1975 Salary Survey
Full analysis of employment breaks down like this Employment status
Chemical job market holds up but salaries falter again Annual ACS survey shows unemployment among chemists still quite low, but increased joblessness still may be in store Chemists have done considerably better than most other wage earners in hanging onto their jobs during the past year. However, from a salary point of view they have less to cheer about. For the second year in a row, salary increases have failed to keep pace with inflation. And in terms of constant dollars, chemists are being paid at about the same rate as they were during the late 1960's. These are some of the major findings of the latest annual survey by the American Chemical Society of the employment status and salaries of its members. It reveals that on March 1, 1975, 1.6% of those responding to the survey were unemployed and seeking jobs. This compares with a nationwide unemployment rate for all workers of almost 9%, and it is only slightly higher than the 1.4% unemployment rate among chemists revealed by the previous survey for March 1, 1974. The new survey also reveals that the weighted average salary of chemists working on March 1, 1975, was 7% higher than it was for those working one year earlier. This is a substantial increase but less than the 10% boost in the consumer price index during the year. These ACS surveys, which trace their beginnings back to 1941, are conducted by the ACS office of manpower studies. This office is part of the department of professional relations and manpower studies headed by Robert K. Neuman. The 1975 study was carried out under the auspices of the Subcommittee on Surveys of the Committee on Economic Status. The subcommittee is chaired by Dr. Alan L. McClelland of Du Pont; the committee by Dr. Madeleine M. Joullie of the University of Pennsylvania. Questionnaires for the 1975 survey were mailed the last week of February to a sampling of members in the U.S. Emeritus members, student members, 20
C&EN June 23, 1975
and those 65 years of age and older were excluded. The sample (covered 25% of eligible male members and 100% of eligible female members for a total of just over 25,000. Of the males polled, 53.9% returned the questionnaire as did 56.4% of the females. The overall return rate was 54.6%, representing almost 13,700 responses. The overall response rate in 1974 was 58%. The data presented in this article are based on a total of 10,991 returned questionnaires. This total includes essentially all of the male responses but only one quarter of the female responses. This adjustment is necessary to obtain the correct weighting of the total sample. (All of the responses from female members will be used for a separate and detailed analysis, which will be the subject of another C&EN article later this year.) Of those covered in this analysis, 60% work for industry, 22% are in education, 11.5% work for government, 4.6% for nonprofit organizations, and a little more than 1% are self-employed. As to work activity, 38% are in R&D; 23.5% manage something; 18% teach; and almost 12% are in marketing, production, and sales. The remaining 8.5% are in a range of jobs including forensic work, consulting, writing, and programing. By discipline they are fairly evenly distributed. Between 10 and 14% are in each of the analytical, organic, biochemical, and polymer categories. About 9.5% are chemical engineers, and 5.5% are physical chemists. The remaining 30% are in a variety of fields, including agricultural and food chemistry, environmental chemistry, information sciences, and computer work. The full breakdown of the unemployment status of members as of March 1, 1975, well illustrates the impossibility of coming up with a single figure that accurately represents the overall situation. For instance, only 1.6% were actually unemployed and seeking jobs. However, there was a considerable number of other members in unsatisfactory employment situations. For instance, 0.7% were employed part-time but seeking full-time employment. Another 0.1% were retired but still seeking full-time employment. And 2.2% were in full-time jobs but at subprofessional levels. However, about 30% of these were earning more than the average chemist and may not have
Per cent
Full-time—professional —subprofessional Part-time-—seeking full-time —not seeking full-time Postdoctoral and fellowships Unemployed—seeking employment —not seeking employment Retired—seeking full-time —seeking part-time —not seeking employment
91.0% 2.2 0.7 0.6 2.0 1.6 0.5 0.1 0.3 0.9
Source: ACS survey
Chemists in fifties have high jobless rate % m category
Under 25 25-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-65 No response
1.1% 9.3 16.9 14.1 12.3 13.2 12.9 15.5 4.8
unemployed
6.0% 1.8 1.5 . LI 1.8 2.2 2.0 1.1 0.6
Source: ACS survey
Teachers, civil servants least likely to be jobless % in category
MOST RECENT EMPLOYER Industry 60.2% Education 22.0 Government 11.5 Nonprofit 4.6 Self-employed 1.2 Other 0.2 No response 0.3 MOST RECENT WORK ACTIVITY R&D 38.1% Management 23.5 Teaching 17.9 Marketing, production 11.9 Other* 8.5
% unemployed
1.8% 1.0 0.6 2.9 3.9 9.1 13.0 1.7% 1.2 0.7 2.7 2.5
MOST RECENT SPECIALTY Analytical Organic Biochemistry Polymer Chemical engineering Physical Inorganic Otherb and no report
14.1% 13.3 13.2 10.3 9.5 5.5 3.9 30.2
1.6% 1.4 1.9 1.8 1.2 1.3 1.8 1.6
a Includes forensic analysis, other analysis, consulting, writing, programing, b Includes agricultural and food chemistry, general chemistry, environmental chemistry, information science, computer work. Source: ACS survey
Chemists' salaries have risen steadily over the years in current dollar terms.
