HOUSTON (March 27, 2008) – Murray Resources, Ltd., a Houston-based staffing solutions firm, announced that the company’s annual salary survey conducted in February and March 2008 reveals that Houston-area salaries continue to climb, especially for professional, engineering and accounting positions at all levels from payroll clerks to controllers.

The Murray Resources survey revealed increases virtually across the board for posted job openings from switchboard receptionists and general administrative secretarial positions to human resource professionals, accounting and engineering staff.

“We believe that a number of factors are converging in the Houston market to impact competition for talent at all levels of a company,” said Linda Cooper, branch manager of Murray Resources. “First is the ongoing strength of the Houston-area economy, which is continuing to create job growth, especially in the energy sector. In addition, the first wave of baby boomers is beginning to retire and there aren’t enough Generation Y employees available to replace the boomers. These result in increased competition to attract, groom and retain top talent.”

The annual survey is provided as a service for Murray Resources clients and queries more than 150 companies in the greater Houston area. The survey specifically looks at general clerical and administrative positions, as well as accounting positions at all levels, human resources and engineering and engineering support positions. The survey does not include date for the health care, legal or the information technology sectors.

The 2008 survey indicated that the highest percentage of salary increases were for highly specialized positions requiring specific technical knowledge or training. For example, salaries increased more than 50% in 2008 for experienced CAD drafters to the $50,000 to $80,000 range. Environmental, Health and Safety supervisors saw a 44% jump from last year to the $85,000 to $130,000 range. Mechanical engineering supervisory positions saw an increase of 35% to the $75,000 to $125,000 range. Accounting positions were up an average of about 6-7%, while administrative positions were up 2-3%, reflecting cost of living increases. Cooper also noted that downtown Houston salaries tend to be 10-12% higher than positions outside the central business district.

About Murray Resources
Murray Resources is a leading staffing and placement firm based in Houston, Texas, providing quality temporary, temp-to-hire, contract, payroll and direct hire administrative/clerical and professional-level placement services. Over the past 20 years, Murray Resources has developed a unique placement process to match candidates based not only on experience and skill set, but also on how well a candidate can put that skill set to work within a particular corporate culture. As a result, Murray Resources enjoys one of the most consistent track records in the industry based on client satisfaction surveys for delivering “best fit for success” staffing solutions. Murray Resources was named one of the fastest growing woman-owned businesses in Houston in 2007 by the Houston Business Journal. For more information, contact Murray Resources at 713-935-0009 or log on to murrayresources.com.

For more information, contact:
Gretchen Weis 713-385-8912
Christy Lee 713-594-2141