Signing bonuses: Do you need to show them the money right away?

Do you offer signing bonuses to new hires? A new survey may give you an idea of whether you need to in order to remain competitive.

According to the survey, by compensation consultancy Culpepper & Associates, these bonuses dominate the market for executive, technical and scientific employees, and are common for sales and marketing, finance and HR.

Here are Culpepper’s figures, gleaned from 85 organizations ranging from 10,000 employees:

• Technical/scientific/engineering: 91% of employers offered the bonuses
• Executive: 86%
• Sales and marketing: 69%
• Finance, HR, admin: 62%
• Customer support and service: 22%
• Manufacturing and production: 18%

If you’re hiring a software developer or a skilled wireless communication technician, you’ll almost certainly have to pay to play, Culpepper says.