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10 perfect jobs for people who love to travel.

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With many jobs requiring frequent travel, some professionals purposely seek out these opportunities ... [+] that afford them the chance to see the world.

My parents and extended family were almost all teachers and educators. With two months of summer off from work, along with plenty of vacation days, they had the privilege of enjoying both their work and traveling around the world.

They were bitten by the wanderlust bug. At family events, everyone would share their most recent exciting trip. My family seamlessly blended their love of travel, exploring new and different sites, with their occupation of teaching elementary, middle and high school students.

Is Frequent Traveling Compatible With Your Lifestyle?

With many jobs requiring frequent travel, some professionals purposely seek out these opportunities that afford them the chance to see the world. During the job search process, it is critical for professionals to consider how much travel is required to perform a specific role successfully. By carefully evaluating the travel requirements, candidates can make informed decisions about jobs that are a compatible fit for their circumstances, preferences and career aspirations.

Extensive travel can disrupt personal and family life, making it challenging to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Professionals with caregiving obligations may find frequent travel particularly burdensome or impossible.

However, for those who have wanderlust, a career that offers the opportunity to get paid to explore new places may be a dream come true. In these roles, accommodations and travel expenses are often covered, while you get to immerse yourself in different cultures.

Jobs For Travel Lovers

If you have been bitten by the travel bug, here are 10 occupations you should consider that will earn you a paycheck for traveling.

Traveling for work and meeting new people can strengthen your professional network and lead to potential clients and customers. Moreover, demonstrating that you can adapt to new environments can be a valuable soft skill in your career.

1. Flight Attendant

Average Base Salary: $39,077

Job Summary: A flight attendant is a trained individual who ensures the safety and comfort of passengers on an aircraft. They provide customer service, conduct safety demonstrations and respond to emergencies during flights.

Qualifications: Applicants are usually required to be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or GED. Successful completion of an airline-specific training program or orientation is necessary. This training is provided by the airline and covers aspects such as safety procedures, emergency protocols and customer service. Flight attendants must also be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to work on each type of aircraft they serve on.

2. Airline Pilot

Average Base Salary: $108,544

Job Summary: An airline pilot is a professional responsible for flying and navigating airplanes, helicopters and other aircraft. Their duties include conducting pre-flight checks, developing flight plans, ensuring the safety and integrity of the aircraft and maintaining communication with the flight crew and air traffic controllers.

Qualifications: Airline pilots typically need a bachelor's degree, experience as a commercial or military pilot and must meet FAA requirements, including completing 250 flight hours with a pilot ground school. After you have passed your written ground school test and logged your hours, you will need to pass a check-ride with the FAA.

3. Management Consultant

Average Base Salary: $92,345

Job Summary: Management consultants work closely with domestic or international clients to provide business solutions to organizational issues involving maximizing business performance, business processes and revenue streams. A management consultant can offer expertise in a range of fields, such as business management, marketing, business strategy, supply chain and employee productivity.

Qualifications: Most employers require applicants to have completed, at minimum, a bachelor's degree in a business-related field, such as business administration, economics or finance.

Average Base Salary: $77,965

Job Summary: An auditor examines an organization's records, accounts and finances to ensure accuracy and compliance, as well as identify and mitigate risks. There are several disciplines within auditing, including financial; environmental, health and safety; external; internal; forensic and information technology. Because auditors attend frequent client meetings, they travel extensively to company sites, including internationally.

Qualifications: Similar to the education path of an accountant, aspiring auditors are required to hold a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field, like finance or business.

5. Tour Guide

Average Base Salary: $35,290

Job Summary: A tour guide leads visitors through historical sites, museums, geographic destinations or outdoor excursions, extolling relevant cultural, historical and practical knowledge.

Qualifications: Most tour guide jobs require at least the completion of a high school diploma, while some employers desire a four-year degree to lead a museum tour. Additionally, some states require you to obtain a tour guide license.

6. Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

Average Base Salary: $75,806

Job Summary: A pharmaceutical sales representative travels to different locations to sell pharmaceutical products and devices to healthcare professionals, such as doctors and nurses.