... but in constant dollar terms they have been sagging for two years
Current dollars
Constant 1967 dollars 24
24
mamm
Î^éW^^Mï'éîM
;
WÈÊÊÈÊM
22
22
20
20
18
16
16
Ph.D.
Ph.D.
141 M.S.
M.S.
12 B.S.
t
B.S.
10
0' 1960 61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
Source: ACS survey
1960 61
62
63 64
65
66
67 68
69
70
71
72 73
74 75
Management is best paying job for chemists; women still trail badly in all categories B.S.
M.S.
Ph.D.
All c:hemists
Men
Women
Women's as% of m e n ' s
$19.4 11.9 19.1 14.0 22.5
$20.0 12.7 19.8 15.0 25.0
$14.8 9.3 16.7 12.0 na
74% 73 84 80 na
$20.8 14.1 20.1 15.5 22.7
$21.0 15.0 20.6 17.5 22.5
$15.9 12.3 18.6 13.0 na
76% 82 90 74 na
$25.3 18.0 24.7 21.9 25.5
$25.5 18.0 24.6 22.9 26.0
$20.9 15.0 24.9 17.5 na
82% 83 101 76 na
R&D Management Teaching Marketing, production Otherb BY SPECIALTY
$17.8 24.0 10.7 18.5
$18.0 24.0 12.0 18.7
$15.0 18.0 9.4 12.0
83% 75 78 64
$19.2 25.7 14.5 19.9
$19.9 26.0 15.0 20.0
$14.2 17.0 12.8 na
71% 65 85 na
$23.0 30.0 17.8 24.0
$23.3 30.0 18.0 24.0
$19.1 24.4 15.0 na
82% 81 83 na
15.5
16.9
14.0
18.4
18.6
17.2
21.5
21.9
17.8
Analytical Organic Biochemistry Polymer Physical Inorganic Other0
$17.6 20.0 15.6 20.7 17.0 17.8 20.0
$18.0 20.1 16.5 21.0 16.3 18.8 20.0
$14.0 14.8 13.0 14.5 na na 14.2
$18.9 19.9 18.5 21.4 24.0 19.5 19.3
$19.1. 20.0 20.0 21.6 24.2 19.7 20.0
$14.0 14.1 13.6 na na na 15.0
$21.6 22.0 22.8 25.1 22.0 19.1 24.0
$21.9 22.0 23.5 25.3 22.0 19.8 24.0
$15.7 17.2 18.9 na 17.0 15.0 17.0
$ Thousandsa
BY EMPLOYER Industry Education Government Nonprofit Self-employed
All chemists
Men
Women
Women's as% of m e n ' s
All chemists
Men
Women
Women's as% of m e n ' s
BY WORK ACTIVITY
83 78% 74 79 69 na na 71
92 73% 71 68 na na na 75
81 72% 78 80 na 77 76 71
a M e d i a n a n n u a l s a l a r y in t h o u s a n d s of d o l l a r s , b I n c l u d e s f o r e n s i c a n a l y s i s , o t h e r a n a l y s i s , c o n s u l t i n g , w r i t i n g , p r o g r a m i n g , c I n c l u d e s a g r i c u l t u r a l a n d f o o d c h e m i s t r y , g e n e r a l c h e m i s t r y , e n v i r o n m e n t a l c h e m i s t r y , i n f o r m a t i o n s c i e n c e , c o m p u t e r w o r k , na = n o t a v a i l a b l e . S o u r c e : ACS s u r v e y
^•îirmiiTJiil.HtMiÎEaîÎl^kbM • ιιΓ#ν/ίΙ.ΜΗ«ΒΗΓΓ?1Π3πΐι1ιιΜΗ»ΪΤ?3ιπ^Μ
Employment statistics for chemists have changed little in past y e a r . . . Employment status1
1971
1972
1973
1974
1972 1975
Full-time employment 90.5% 90.3% 91.8% 94.1% 92.8% unemployed 2.9 3.2 1.8 1.4 1.6 Temporary or part-time 2.4 1.5 1.3 1.0 1.3 employment Subprofessionally em2.6 2.9 2.1 1.0 2.2 ployed ostdoctoral or fellow1.6 2.1 3.0 2.5 2.0
I
ships Data b a s e d on s a m p l e s t h a t exclude retired m e m b e r s .
