The AI freelancers earning $280K 💸

Hey there! Hey there! We’re heading to Austin and Denver this week, and we want to meet you! Come to our live workshops to not only learn your market rate, but also get free swag, meet the STS team, and do an interview (if you want). Save your spot here:👇

• October 24th in Austin, Texas from 6-8 PM CT.

• October 26th in Denver, Colorado from 6-8 PM MT.

Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP today. See you there! 💚

 1   Employers and employees aren’t seeing eye to eye on benefits 👎

Just call us Ali from The Notebook. Because we’d love for nothing more than companies to ask us, “What do you want?!” when it comes to benefits.

Per Aflac’s Annual WorkForces Report, 78% of employers believe their workers are very satisfied with their benefits, but…only 59% of employees actually feel that way.

Here’s what employees want (what they really, really want): It’s not pizza party Fridays, a ping-pong table, or Razor scooters to zip around the office (Dropbox actually does this). Instead, it’s:

• ➜ Mental Health Tools and Work-Life Balance Perks. 57% of American workers experience moderate levels of burnout. The biggest culprit? Job-related stress. When employers offer benefits such as therapy, flexible working hours, and WFH optionality, some of this stress can be mitigated.

• ➜ Supplemental Health Insurance. More than half of all surveyed employees expressed wanting supplemental health insurance that covers serious illnesses or conditions—especially if it’s in their family history.

• ➜ Easy-to-Use Healthcare: 82% of employees say that being able to manage their benefits online is super important—but only 45% of employers actually offer the ability to enroll in benefits online.

Remember: You can always negotiate your benefits—and not just healthcare or salary. You can ask for relocation assistance, company-paid phone plans, sabbaticals, and more. Our guide covers the whole list.

 2   Freelancers are cashing in on the AI craze 🤖

According to Upwork’s report, Generative AI was the fastest-growing category on its freelance platform in the first half of 2023. In fact, Generative AI job posts soared more than 1,000% in Q2 this year compared to the end of last year.

• The Pay: While there’s no official data out yet, AI-related freelancers on Upwork are charging up to $150 an hour. Assuming they work full-time, that’s a $288,000 salary.

Looking to hop aboard the AI bandwagon? Margaret Lilani, Upwork’s VP of Talent Solutions, suggests getting a college degree or taking classes in a related field, such as computer science or engineering. Already in the workforce? Here’s a list of online AI certification courses you can do during your 9–5.

 3   Employers plan to increase salary budgets in 2024 by…4% 😶

The average raise in 2024 is expected to rise by 4%, per Insider. At first glance, a 4% raise seems slim. But it’s actually a bigger boost than it sounds :

• Quick Maths: Inflation is expected to slow to 2.6% in 2024. That means employees can expect a net gain of 1.4% (2.6% + 1.4% = 4%). 1.4% seems tiny, but it’s a big improvement from 2022 when inflation was at 6.5% and overall salary increase at 3.4% (a 3.1% decrease).

Zoom in: 4% is the average projection across the entire workforce. The size of your raise could be more depending on your location, the size of your company, your industry, and of course, negotiation skills.

To maximize your raise: Discover your market rate and ask for what you’re worth, make your request early while budgets are flexible, and compare with what competitors pay for similar roles.

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The Job Offer Isn’t What You Expected. Now What?

Ever received a job offer that didn’t quite match your expectations?

It happens. Yet an unexpected job proposal isn’t a closed door: It’s an opportunity. If you can effectively counter-offer, you can come to an agreement that’ll benefit your career path.

After watching this video, you’ll:

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Give it a watch (or read!) right here.

WNBA players make $110K per year, on average. Meanwhile, NBA players make…$10 million. That’s right: There’s a ~9,000% difference in salary between female and male basketball players.

You’ve probably heard the objection, “Well, the WNBA doesn’t generate as much revenue as the NBA.” But the inequity goes much deeper than that. In our latest video, we dive into the history of both leagues, collective bargaining agreements, and how overseas pay compares.

After watching, you'll see the basketball industry in a totally different light. 🏀

• Jenny Nguyen, founder of The Sports Bra in Oregon, shares her best business-building tips (P.S. We interviewed Jenny to get more details about her $30K salary and business costs!).

• How Salary Transparent Street came to be. 💚

• You quit your job. But now, you want it back. Here’s (the right way) to go about it.

• Four signs the company’s culture is off (we couldn’t agree more with the third).

• Why a potential employer asking you for a pay stub or salary history is just plain wrong.

Thanks for reading! Before we part ways, a shout-out to Iceland: The women in Iceland (including its prime minister) are staging a one-day strike to call attention to gender inequality. It’s the largest women’s strike in almost 50 years.