	FREE EXECUTIVE JOB HUNTING ADVICE FROM A LEADING AUTHORITY ON THE 2009 JOB MARKET
	An article from the desk of Robert Gerberg	Home View All Articles

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How Many Six Figure Earners Are There?

With the U.S. population approaching 290,000,000 and a total job market over 135,000,000, six-figure opportunities are still limited. According to labor department figures, here are the estimated number of jobs in the U.S. that currently reward people with salaries, commissions and bonuses at this level (incomes below are exclusive of income from interest, dividends and capital gains):

      3,512,000 jobs at $100_199K (2.60%)

      836,000 jobs at $200_499K (0.61%)

      152,000 jobs at $550_999K (0.11%)

      78,000 jobs at $1M+ (0.06%)

       Of course, a significant percentage of people earning this income are doctors, lawyers, consultants, entertainment industry types, including authors and those associated with professional athletics, and entrepreneurs who run their own companies. But, among the others, since people change once every three and a half to four years, over 1,000,000 six- figure jobs become available each year (of the 4.6 million above). Many other positions at this level are newly created.

      We believe that the number of six-figure earners is much higher than what the government reports. This is because there are many people who earn at this level but fail to report much of their income, as they take advantage of perks and expenses rather than pure wages.

      Besides the absolute number of people who now report six-figure incomes, it's interesting to take a closer look at the size of the firms they work for. If you take a slightly longer term view, over the last decade there has been a profound change taking place in executive employment in America. The best positions are often newly created opportunities with smaller businesses and midsize organizations rather than more famous blue-chip companies.

      We have been surprised at the growing percentage of our clients connecting with employers who have between 25 and 500 employees, and who are involved in many of America's newest and fastest growing industries. If your career has been rooted in large companies, then some new thinking might be in order.

      Obviously, there will continue to be many fine opportunities that become available in the country's leading organizations. However, you should understand that in most cases they occur as a result of retirements, terminations and departures. (Total annual turnover is 25 percent in large corporations and accounts for the vast percentage of six-figure opportunities).