Qualifications: To become a pharmaceutical sales representative, most employers require at least a high school diploma or GED. Your qualifications will lie in your ability to build relationships and be persuasive.

7. Travel Nurse

Average Base Salary: $114,279

Job Summary: A travel nurse is a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse who works short-term contracts in various locations where healthcare facilities are understaffed. When contracts end, travel nurses either extend their stay at the same hospital or move on to a new location and opportunity.

Qualifications: Travel nurses must complete a state-approved nursing program, an associate degree in nursing or a B.S. in nursing to pursue licensure where they permanently reside. They must then pass the National Council Licensure Examination.

Typically, you cannot become a travel nurse right out of college, as clinical experience is generally required.

The Nurse Licensure Compact allows licensed RNs to practice legally in 39 participating states. If your location does not fall under the NLC, you must apply for state-specific licensure before you begin employment. Some states may fast track temporary licenses.

8. Construction Manager

Average Base Salary: $91,022

Job Summary: Construction managers oversee the development of buildings and infrastructure, managing tasks onsite, scheduling, budgeting and supervising projects from start to finish. Although they have a main office, construction managers travel to field offices on-site.

Qualifications: When hiring construction managers, most employers prefer they have a bachelor’s degree in construction science, construction management, architecture or civil engineering. However, it is possible to get hired with an associate degree in construction management or technology combined with relevant work experience in the field.

9. Professional Interpreter

Average Base Salary: $53,543

Job Summary: A professional interpreter enables communication between two or more parties who speak different languages. Interpreters can only render oral language, while translators specialize in written text. The most common areas of specialization include: conference, guide, media, public sector, medical and legal. Interpreters, especially liaison or escort interpreters, travel frequently to provide language support.

Qualifications: Professional interpreters are generally required to hold a bachelor's degree, while organizations like the United Nations recommend a master's degree. They should be highly proficient in at least two languages, including the source language (the language spoken by the interpreter) and the target language (the language in which they are interpreting).

10. Diplomat (Foreign Service Officer)

Average Base Salary: $97,246

Job Summary: The mission of a U.S. diplomat in the Foreign Service is to promote peace, support prosperity and protect American citizens while advancing U.S. interests abroad. American diplomats can be employed at any of the more than 270 international embassies or consulates.

Qualifications: While there is no specific academic degree or professional experience required to become an FSO, all applicants must undergo a rigorous hiring process. This consists of a written Foreign Service Officer test, a written personal narrative, an oral interview combined with role-playing exercises and a medical and security clearance review.

Diplomats are generally skilled negotiators with outstanding interpersonal skills who possess knowledge of foreign policy and languages.

Digital Nomad

Alternatively, the digital nomad lifestyle offers a unique work experience that comes with the autonomy of not being chained to an office. Like the name implies, it affords professionals with the opportunity to work remotely while traveling freely.

If you are looking for a job change that will be more suitable to your desire to travel, consider freelance projects or finding companies that offer remote positions. A downside to the digital nomad lifestyle is that you will be responsible to cover your own travel expenses, such as transportation, lodging and meals.

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10 Best Jobs That Allow You to Travel

These best travel jobs allow you to build a fulfilling career while traveling domestically or internationally.

Getty Images |

Satisfy your wanderlust with these travel jobs.

Getting a 9-to-5 job doesn't mean you have to put your dream of traveling the world on hold. Many professions nowadays not only provide financial stability but offer the exciting perk of frequent travel. Let's explore some of the best jobs that allow you to build a fulfilling career while satiating your wanderlust.

We've taken the top travel jobs from the U.S. News 100 Best Jobs rankings. These jobs are described by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as having a travel component.

10. Cartographer

Median salary: $71,890 Expected job growth by 2032: 5%

Cartographers collect data to create detailed geographic maps. They use advanced tools like geographic information systems, or GIS, for spatial analysis, ensuring accuracy in representing terrain, features and other information. Although cartographers spend much of their time in offices, specific jobs may require extensive travel to locations that are being mapped.

Learn more about cartographers .

