Pay for Staff Positions

Pay bands correlate to the corresponding job classification category. Since there is a wide range of positions that can fit into a job category, the Office of Human Resources reviews all positions to recommend a competitive compensation range. Internal peer comparators and external market data are analyzed for nearly every staff position and a recommended salary range is determined and shared with the hiring school, college or unit. This protocol ensures parity across campus and allows the university to be more competitive.

The Wage and Salary, Pay Rates Policy is a comprehensive resource for information on staff pay practice and includes information regarding:

  • Annual increases
  • Discretionary increases
  • Pay rate reductions

The New York State (NYS) Minimum Rate Schedule [PDF] has been proposed for calendar years 2024, 2025 and 2026. Effective January 1, 2024, the New York State minimum wage is $16.00 per hour for employees in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester and $15.00 per hour for employees elsewhere in the state.

Syracuse University will continue to pay our staff above the New York State required minimum wage to remain competitive in the labor market.  Effective June 29, 2023, the University minimum rate is $16.00 per hour for all temporary staff and $17.00 per hour for all benefits-eligible staff. These hourly rates meet or exceed all other U.S. states’ minimums, except for Washington and the District of Columbia. All state minimum wages may be found on the U.S. Department of Labor website.

Pay bands provide a broad range to encompass all positions within a job classification. Most positions do not span the whole range; therefore, supervisors should work with the HR Compensation Team to identify the appropriate compensation range.