Pacific Mountain West North Central West South Central East North Central East South Central Middle Atlantic South Atlantic New England
4.6% 1.9 2.6 2.2 2.5 2.1 3.5 2.7 3Ά
1973
1974
1975
2.5% 1.6 0.9 1.5 1.3 3.0 1.7 1.5 2.0
1.7% 1.1 0.8 1.0 1.3 1.2 1.6 1.0 1.5
2.3% 1.4 0.9 1.5 1.2 1.5 1.8 1.4 3.0
S o u r c e : ACS survey
June 23, 1975 C&EN
21
$ Thousands per year
1973
1974
% change 1973-74 1974-75
1975
CHEMISTS' MEDIAN SALARIES Ph.D.
20.5
4.2% 21.7
5.9 5.2%
23.0
$ Thousands per year
1973
1974
% change 1973-74 1974-75
1975
CHEMICAL ENGINEERS' MEDIAN SALARIES B.S. $20.2 $21.3 $24.0 M.S. 22.0 22.4 25.0 Ph.D. 23.1 24.8 26.0
8.6% 7.6 6.0 7.1%
5.4% 1.8
12.7% 11.6
4."9%
10.Ό%
Source: ACS survey
been seeking chemical jobs. But this still leaves about 1.5% very likely in unsatisfactory jobs. Hence, the total of those either unemployed or in unsatis factory jobs comes out to 3.9%—and this total excludes any of the 2.0% in postdoctoral and fellowship positions who might prefer to be working in in dustry or government or teaching. In order to obtain employment sta tus data that are strictly comparable from year to year, C&EN has been re casting the office of manpower studies figures by excluding retired members from the samples. This is done because the office has handled retirees in a number of different ways as its analy ses have become increasingly sophisti cated over the years. When this adjustment is made, the data for 1975 come out like this: 92.8% in full-time employment and 2.0% in postdoctoral or fellowship positions. And those either definitely or likely in unsatisfactory job situations total 5.1%—1.6% unemployed, 1.3% in parttime jobs, and 2.2% in subprofessional jobs. This 5.1% total compares with 3.4% last year, and 5.2% in 1973. Dur
ing the worst of the previous economic weakness, it was at 7.9% in 1971 and 7.6% in 1972. This relative stability in the chemi cal job market—especially in terms of the modest increase in those actually without jobs—is in sharp contrast to what has been happening during the past year in much of the rest of the economy. For example, according to Department of Labor statistics, overall unemployment stood at 8.7% this March, up from 5.1% in March 1974. For blue-collar workers it was 12.5% this March, up from 6.0% one year ear lier, and for those in the manufactur ing industries it was 11.6%, up from 5.4%. There are now many signs that un employment, which for much of this current recession had been confined largely to blue-collar workers, is begin ning to hit home quite hard among white-collar ranks. For instance, the overall white-collar unemployment rate in March was 4.6%, ' up from 2.9% in March 1974. And for professional and technical workers it was up to 2.9% from 2.0% one year earlier.