(Caiaimage | Paul Bradbury

9. Public Relations Specialist

Median salary: $67,440 Expected job growth by 2032: 6%

Public relations specialists' main job is to generate positive publicity for their clients and help them maintain a good reputation. They can work in various industries, including corporate, government, nonprofit or agency settings. As a public relations specialist, you may travel often to engage with the media, attend events and build relationships with stakeholders.

Learn more about public relations specialists .

8. Construction Manager

Median salary: $101,480 Expected job growth by 2032: 5%

Construction managers oversee construction projects from start to finish, collaborating with architects, engineers and contractors to ensure projects adhere to budgets, timelines and quality standards. Since construction managers often manage several projects simultaneously, they may need to frequently travel among sites.

Learn more about construction managers .

7. Sports Coach

Median salary: $44,890 Expected job growth by 2032: 9%

Sports coaches help athletes develop to their full potential and reach maximum performance. The travel frequency for sports coaches, especially in major leagues like the NFL and NBA, is high. These coaches often accompany their teams to away games in different states, which means they spend lots of time on the road.

Learn more about sports coaches .

6. Flight Attendant

Median salary: $63,760 Expected job growth by 2032: 11%

Flight attendants travel wherever an aircraft goes, ensuring the safety and comfort of passengers. They also communicate with pilots regarding flight details and cabin conditions.

Flight attendants' travel frequency depends on factors such as their seniority and the airline's scheduling policies. Junior flight attendants often have less control over their schedules and may work more weekends and holidays.

Learn more about flight attendants .

(Getty Images) |

5. Sales Manager

Median salary: $130,600 Expected job growth by 2032: 4%

Sales managers are responsible for directing an organization’s sales team. Some of their duties may include setting sales goals, analyzing data, developing training programs for sales representative and addressing any changes necessary to meet customer needs. Depending on the company, sales managers may have to travel to national, regional or local offices and attend in-person customer meetings.

Learn more about sales managers .

4. Operations Research Analyst

Median salary: $85,720 Expected job growth by 2032: 23%

Operations research analysts use advanced techniques, such as data mining and mathematical modeling, to develop solutions that help organizations operate more efficiently. They help businesses solve a wide range of problems, including supply chain optimization, production planning and inventory management.

Although operations research analysts typically spend their time in offices, they may travel occasionally to meet with clients.

Learn more about operations research analysts .

3. Management Analyst

Median salary: $95,290 Expected job growth by 2032: 10%

Management analysts, also known as management consultants, are experts who specialize in helping companies improve efficiency and increase profits. How often management analysts travel depends on the company they work for and their current projects. However, those who pursue a career in management consulting can expect to travel quite frequently to meet with clients.

Learn more about management analysts .

2. Marketing Manager

Median salary: $140,040 Expected job growth by 2032: 7%

Marketing managers gauge the demand for a product and help develop a marketing strategy that fits. Depending on their company’s needs, marketing managers may travel throughout the country or worldwide to meet with clients and attend conferences.

Learn more about marketing managers .

Median salary: $113,990 Expected job growth by 2032: 23%

Actuaries assess and manage financial risks using mathematical and statistical models. They often work in industries such as insurance, finance and retirement planning, determining the likelihood of events and their financial impacts.

Travel frequency for actuaries varies depending on the employer and their specific job role, but some may travel occasionally to attend meetings or meet with clients.

Learn more about actuaries .

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Travel Salary in The United States

The average Travel Salary in The United States is $48,000 per year . Salaries range from $38,400 to $72,000 . The average Travel Hourly Wage is $15.00 per hour . Hourly wages range from $12.00 to $30.00 . Salaries and wages depend on multiple factors including geographic location, experience, seniority, industry, education etc.

What is the Average Annual Salary of Travel in The United States ?

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Travel Agent Salary

How much does a Travel Agent make? The average Travel Agent salary is $59,263 as of March 26, 2024, but the salary range typically falls between $51,319 and $67,654 . Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education , certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target. 

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Recently searched related titles: Corporate Travel Agent , Travel Associate , Travel Counselor

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Caitlin Clark WNBA salary, contract terms: How much will she earn as No. 1 pick?

