With commercial and residential real estate listings posting record-breaking highs in 2024, it should come as no surprise that employees working within the industry should be the beneficiaries of healthy bonuses.
According to a new report put together by the San Francisco-based Gusto Incorporated, the average real estate industry bonus last year came in at $5,040. That figure was substantially higher than the average $1,600 bonus seen in the retail sector; and the nearly $1,400 recorded in the nonprofit sector.
Overall, bonuses nationally were up by around 2% as of the end of last year compared with 2023, with the average bonus coming in at $2,503. That figure in 2023 stood at $2,447.
In a narrative accompanying the latest findings, Gusto notes that the bonus trendline indicates that many employers are “continuing to use bonuses as a tool to keep their top performers engaged.” At the same time, “they may not be paying bonuses to the entire staff.”
By far the largest bonus percentage increase was seen in the nation’s communications industry, which awarded an average of $5,134 in 2024, up from $4,206 in 2023. Those two figures represented a healthy 22% jump.
Similarly, employees in the entertainment and recreation industry enjoyed a bonus jump from $1,840 in 2023 to just over $2,000 last year, for a 9% year-to-year increase.
Workers in the construction industry saw an overall 3% bonus increase, with an average of $2,277, up from $2,205 the year before.
Bonuses were down in the tourism and accommodations sector, seeing a 7% drop from $1,322 in 2023 to $1,225 last year; as well as the transportation and warehousing sector, also off by 10%, for an average bonus decline from $1,212 to $1,088.
In all, bonuses were up in thirteen out of seventeen sectors surveyed by Gusto, reflecting an overall vote of confidence in the nation’s economy heading into 2025.
January 20, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