Pay varies quite widely with employer, job, and specialty MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARIES B.S. M.S. Ph.D.
$ Thousands
BY EMPLOYER
Government Nonprofit Self-employed DV \A/r\DI/
$20.8 14.1 20.1 15.5 22.7
$25.3 18.0 24.7 21.9 25.5
$17.8
$19.2
$23.0
15.6 20.7 17.0 17.8
18.5 21.4 24.0 19.5
22.8 25.1 22.0 19.1
$19.4 11.9 19.1 14.0 22.5
ΛΛΤΙ\/ΙΤν
iD
BY SPECIALTY
mistry r
Source: ACS survey
Industrial chemists are a little better paid than are other chemists at all experience levels Chemists' median annual salaries ($ thousands) 1 Indus trial
LOWER 10% Bachelors Masters Doctors
All
5-9
2:-4
Years of Percentile (rank)
$ 8.4 $ 8.7 8.5 10.0 10.5 16.5
All
Indus trial
$ 9.0 $ 9.9 9.6 11.0 12.2 16.8
All
10--14
Indus trial
$11.5 $12.2 11.7 13.6 13.2 18.7
All
Indus trial
$13.3 $13.8 12.4 15.3 15.0 20.4
15--19 All
Indus trial
$15.0 $15.5 15.0 17.0 17.0 21.4
20--24 All
Indus trial
$15.3 $16.0 15.0 17.5 19.0 22.0
25--29 All
Indus trial
$15.3 $15.7 15.0 17.0 19.0 21.5
30-34 All
Indus trial
$15.5 $15.4 14.1 15.0 18.8 22.0
LOWER 25% Bachelors Masters Doctors
9.2 10.0 12.6
9.6 11.9 17.0
10.5 11.2 14.4
10.9 12.6 18.0
13.2 14.0 15.5
13.8 15.0 20.4
15.0 15.3 18.0
15.1 17.0 23.3
17.4 18.0 20.0
17.5 19.2 24.0
18.0 18.3 23.4
18.2 19.5 25.3
18.6 18.8 22.7
19.0 20.1 25.6
18.6 19.5 23.2
18.8 21.0 25.8
MEDIAN Bachelors Masters Doctors
10.5 12.0 17.0
10.5 13.0 18.0
11.8 13.2 18.0
12.0 14.2 19.1
15.1 16.2 20.0
15.4 17.0 22.8
17.3 18.2 22.9
17.6 19.5 26.0
20.0 21.2 25.0
20.0 22.0 27.1
21.6 22.0 27.7
22.0 23.0 29.5
22.0 24.0 28.0
22.0 25.0 30.0
23.0 24.0 28.5
23.0 25.0 30.0
Bachelors Masters Doctors
11.3 13.8 18.5
11.5 14.0 19.1
13.2 15.3 19.7
13.5 15.8 20.5
17.3 18.6 23.4
17.6 19.2 25.0
20.0 21.0 26.8
20.0 22.1 29.5
22.9 25.0 30.0
23.0 26.1 31.6
25.0 26.6 32.8
25.2 27.5 33.5
27.0 28.5 35.0
27.5 29.7 38.5
28.0 30.0 35.0
28.0 33.0 36.9
UPPER 10% Bachelors Masters Doctors
13.0 15.0 20.0
13.0 16.0 20.2
15.0 16.7 21.1
14.8 17.1 22.5
19.4 21.0 26.0
19.7 22.0 27.7
23.0 24.5 30.4
23.0 25.0 33.4
26.0 30.0 34.6
26.0 32.0 37.0
28.9 31.0 37.5
29.2 32.0 40.5
33.7 34.0 42.0
34.5 35.0 46.0
35.0 38.5 41.0
35.8 40.0 47.8
UPPER 25%
Source: ACS survey
22
C&EN June 23, 1975
It is certain that March did not mark a low point in the employment situation for white-collar workers. Indeed, their overall unemployment rate was up to 5.4% by May, from the 4.6% March level. And the May level for professional and technical personnel was 3.6%—up sharply from the 2.9% two months earlier. Hence, it seems very likely that the March data brought out by this latest ACS study will not mark the lowest point in the