Pay is an important part of the talent conversation, but it’s not the only part. Use our Compensation & Benefits Report along with these tips to find and retain top talent.
Every year, we ask integration firm leaders to tell us what weighs most heavily on their minds.
- Are escalating operating costs keeping you up at night?
- Is the supply chain still causing you problems?
- Do potential cyber threats impact the way you work?
- What about the onslaught of AI?
For the last several years—no matter what else is happening in the industry—labor is always the most critical concern. There’s a scarcity of qualified technical talent to choose from, and that makes it tempting for the employees you do have to leave one job for another when it offers something you can’t.
In 2025, the biggest concern for integrators once again is talent. In fact, 76% of 2025 State of the Industry respondents chose “talent” as a top challenge this year.
What roles are integrators struggling to fill? Nearly all of them. But at the top of the list are:
- Installers and technicians
- Sales and system designers and engineers
- Programmers
- Project managers
Specifically, “lack of qualified candidates” was voted the biggest obstacle to filling these open positions. Increasing salary expectations also create barriers; 24% of respondents say that’s their biggest talent challenge.
There’s no question that the cost of labor is going up—an issue driven in part by inflation but also by stiff competition not only from within the commercial integration industry but also from adjacent industries.
To get a closer look at what’s happening with compensation in our industry, we used our three most recent Compensation & Benefits Reports to compare pay at the 50th percentile for these crucial roles. Here’s what we found:
| Installation Technician | Systems/Design Engineer | Programmer | Project Manager | |
| 2020 | $21/hour | $37/hour | $36/hour | $75,000/year |
| 2022 | $23/hour | $37/hour | $40/hour | $80,000/year |
| 2024 | $31.07/hour | $43.26/hour | $40/hour | $85,586/year |
In the last four years:
- Installation technician pay increased by 48%
- Systems/design engineer pay increased by 17%
- Programmer pay increased by 11%
- Project manager pay increased by 14%
Use NSCA’s Compensation & Benefits Report to Stay Competitive and Retain Top Talent
A critical component of attracting and retaining top talent involves knowing industry-specific compensation and benefits metrics. If compensation is a battle you’re fighting, make sure you’re using our Compensation & Benefits Report as a strategic advantage.
Every two years, we update our Compensation & Benefits Report to help you stay on top of trends and changes. The research, based on data gathered from 100+ systems integrators across North America, tracks and benchmarks compensation and benefits data for a variety of key positions within the industry, including technical, non-technical, and C-suite roles.
You can use these valuable benchmarks to:
- Understand how the compensation and benefits you offer across various positions compare to what other integrators of similar sizes offer
- Identify current wage trends and fluctuations within the industry to adjust your compensation packages accordingly
- Assess the benefits offered by other integrators to make sure your benefits package is attractive enough to retain and attract top talent
- Determine appropriate salary increases and bonuses for employees to reduce turnover
- Analyze the costs associated with different benefits and compensation packages to see what you can comfortably afford
- Identify potential compensation discrepancies so they can be addressed
Strategies to Address Talent Gaps and Retain Top Talent
Compensation is an important part of the conversation, but it’s not the only part. There are other things you can do to attract and retain top talent. Here are a few suggestions based on what we’ve seen work for other integrators.
Invest in Career Development
The industry is rapidly evolving, and career development not only gives employees the chance to enhance their skills but also helps you show your commitment to their growth and success.
Employees who see a clear path for advancement are more likely to stay engaged with and committed to their roles, which reduces turnover and re-hiring costs.
And when employees get to learn and grow, they are more likely to bring fresh ideas and solutions to the table, contributing to the success of your company.
One way you can do this is by sending your company’s emerging leaders to NSCA’s Excellence in Business Operations (XBO) Experience event, where they can prepare for the generational shift underway and develop their leadership skills.
Emphasize Communication as the Foundation
Clear, consistent communication builds trust between employees and leaders. When employees feel informed and involved, they are more likely to stay engaged with their work and committed to your organization.
In an environment that prioritizes open communication, employees feel more comfortable sharing their concerns, ideas, and feedback—and leaders listen so they can address issues promptly and effectively.
Regular communication about employee development and performance can also make a difference. Feedback helps employees understand and capitalize on their strengths while identifying areas where they can improve.
Gives Employees More than One Career Path
Career lattices give your employees a way to try something new if they’re bored or unfulfilled in their current roles.
When your organization supports career lattices, you’re able to move employees into new roles—not necessarily higher-level roles—and train them accordingly. Have a marketing person who wants to try sales? An installer who wants to be a project manager? Give them the tools and education they need and let them try it out.
NSCA Business Accelerator Insperity also supports “career pathing.” When you help employees create clear career maps, this can be a recruiting advantage. You can show new and existing employees how they can move vertically and horizontally throughout your organization over time so they can start planning for their future.
Start an Internship Program
Internships help you meet and build relationships with students or young professionals who could later become full-time employees.
Through Ignite, NSCA provides a four-phase internship framework you can follow if you don’t already have one in place:
- Phase 1: Onboarding to help interns understand what your business is all about.
- Phase 2: Ride & Decide to expose interns to different departments and career paths.
- Phase 3: Learn & Earn to give interns relevant, hands-on experience and credentials in sales, operations, marketing, and/or project management.
- Phase 4: Real-World Application to allow interns time to spend on projects in the area they choose.
We also help you structure the program and guide your interns through their experience. Plus, to offset internship costs, NSCA’s Ignite Internship Grant offers $1,000 toward the reimbursement of costs associated with hiring an intern.
Make Company Culture a Priority
Do you communicate what makes your company unique? Do your leaders support employees—and vice versa? Do you welcome feedback and innovation? How are mistakes handled?
A strong culture requires:
- Alignment on and communication of values, ethics, and expected behaviors
- Visible examples of these values, ethics, and expected behaviors at all levels
- Acknowledgement of people who align their actions with these values, ethics, and expected behaviors
- Intolerance/admonishment of people who do not align their actions with these values, ethics, and expected behaviors
Your Resource to Address Talent Issues
NSCA offers several resources and programs to help you address talent issues head-on.
Our events, webinars, and other educational resources help your employees develop their skills and advance their careers. Through experience like XBO and the Business & Leadership Conference (BLC), NSCA offers networking opportunities that allow you to connect with other industry leaders, share best practices, and learn from each other.
Have questions about talent attraction or retention? Let us know. We likely have resources to help.
