ARE you happy in your job? Fulfilled? Getting the right rewards for your experience, time and effort? The first two questions are easy to answer. The third has a knee-jerk reply: 鈥淣o鈥�. After all, everyone can do with a bit more. But beyond that automatic answer, how are you really doing? Here is your chance to compare your earnings and prospects with those of colleagues and competitors.
In September 2013, 快猫短视频, in association with specialist recruitment business SRG, asked visitors to three websites 鈥� , 快猫短视频 Careers and 鈥� about their employment and pay. It is the fourth such survey we have conducted, allowing us to compare the findings with those from 2006, 2007 and 2012.
We heard from people across the UK, Europe and North America. All 5040 respondents describe themselves as scientists, engineers or lecturers. More than 90 per cent work full time. It鈥檚 a highly qualified group 鈥� 35 per cent of UK-based respondents hold PhDs, while in North America and Europe the figure is 61 per cent.
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But qualifications are no guarantee of success in today鈥檚 economy. Perhaps the bleakest finding of our survey is a drop in average salary across all respondents. The difference was most stark in the UK. Until this year, salaries have risen, albeit slowly, in every consecutive survey we have conducted. This year, however, average salary is just 拢32,960 鈥� an 8 per cent drop on 2012, which is especially bad news when you consider rising living costs. In North America, the fall was less severe, from $73,910 in 2012 to $72,470 in 2013.
聯32,960 average base salary of professional scientists and engineers working in the UK聰
The decline could not be accounted for by our respondents鈥� age, gender, experience or the sectors they are working in. The most likely reason is austerity drives introduced by governments since the economic turmoil of 2008. 鈥淚t does show the recession and global economy is hitting science and pharma too,鈥� says Kelly Morton, managing director of SRG. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 come as a surprise.鈥�
Equally unsurprised is Sue Ferns at the union , which represents scientists, engineers, managers and specialists in the UK. 鈥淎cross the economy we have seen a squeezing down of wage rates,鈥� she says. 鈥淲ages still haven鈥檛 recovered to their 2008 level, even though we鈥檙e five years on.鈥�
Those in the rest of Europe and in North America haven鈥檛 fared as badly because they have not been as strongly affected by government spending cuts. 鈥淚n the UK, we鈥檝e had a more severe austerity programme,鈥� says Ferns. 鈥淚n some European countries and in North America, there鈥檚 been clear political priority given to scientific R&D, and I don鈥檛 think we鈥檝e seen that in the UK.鈥�
The UK has also seen a major shift in those who feel their jobs are not secure. 鈥淚n the past, people working in the private sector would be more fearful of their job security,鈥� says Ferns. Now, many of the big cuts to wages and staffing are in the public sector. 鈥淭he feeling of insecurity is particularly marked in the public sector at the moment,鈥� she says.
Some of the fall in UK salaries may be made up by bonuses. The number of employees eligible for such schemes has been climbing over the years 鈥� it now stands at 46 per cent, up from 35 per cent in 2008.
聯The number of employees eligible for bonuses has been climbing over the years, and now stands at 46 per cent聰
Employers may favour bonuses because they are easier to modify than salaries, especially if a company takes a hit. 鈥淲hat some employers are doing is giving bonuses instead of giving regular wage rises,鈥� says Ferns. 鈥淭hey can decide what they can afford in any given year. If things are worse in the following year, they have flexibility.鈥�
However, this isn鈥檛 true around the world. In North America, the percentage of those eligible for a bonus is smaller than last year 鈥� down from 39 per cent to 36 per cent. Many of the differences are likely to be down to the success of the sectors in question.
Despite all this gloom, some sectors are showing signs of recovery. 鈥淭he energy sector is doing pretty well,鈥� says Ferns. Indeed, the recovery in output of the oil and gas industry is thought to have helped the UK economy avoid a triple-dip recession. Salaries for those in the industry soared from an average 拢64,000 to 拢74,000 over the last year alone.
The top earners in the UK are 鈥� unsurprisingly 鈥� the senior managers and directors in the pharmaceuticals, chemicals and engineering industries, earning 拢68,575 on average. Although senior lecturers are not doing badly, they are still some way behind, with an average 拢46,985. Those working in chemistry are the lowest earners of our UK cohort, with an average salary of 拢29,000.
In North America, the highest earners also tend to be in industry, although government and agency positions were also found to offer above-average pay. Lecturers, postdocs and university research assistants received the lowest pay. University professors in North America earn above-average salaries of around $91,000 鈥� significantly more than lecturers, on $53,300.
