"You're not expected to have an answer for that," says Mr Hallock. "What you are is you are a dupe."

“没人指望你得出什么答案，”哈洛克说，“你就是一个被哄骗的人。”

youdao

Ultimately, says Mr. Hallock, compensation is an inexact science, determined by labor-market conditions, company budgets and individual employees' performance and turnover risk.

WSJ: Workers Share Their Salary Secrets

While some of this information such as salaries of certain state employees has long been a matter of public record, the Internet has made it far more accessible, too, says Mr. Hallock.

WSJ: Workers Share Their Salary Secrets