What is your competition REALLY paying their techs?

This post is a bit long but its full of hiring gold nuggets if you stay with me till the end.

You might know that Technician Find has started doing comprehensive salary and benefits surveys for the shops we work with so they can see at a glance what their competition is offering their techs and how they stack up.

We pull this data from the top job boards online and then aggregate the data into an easy to read chart.

Then we run a statistical analysis of how our client shop's salary and benefits stack up so they can see where they are weak.

This level of detail helps us write ads that get applications and it helps shops make offers that get accepted.

Anyways, a client asked a great question this morning...

To paraphrase he asked if there was a way to see what shops were actually paying their techs. NOT what they were offering online in job ads.

You know me, I love a good challenge so I took a deep dive on Perplexity.AI to see what I could drum up.

This is my reply and the interesting stuff I found in my deep dive:

______________________

Thanks for the detailed context. You're absolutely right that posted salaries only tell part of the story.

Short of doing a W2 audit of each shop in your area there's no way to get an accurate read on real compensation numbers.

That being said, there is a workaround of sorts. I did a deep search for actual compensation information in Perplexity.AI and received the output below. This output is based on supposedly factual data gathered from real shop owners and technicians via online sources where compensation is being discussed candidly.

You can be the judge of its veracity but this data does reveal some interesting conclusions about how salary should be structured and listed for maximum impact.

Let me know what you think.

Take care,

-Chris

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Based on recent placement data and industry compensation research, here's what strong technicians are actually accepting when they're recruited off-market versus what appears publicly.

The Gap Between Posted vs. Actual Compensation

Public job boards typically show $25-35/hour for automotive technicians in most markets, but this represents only the advertised baseline. When shops successfully recruit passive candidates (those not actively job searching), the actual compensation packages consistently land in the 75th percentile or higher of publicly available ranges.

For strong technicians with 5-10 years of experience and ASE certifications, actual offers typically include:

Base Compensation: Posted ranges average $27-32/hour, but accepted offers for quality candidates reach $35-45/hour (flat rate or hourly equivalent)
Production Bonuses: Tiered percentages of ticket totals (typically 15-25%) that can add $15,000-30,000+ annually
Guaranteed Minimums: Most competitive shops guarantee 30-40 billable hours regardless of workflow
Signing Bonuses: Experienced technicians regularly receive $2,000-5,000 signing bonusesnetchex

What Strong Shops Are Actually Paying

Recent placement data and shop owner disclosures reveal that successful independent shops are structuring compensation to attract passive candidates through:

Hybrid Pay Models: The most effective structure combines:

Base hourly rate ($20-28/hour) ensuring stability
Percentage of labor ticket (10-25% tiered by production)
Quarterly performance bonuses based on shop metricsreddit+1

Real-world example from a successful independent shop:

Base: $24/hour
15% of ticket total at $1K weekly production, 20% at $2K, 25% at $3K+
Shop foreman bonus: $180-300/week
Results in $65,000-85,000 annual compensation for productive techniciansreddit+1

Regional Premiums: In competitive markets like California metro areas, successful placements are commanding:

$35-45/hour for experienced technicians
$40-54/hour flat rate at top independent shopsziprecruiter+1
$55,000-75,000 base with benefits packages approaching dealership levels

Off-Market Compensation Factors

The critical elements that distinguish actual offers from posted ranges include:

Benefits & Stability: Passive candidates prioritize security over marginal salary increases.

Packages that successfully convert passive candidates include:

Comprehensive health insurance
401(k) with matching
2-4 weeks PTO (increasing with tenure)
Paid training and ASE certification reimbursement
Consistent scheduling (4-day work weeks increasingly common)reddit+1

Production vs. Hourly: Shops using flat rate must address the primary concern of passive candidates: income stability. The solution is guaranteeing minimum weekly hours (typically 30-35) while allowing upside through production. This structure attracts quality candidates who won't risk leaving stable positions for purely commission-based roles.reddit

What Shops Are Actually Accepting When They Land Someone Strong

Based on placement data and shop owner feedback, when shops successfully recruit strong passive candidates:

Total Compensation averages 25-40% above posted ranges on Indeed/ZipRecruiter
Entry-Level Strong Candidates (2-4 years): $45,000-55,000 total comp (posted: $35,000-45,000)
Mid-Level Technicians (5-10 years): $60,000-80,000 total comp (posted: $45,000-65,000)
Master/ASE Certified (10+ years): $75,000-110,000 total comp (posted: $55,000-85,000)

The premium comes from the non-salary components that job boards don't capture: guaranteed minimums, performance bonuses, signing bonuses, comprehensive benefits, and predictable scheduling.

Recommendation for Your Market Analysis

To align your packages with true off-market rates, target:

Base at 75th percentile of your local posted ranges
Add 15-25% production incentive on top of base
Include $2,000-5,000 signing bonus for experienced candidates
Guarantee 30+ hours/week minimum for first 90 days
Build in quarterly bonus structure tied to objective metrics

This structure typically results in $8,000-15,000 higher annual compensation than what appears on job boards, which is exactly what's required to pry passive candidates away from their current positions.

The shops winning this talent war aren't necessarily posting the highest salaries—they're offering the most comprehensive, stable packages that address the specific risk concerns of employed technicians who weren't looking to move.