It's official: Former Iowa women's basketball star Caitlin Clark is off to the WNBA, as the NCAA's all-time scoring leader was selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in Monday's WNBA draft .

Clark , the game's brightest star, already was reportedly among the top earners in all of college sports with various NIL deals. She will still make lots of money on her sponsorships as she joins the WNBA. Her sponsorships include State Farm, Gatorade, Nike, Xfinity, H&R Block, and Panini America among others. Clark also already has a regional sponsor in the Indianapolis area. She  signed a deal with Gainbridge , an insurance and annuity company.

Clark's season ended with a national championship loss for the second consecutive season, when the Hawkeyes fell to undefeated South Carolina on April 7. Just eight days later, Clark is a professional. The first four selected players of the WNBA draft earn the same contract, so Clark, Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso and Rickea Jackson — who rounded out the top four picks — will each make the same amount of money next season.

MORE: WNBA commissioner sidesteps question on All-Star Game in Arizona - an anti-abortion state

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Here's Clark's contract, according to the value of the pick set by the WNBA:

Caitlin Clark contract details

Caitlin Clark will receive a four-year contract worth a total of $338,056, according to the WNBA's CBA .

The first four picks of the WNBA draft are each slotted at the same value, meaning Clark, Brink, Cardoso and Jackson will each receive the same amount of money. Here's the year-by-year breakdown of Clark's contract (it has not been announced if she has signed):

• 2024: $76,535
• 2025: $78,066
• 2026: $85,873
• 2027 (fourth-year option): $97,582

Contributing: Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star

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What the New Overtime Rule Means for Workers

One of the basic principles of the American workplace is that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. Simply put, every worker’s time has value. A cornerstone of that promise is the  Fair Labor Standards Act ’s (FLSA) requirement that when most workers work more than 40 hours in a week, they get paid more. The  Department of Labor ’s new overtime regulation is restoring and extending this promise for millions more lower-paid salaried workers in the U.S.

Overtime protections have been a critical part of the FLSA since 1938 and were established to protect workers from exploitation and to benefit workers, their families and our communities. Strong overtime protections help build America’s middle class and ensure that workers are not overworked and underpaid.

Some workers are specifically exempt from the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime protections, including bona fide executive, administrative or professional employees. This exemption, typically referred to as the “EAP” exemption, applies when: 

1. An employee is paid a salary,  

2. The salary is not less than a minimum salary threshold amount, and 

3. The employee primarily performs executive, administrative or professional duties.

While the department increased the minimum salary required for the EAP exemption from overtime pay every 5 to 9 years between 1938 and 1975, long periods between increases to the salary requirement after 1975 have caused an erosion of the real value of the salary threshold, lessening its effectiveness in helping to identify exempt EAP employees.

The department’s new overtime rule was developed based on almost 30 listening sessions across the country and the final rule was issued after reviewing over 33,000 written comments. We heard from a wide variety of members of the public who shared valuable insights to help us develop this Administration’s overtime rule, including from workers who told us: “I would love the opportunity to...be compensated for time worked beyond 40 hours, or alternately be given a raise,” and “I make around $40,000 a year and most week[s] work well over 40 hours (likely in the 45-50 range). This rule change would benefit me greatly and ensure that my time is paid for!” and “Please, I would love to be paid for the extra hours I work!”

The department’s final rule, which will go into effect on July 1, 2024, will increase the standard salary level that helps define and delimit which salaried workers are entitled to overtime pay protections under the FLSA. 

Starting July 1, most salaried workers who earn less than $844 per week will become eligible for overtime pay under the final rule. And on Jan. 1, 2025, most salaried workers who make less than $1,128 per week will become eligible for overtime pay. As these changes occur, job duties will continue to determine overtime exemption status for most salaried employees.

The rule will also increase the total annual compensation requirement for highly compensated employees (who are not entitled to overtime pay under the FLSA if certain requirements are met) from $107,432 per year to $132,964 per year on July 1, 2024, and then set it equal to $151,164 per year on Jan. 1, 2025.

Starting July 1, 2027, these earnings thresholds will be updated every three years so they keep pace with changes in worker salaries, ensuring that employers can adapt more easily because they’ll know when salary updates will happen and how they’ll be calculated.

