Also called: Prevailing Wage Compliance Specialist, Certified Payroll Analyst
Makes sure workers on government-funded construction projects are paid the legally required wages, and digs into payroll when they are not.
You review weekly certified payroll from 30 subcontractors on a new bridge project, matching each worker’s pay to the required rate. Then you drive to the site to interview a few workers about their hours and spot-check what they are really paid.
Estimated; government agency and contractor roles.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in business, labor relations or construction management, or payroll experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Business Administration, Labor Studies, Construction Management, Accounting.
Growing about average. Federal infrastructure spending has increased prevailing-wage work.
Medium risk for 10 years. Software already checks payroll math; site interviews, investigations and judgment stay human.
Classes: Business math, Government, Spanish.
Official data: O*NET occupation 13-1041.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.