SECTION 3, CONTINUED Pay Rate Benchmarks by Role Engineering, office, and legal roles Role Market median advertised Eastridge Planning Guidance Manufacturing Engineers $104,192/yr 1,527 postings The sixth most posted title in manufacturing, from more than 1,100 companies, and it fills in 20 days. Consulting and administrative services firms post higher at $116,480. Administrative Assistants $24.18/hr 500 postings Manufacturers post higher at $26.03/hr than accounting and consulting firms. Postings fill in 13 to 17 days depending on industry, so strong candidates move quickly. Customer Service Representatives $19.75/hr 882 postings Manufacturers pay about $2.20/hr more ($21.97/hr) than service firms for the same title. Service firm postings fill in 13 days, compared with 19 in manufacturing. Paralegals $31.14/hr 607 postings Posted by more than 530 legal employers and it takes 25 days to fill. Paralegal roles at accounting, consulting, and administrative services firms advertise far higher, at $42.22/hr. Litigation Paralegals $36.31/hr ($75,520/yr) 476 postings Litigation experience adds about $5/hr over general paralegal pay. At 21 days to fill, these candidates move faster than most legal roles. Legal Secretaries $32.43/hr ($67,456/yr) 166 postings Takes 29 days to fill, the same as associate attorney roles. Plan for a search as long as an attorney search. Source: Median advertised pay on postings that listed pay, Lightcast Q3 2026 Data Set, Job Posting Tables, United States, June 29 to September 26, 2026. Manufacturing and engineering roles use the Manufacturing (NAICS 31) table; office roles use accounting, consulting, and administrative services; legal roles use offices of lawyers. Industry comparisons in the guidance use the same tables for the other verticals. Posting counts are postings that listed pay. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Across these roles, the differences between industries matter as much as the medians. Manufacturers pay more than service firms for administrative and customer service roles, while distribution employers set the pace for forklift operators. Among plant floor roles, skilled trades carry both the highest hourly pay and the longest fill times, with maintenance technicians at 24 days and CNC machinists at 28. A pay review does not have to mean across-the-board increases. It means knowing where your most critical roles sit against the market and closing the gaps that are costing you candidates. Eastridge can benchmark any role you are actively hiring against your local market.