The final rule will restore and extend the right to overtime pay to many salaried workers, including workers who historically were entitled to overtime pay under the FLSA because of their lower pay or the type of work they performed. 

We urge workers and employers to visit  our website to learn more about the final rule.

Jessica Looman is the administrator for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. Follow the Wage and Hour Division on Twitter at  @WHD_DOL  and  LinkedIn .  Editor's note: This blog was edited to correct a typo (changing "administrator" to "administrative.")

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DOL Releases Final White-Collar Exemption Rule, Sets Minimum Salary to Increase in Phases Beginning July 1, 2024

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued its Final Rule to increase the minimum salary requirements for the “white collar” exemptions (executive, administrative, and professional) from minimum wage and overtime pay requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Final Rule sharply increases the minimum salary level for the white-collar exemption to apply. The increase will take effect in two stages over six months.

The standard salary level will increase in two phases from the current $684 per week ($35,568 per year) to:

• July 1, 2024: $844 per week ($43,888 annually)
• Jan. 1, 2025: $1,128 per week ($58,656 annually)

The highly compensated exemption (HCE) total annual compensation level will increase from its current $107,432 per year to:

• July 1, 2024: $132,964 per year
• Jan. 1, 2025: $151,164 per year

The salary thresholds will be updated every three years to reflect current earnings data, beginning July 1, 2027.

The Final Rule, announced on April 23, is slated to take effect July 1, 2024. Formal publication in the Federal Register is pending.

Changes From Proposed Rule

In its proposed rule, the DOL announced a new methodology for determining the standard salary level: 35th percentile of weekly earnings of full-time salaried workers in the lowest-wage Census Region (currently, the South) and 85th percentile of full-time salaried workers nationally for the HCE. At the time the proposed rule was issued, those figures amounted to a salary level of $1,059 per week ($55,068 per year) for the standard exemption and $143,988 per year for the HCE exemption. DOL warned the figures could be higher when it releases the Final Rule based on current data.

The proposed rule issued in September 2023 did not propose implementing changes in phases. But in the Final Rule, the DOL decided to implement the changes in two phases. The first phase, effective July 1, 2024, will use the existing methodology: 20th percentile of the lowest-wage Census Region (the South) for the standard exemption and the 80th percentile full-time salaried workers nationally for the HCE. The second phase, effective Jan. 1, 2025, will use the 35th and 85th percentiles, as DOL initially proposed. That is what accounts for the significant increases in the rates from July 1, 2024, to Jan. 1, 2025.

Another significant change from the proposed rule relates to application of the new salary levels to workers in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The proposed rule expanded the application of the salary levels to these territories, but the Final Rule dropped these changes and leaves the current salary levels for these territories the same: $455 for these territories and $380 for American Samoa.

Automatic Updates

The Final Rule also implements automatic updates to the salary thresholds every three years. The DOL will determine the new salary threshold by applying then-current earnings data using the same methodology it used in setting the current increases.

That means the minimum salary requirements could increase on a routine basis without DOL undertaking notice-and-comment rulemaking. However, the rule provides that a scheduled automatic update could be delayed temporarily if warranted by unforeseen economic or other conditions.

Impact of Final Rule

According to DOL estimates, in the first year of the Final Rule taking effect, approximately four million workers will be impacted. (One million employees will be affected by the July update; the remaining three million workers will be impacted by the higher Jan. 1, 2025, salary floor.) The DOL estimates that 292,900 employees will be affected by the adjustment to the HCE salary threshold.

The DOL also projects an annualized income transfer from employers to employees of $1.5 billion.

DOL anticipates that the industry with the highest number of affected workers will be professional and business services (827,000), while the industry with the highest percentage of executive, administrative, and professional workers affected will be leisure and hospitality (about 24 percent). Private-sector nonprofit employees are more likely to be impacted (18.9 percent) than employees in private-sector for-profit entities (13.6 percent), according to DOL.

