A comprehensive salary survey for mechanical, electrical and plumbing professionals showed that an average MEP pro earned $52,000. MEP Jobs, an industry job board and resume bank, released the results of the survey this week. It represents the answers of more than 2,000 participants throughout North America.

The study found that engineering and management positions brought in the top salaries. In particular:    

• mechanical engineer ($72,000)
• plumbing project manager ($73,400)
• electrical construction superintendent ($66,560)
• HVAC project manager ($65,750)

Despite a decrease in the residential housing market, 60 percent of employers indicated that they plan to increase staffing levels during the coming year.

"Thousands of mechanical, electrical and plumbing job seekers visit our website each month looking for employment opportunities," noted John von Harz, president of MEP Jobs, in the study’s release. "Reliable information about wages throughout the industry is extremely useful. Both job seekers and employers have asked for this type of title-specific wage information."

The full salary survey is available for download at http://www.mepjobs.com/salary2008. MEP Jobs is also providing an interactive salary survey tool that allows users to enter job title and location to see the range of wages reported.