Our survey also revealed a chasm between the salaries of men and women, which grows with experience. Of those with less than three years鈥� experience, women can expect to earn around 拢1300 per annum less than men in the UK. At the other end of the career spectrum, men with more than 20 years鈥� experience earn almost 拢9500 more than their similarly qualified female counterparts.
In North America, this gulf is much wider, from a difference of $5200 between men and women with less than three years鈥� experience to a whopping $17,400 difference between those with more than 20 years of relevant work behind them.
聯$17,400 The annual pay gap in north america between men and women with more than 20 years of similar experience聰
One of the causes 鈥� even today 鈥� is discrimination. This often subconscious bias was highlighted by Jo Handelsman at Yale University, who sent research groups fictional job applications from 鈥淛ohn鈥� and 鈥淛ennifer鈥� 鈥� candidates with identical qualifications. She found that 鈥淛ohn鈥� was rated as more competent and offered a higher salary than 鈥淛ennifer鈥�.
鈥淭he higher levels of science organisations are dominated by men,鈥� says Ferns. 鈥淭hat sets up a cultural norm or expectation that men will do a better job.鈥� At the same time, men tend to be better at arguing and bargaining their way to a better salary.
, an economist at Harvard University, thinks there may be another explanation. 鈥淲e can say there is outright prejudice and discrimination, but I think there is a lot less than people claim,鈥� she says. 鈥淕enerally, women are paid less than men because they have less job-market experience, they work fewer hours and they haven鈥檛 been promoted to as high a position.鈥�
The underlying reason is obvious 鈥� women tend to take time off to have children. When they return, . 鈥淲e have lots of good evidence for many occupations in which we can see women who have taken no leave, and have no kids, and they make approximately the same as men,鈥� says Goldin.
That might be why many women feel uncomfortable taking full advantage of their maternity leave. In the UK, pregnant employees 鈥� barring those in the police and armed forces 鈥� are entitled to . Not all of this is paid, though. Those on leave will receive 90 per cent of their average earnings for the first six weeks, and 拢136.78 or average weekly earnings (whichever is less) for the next 33 weeks. Employers may offer more.
聯1 in 5 pregnant women in the UK feel uncomfortable taking their full entitlement of maternity leave, because of the culture of their organisation聰
Things are a little different across the pond. The US is one of only eight countries around the world that . allows new parents 12 weeks off work, but unpaid. Not all employees are eligible, and the .
聯The US is one of only eight countries around the world that doesn鈥檛 offer paid maternity leave as standard聰
Nearly one-fifth of women with children who responded to our survey in the UK told us they felt uncomfortable taking their full entitlement of maternity leave, because of the culture of their organisation. This figure was even higher in the US 鈥� more than a quarter of female respondents with children felt uncomfortable taking their 12-week entitlement.
As well as asking about pay rates, we also wanted to know how people felt about their jobs. Not that great, it turns out. A mere 4 per cent in the UK rate their employer as 鈥渆xcellent鈥�, while 15 per cent think their employer is 鈥減oor鈥�. In North America, 7 per cent of respondents see their employer as 鈥渆xcellent鈥�, but twice as many think they are 鈥減oor鈥�.
Perhaps unsurprisingly for a group of scientists and engineers, the most important aspect of their jobs is how challenging and interesting it is. Salary came second, while few were bothered about their employers鈥� green credentials.
One thing employees do seem to yearn for is pay for working overtime and performance-related bonuses. Be careful what you wish for, says Ferns. Performance-related bonuses may sound like a golden opportunity to pull in some extra cash, but in truth, many are far from transparent and end up rewarding specific behaviours rather than measurable outcomes. Bonuses can also encourage cheating, and may not have the effect of improving overall performance of employees.
The biggest complaint? Our respondents are unhappy about their job prospects. More than half of respondents in the UK and Europe and 48 per cent of those in North America, say their job prospects with their existing employer look 鈥減oor鈥�. That might explain why 32 per cent of North American respondents, 37 per cent of those in the UK and 38 per cent of those in Europe say they expect to stay with their employer for less than a year.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a big onus on people to find their own career pathways,鈥� says Ferns. 鈥淚f people want to get on, they need to think beyond the boundaries of the organisation or the sector that they are working in at the moment.鈥� That means thinking about the transferable skills you have picked up in your present role, and how you might be able to apply them elsewhere. It鈥檚 now up to individuals to ensure they are on a rewarding career path, and to brighten their own prospects.
To read more from 快猫短视频鈥檚 2014 Careers Guide, or .