The average job applicant says they won’t accept a role paying less than about $80,000 a year

• The reservation wage is the lowest salary at which a job applicant will accept a new role.
• A recent survey found that the average reservation wage has risen to nearly $80,000.
• That’s a record high — and shows that while the job market has slowed, workers may still have the upper hand.

Hiring managers beware: It may cost more than ever to get a candidate to accept a position.

Even though the labor market has slowed, the lowest salary the average US worker says they’d need to accept a new job has reached record highs, according to New York Fed’s SCE Labor Market Survey.