Prospects for Implementation; Severability

Whether the Final Rule will take effect July 1 remains to be seen. As with the white-collar rules issued under the Obama and Trump Administrations, legal challenges to the Biden white-collar rule are anticipated. Currently, in connection with the current salary threshold set under the Trump Administration, the DOL is defending the agency’s statutory authority to impose any salary requirement in defining the criteria for the white-collar exemption. In a Sept. 28, 2023, decision , a federal court in Texas held that the DOL permissibly adopted a salary minimum when it issued its 2019 rule, which set the $684 weekly salary level now in effect. That ruling is on appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Mayfield v. U.S. Department of Labor , No. 23-50724.

Opponents of the latest Final Rule also may challenge the DOL’s authority to implement automatic updates to the minimum salary thresholds.

The latest Final Rule may be even more vulnerable to suit. The U.S. Supreme Court this term is deciding whether to limit or overturn the “Chevron” standard of deference to administrative agency rulemaking. Depending on the outcome of the pending decision in Loper Bright Enters. v. Raimondo and a related case, Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce, the DOL’s Final Rule may be subjected to heightened judicial scrutiny. The significant impact on the economy may also trigger the “major questions” doctrine, with opponents of the rule arguing only Congress has the authority to implement such a significant change.

In the Final Rule, DOL expressly states each part of the rule is “severable,” which is a hedge in case a court finds one aspect of the Final Rule invalid. A court might, for example, find the Jan. 1, 2025, increase too high to withstand scrutiny, but find the July 1, 2024, increase reasonable, thus leaving the phase-one increase intact, even if the later increase is invalid. Similarly, if a court were to determine DOL has no authority to implement automatic increases every three years, the court could invalidate that portion of the Final Rule but keep the remainder intact.

What Should Employers Do?

It is possible a federal court will enjoin the DOL from enforcing the Final Rule while the legal challenges are pending. That leaves employers in a difficult position of preparing to comply while the rule’s prospects are unclear. Adding to the complexity is a looming presidential election. A turnover in administrations could bring a change of course by the DOL. Nevertheless, employers should put a strategy in place to effectuate changes by the July and January deadlines in the event the rule does go into effect.

For now, employers need to identify currently exempt employees who do not satisfy the new minimum salary threshold and devise a strategy for compliance. Employers that have exempt workers who earn more than $684 per week, but less than the new salary thresholds of the Final Rule (and who satisfy the duties requirements), can comply by increasing affected employees’ salaries to the minimum salary level so they maintain their exempt status. When adjusting salary levels, employers must consider the impact on other exempt employees who also may request an increase, as the gap between their salary and other salaried workers diminishes. Alternatively, employers can retain the employees’ current pay levels and reclassify the affected employees as nonexempt.

Employers have options to minimize the financial impact of reclassifying employees as nonexempt. These include reducing their rate of pay so that the outcome of any overtime hours worked will be cost-neutral, or adopting a fluctuating workweek method in states where its use is permitted. Employers also can limit newly nonexempt employees’ overtime hours.

Employers also must consider how the proposed rule interacts with the corresponding exemptions under the myriad of state laws. Some states do not have overtime laws; others incorporate the FLSA as it stands; others incorporate the FLSA’s overtime provisions with higher salary requirements; and others have their own exemptions and salary levels without reference to the FLSA.

Whether the Final Rule ultimately takes effect, it presents an opportunity for employers to review the exempt status of their workforce. Consider an audit of wage and hour practices to ensure compliance with the FLSA and the state laws of the jurisdictions where your business has operations.

Jackson Lewis Webinar

On April 29, join Justin Barnes and Jeffrey Brecher, Leaders of the Jackson Lewis Wage and Hour Practice Group, for a webinar on the DOL Final Rule. Justin and Jeff will provide attendees with an overview of the new Rule’s requirements, and offer guidance on strategies to comply.

Sign up for DOL Issues Final White-Collar Rule: What to Do Now .

In the meantime, if you have questions about the Final Rule and its impact on your organization, please contact the Jackson Lewis attorney(s) with whom you regularly work.

© 2024 Jackson Lewis P.C. This material is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute legal advice nor does it create a client-lawyer relationship between Jackson Lewis and any recipient. Recipients should consult with counsel before taking any actions based on the information contained within this material. This material may be considered attorney advertising in some jurisdictions. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. 

