2022 Annual Market Research

State of the Staffing Market

As we are all well aware, the pandemic has changed the way we work. Additionally, it has impacted supply markets and demands for various items and services within our economy. Though ATvantage has managed to retain contractors during the Great Resignation, the athletic training profession has not been spared when it comes to the dramatic shortage of workers many other industries have experienced.

As we analyze the landscape, in preparation for contract renewals with our clients and agreement negotiations with our contractors, we conduct research to determine how we stand within the current market. What follows, is the data collected. We use this data to help support the decisions we make internally in order to remain a competitive option in the job market, while providing the most value possible to our clients.

Why is there so much competition?

The first question we sought to answer was "why is there SO much competition in the job market?" To find the answer, we looked no further than the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) website. There it informs us that there are currently 11.3M Job Openings (as of Feb 2022), while there are only 6.3M Unemployed Persons. This means there are nearly double the amount (5 million more, in fact) jobs available than there are people able to work them. In comparison, when we look back to 2019, there were 5.9M job openings and 5.8M people unemployed, equating to approximately 1 open job for every person who was unemployed.

The second question we sought to answer was "how much more does it cost to live today, than it did one year ago?" Because the US Economy is seeing the highest rate of inflation in over 40 years and this effects our athletic trainers directly. BLS also tells us that this rate is hovering at 7.9%, which is nearly quadruple what the average inflation typically is (around 2.0%).

How does ATvantage stack up?

Suffice it to say, the market is in a place we've never seen, which makes this research more relevant than ever. So, how do the contracts ATvantage offers stack up to other positions in the same geographical region?

In anticipation of client renewal procedures that begins in March, we performed downloads of current job openings in both November 2021 & February 2022.

San Diego:

fall: $23.71-$34.65, 11 total positions open. (37.5% part time)

winter: $25.97-$34.72, 16 total open positions (36% part time)

Average hourly rate: $24.84 - $34.68

OC/LA:

fall: $26.86-$33.39, 17 total open positions (52% part time)

winter: $27.68-$33.11, 20 total open positions (40% part time)

Average hourly rate: $27.27-$33.25

Sac:

fall: $22.53-$32.80, 10 total open positions (40% part time)

winter: $25.36-$36.19, 9 total open positions (30% part time)

Average hourly rate: $23.94-$34.49

ATvantage offered an hourly contract rate of $30-$35/hr during the same time period these opportunities were listed. The data suggests that our contract rates are higher than any other hourly compensation offered in all markets we are currently staffing.

Data is for ATvantage’s Long Term Ongoing Contracts.

NATA Salary Survey Results

In preparation for the release of this blog, the Executive Summary of the 2021 NATA Salary Survey was released. We used this information to determine how ATvantage stood up nationally, as well as in District 8, and within our own demographic data. We are proud to report the following:

• According to the 2021 NATA Salary Survey, ATvantage offers the same median hourly rate as what is reported for D8 $73,365*, approximately 16% higher than the national average.

• Our Bachelors degree compensation is nearly $5/hr higher than the national average ($27.29)

• Our Masters degree compensation is nearly $4/hr higher than the national average ($29.09)

• We have no gender pay gap.

The national average for an Athletics Appointment only in the secondary school setting is $58,028. A contractor working 30hrs/week with us can earn 74% of this yearly compensation, working less than 52% of the time.

*where appropriate, a total of 2,080 hours per year is used to determine hourly rate of annual salaries. This is a well documented total calculated by mutiplying 40hrs/wk by 52 weeks. Despite most ATs working more than 40 hours per week or less than 52 weeks, we used a standardized average to stay consistent with standardized data.

Please also see our Market Research from 2021 for further information on how we compare to the 2018 NATA Salary Survey.