appropriate compensation packages. This is what she has to say about the value of this study:

“As a recruiter and firm with a total focus on partnering with systems integrators to identify and recruit the best for all levels of positions, the ongoing conversation now centers around how companies can be competitive and stand out as a top-level employer. Compensation and benefits must be competitive if you are going to recruit, hire and – most importantly – retain the best for your team! The information you will receive as a contributor to this study will be priceless. You joined SIA for the benefits – take advantage of this!”  

Get Started

Visit our official landing page for the SIA Wage & Benefits Benchmarking Study.