Focused on labor and employment law since 1958, Jackson Lewis P.C.'s 950+ attorneys located in major cities nationwide consistently identify and respond to new ways workplace law intersects business. We help employers develop proactive strategies, strong policies and business-oriented solutions to cultivate high-functioning workforces that are engaged, stable and diverse, and share our clients' goals to emphasize inclusivity and respect for the contribution of every employee. For more information, visit https://www.jacksonlewis.com .

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• 25 April 2024

Air-travel climate-change emissions detailed for nearly 200 nations

An inventory lists the aviation emissions of all 197 nations that are signatories to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Credit: Getty

Scientists have compiled the first estimate of the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by air travel in each of the 197 countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1 .

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01148-8

Klenner, J., Muri, H. & Strømman, A. H. Environ. Res. Lett. 19 , 054019 (2024).

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'Where the hell have you been?' ask WNBA followers over the outrage at Caitlin Clark's salary

No. 1 draft pick caitlin clark will make less than some nba mascots. but this isn't new.

Social Sharing

She's the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer in both men's and women's basketball. She helped attract record-breaking March Madness TV audiences .

Now, 22-year-old Caitlin Clark is the No. 1 draft pick with the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), heading to the Indiana Fever .

And her starting salary? $76,535 US, or just over $105,000 Cdn — less than what some NBA mascots reportedly earn .

Last year, the NBA's top pick, Victor Wembanyama, had a base salary of more than $12 million US.

<a href="https://t.co/hqF3Oq155B">https://t.co/hqF3Oq155B</a> <a href="https://t.co/Q5cmWaMz9c">pic.twitter.com/Q5cmWaMz9c</a> &mdash; @spotrac

People have flocked to social media to express their outrage ever since online sport contract tracker Spotrac reported Clark's salary Tuesday. Even U.S. President Joe Biden chimed in , posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, that "women are not paid their fair share."

But others point out that while the massive gender gap in professional sports salaries might be getting attention right now, it's been a long-standing problem.

"America, we have been talking about this for 20 years. Finally, you guys are woke," pro basketball player and two-time Olympic gold medallist Angel McCoughtry told CNN Wednesday.

• Uniform or costume? Athletes sound off on revealing U.S. women's Olympic track kit
• NCAA star Caitlin Clark headed to Indiana Fever as 1st overall pick of WNBA draft

The WNBA is a young league, with its first season in 1997, and doesn't have decades of contract negotiations behind it like the NBA does. It also has a  history of under-investment , and with less sway and worse outcomes in media rights deals .

On top of that, WNBA players get a much smaller share of the league's overall revenue than their NBA counterparts. Now, Clark's salary has become a symbol for all this inequity, firing people up online.

"My question is, 'Where the hell have you been?'" Allison Venditti, a human resources expert in Toronto and the founder of advocacy group  Moms at Work , told CBC News.

Caitlin Clark selected 1st overall in WNBA Draft by Indiana Fever

Not as simple as more revenue.

Part of the current outcry over Clark's salary is because it's a stark contrast to her visibility and name recognition, explained Michele Donnelly, an assistant professor in sport management at Brock University.

Clark has helped bring millions of fans: She was a big reason why a record 18.9 million viewers tuned in to the national championship game, which Iowa lost to unbeaten South Carolina.

But the challenge of talking about the salary gap is that so many people will just argue that women get paid less because their sports don't generate as much revenue, Donnelly said. 

However, the argument is simplistic, she said, as women's sports haven't been given the same opportunity as men's to earn that revenue.  

"It totally ignores the fact that in the early years of most of our current major professional leagues, they lost money. They had to invest in those years at a loss to get where we are now."

• Rising interest, reserves of talent open door to women's pro basketball in Canada
• Women's soccer took one small step toward equity this World Cup. But giant leaps remain

The two leagues have a big difference in earnings, driven in part by media deals and viewership.

The NBA's revenues  topped $10 billion US for the first time in 2022. It also  has two nine-year television deals worth a combined $24 billion US. Its next one, set to kick in around 2025, is expected to be worth significantly more.

The WNBA makes about $60 million US a year in broadcast deals, and its season is also half as long as the NBA's. And, though it does not publicly release its revenue numbers, Bloomberg has reported  it was projected to earn about $200 million US in 2023.

"We kind of hold women's sport to expect it to meet where men's professional sport is now. And have not allowed it that growth period," Donnelly said.

Meanwhile, WNBA players make around 9.3 per cent of the league's revenue, compared to NBA players' 50 per cent, due to a collective bargaining agreement made in 2020, according to Bloomberg. Though there's reason for that to change — the union has the option to opt out of the agreement for at the end of the 2025 season, which Bloomberg notes it's expected to do. 

Women in sports traditionally underpaid

While the average person might be outraged to learn what Clark is earning, it's not shocking for those who have followed the WNBA and other women's sports, as women have traditionally been underpaid, Donnelly said.

"Any of the professional leagues are certainly much lower salaries on the women's side than on the men's side," she told CBC News.

According to Spotrac, the average WNBA four-year salary for its top 2024 draft picks was $327,119 US, a fraction of the $36.5-million US average for the NBA.

The salaries are so low that many players supplement their incomes playing overseas during the off-season, an issue recently highlighted when WNBA player Brittney Griner was  detained  in Russia on drug-related charges that ended with a prisoner swap.

"As much as I would love to pay my light bill for the love of the game, I can't," she said last year in a press conference where she explained why she was playing in Russia in the first place.

Last year,  women's World Cup soccer players made about one-quarter of what the men's players made. And though both Canadian teams were knocked out early, the men's team received $9 million compared to $1.56 million for the women.

Why women earn less than men at the FIFA World Cup

And the new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL)  salary range  is $35,000 to $80,000. The average player salary in its inaugural season that started in January was $55,000 US. The starting NHL salary is $750,000 US, according to Sports Business Journal.

Yet, fans can't get enough of women's sports. This year, the  NCAA women's March Madness  tournament broke viewership records. The  PWHL's first game  drew in 2.9 million viewers. And more than four million people watched the Canadian women's soccer team defeat Sweden for  Olympic gold  in 2021.

"Women's sports have been viewed as 'the other' and 'secondary' for a long time. That is definitely changing," LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan recently told Sportsnet . 

Why do people care now?

The gender gap in sports salaries might be especially under the microscope right now, but Venditti points out it's true for most industries — and is worse for racialized women.

Along those lines, some social media users have accused the public of only now caring about WNBA salaries  because Clark is white , in a league that's about 70 per cent Black . Others have pointed out that  last year's No. 1 draft pick, Aliyah Boston, had a  lower starting salary : $74,305 US, according to Spotrac.

But Boston's salary didn't get the same public reaction.

"Why do white women have to be the face of the gender pay gap for people to care?" speaker and activist Ola Ojewumi  wrote on X. "We never address the pay gap between Black women and white women." 

Everyone is outraged that the WNBA’s 2024 number one draft pick, Caitlyn Clark, has a rookie contract that starts at $76,535.<br><br>Where was this discussion and all this outrage when these Black women, all number one draft picks in the 5 years preceding Clark, were paid even less?… <a href="https://t.co/zv2FYhIP84">pic.twitter.com/zv2FYhIP84</a> &mdash; @TalbertSwan

Some have also pointed out that Clark is rumoured to be getting an eight-figure endorsement deal with Nike, including a signature shoe.

Venditti says the good news is Clark's salary really has people making noise about the gender wage gap in the WNBA, but that it can't just be noise — there needs to be action.

"Here's a woman who's making headway, we have so many amazing WNBA players, in some cases better than the men," she said.

"What is it going to take to pay them?"

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Senior writer and editor

Natalie Stechyson is a senior writer and editor at CBC News. She's worked in newsrooms across the country, including the Globe and Mail, Postmedia News, Calgary Herald and Brunswick News. Before joining CBC News, she was the Parents editor at HuffPost Canada, where she won a silver Canadian Online Publishing Award.

With files from the Associated Press

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