employment market for chemists during this current recession; the low point likely will not come until later this year. The detailed analysis of unemployment among chemists reveals that the rate does not vary greatly with age, although there are indications that those between 46 and 55 are slightly more likely to be jobless. This differential also was apparent in the 1974 survey. By area of the country, chemists are more likely to be jobless in New England and on the Pacific Coast than they are elsewhere. These two areas had high unemployment rates in the previous recession. Unemployment among chemists varies very little with academic specialty. But it does vary by one's most recent employer. It is apparent that those working for government are least likely to be jobless, whereas unemployment of those depending on nonprofit organizations and industry is on the rise. By work activity, teaching appears to be the safest job, and marketing, production, and sales are the shakiest. Joblessness continues to be higher for women chemists—2.7% this March
35-39 All
Industrial
$17.0 $17.0 16.8 18.4 19.9 24.4
40+ All
Overall
Industrial
$16.4 $16.0 15.0 14.0 20.0 na
All
Industrial
$11.7 $12.4 12.4 14.0 14.5 18.8
20.0 20.0 24.9
20.0 20.8 26.8
20.0 17.0 23.4
18.0 21.0 na
15.0 15.3 18.0
15.4 17.0 21.4
24.4 23.6 30.3
24.0 25.0 33.0
25.0 22.4 27.0
24.0 22.0 na
19.0 19.8 23.0
19.4 20.8 25.3
30.0 29.5
30.0 30.0
35.0 27.3
29.0 27.3
23.5 25.0
24.0 25.8
36.1
42.0
32.7
na
28.2
30.0
36.6 35.0 45.0
36.0 38.0 50.0
40.0 32.8 42.0
40.0 32.8 na
29.0 30.1 35.0
30.0 32.0 37.0
East Coast chemists have slight salary edge W E S T N O R T H CENTRAL (6.3%) | (5.4%) B.S. $16.0 (5.2%) M.S. 17.0 (7.2%) 20.2 Ph.D.
EAST N O R T H CENTRAL (22.6% ) (23.5%) $18.7 B.S. (24.9%) 20.0 M.S. (21.4%) 23.1 Ph.D.
NEW ENGLAND B.S. $19.0 M.S. 19.3 Ph.D. 22.2
(7.3%) (7.1%) (7.8%) (7.2%)
MIDDLE ATLANTIC (21.8%) B.S. $19.0 (22.7%) M.S. 20.0 (22.9%>, Ph,D. 24.5 (20.9%) MOUNTAIN (3.4% B.S. $ 1 7 . 1 , {3*5% ) M.S. / 17.8 (2.9%) Ph.D. 21.1 / (3.5%)
SOUTH ATLANTIC (17.3%) B.S. $20.0 (15.3%) M.S. 20.0 (15.8%) Ph.D. 23.0 (18.8%)
PACIFIC (10.7%) B.S. $18.1 (11.1%) M.S. 18.6 (10.2%) Ph.D. 23.0 (10.6%) W E S T S O U T H CENTRAL (6.9% ) | B.S. (7.7%) $19.4 M.S. (6.5%) 18.6 (6.7%) Ph.D. 21.6
EAST SOUTH CENTRAL (3.8% ) | B.S. (3.7%) $18.2 M.S. (3.8%) 18.0 Ph.D. (3.8%) 19.3
How to read: Using New England as an example, 7.3% of the responding chemists work i all B.S. chemists work there and their median salary in 1975 is $19,000.
this U.S. census area; 7.1% of
Note: All salaries in thousands of dollars. Source: ACS survey
compared with 1.5% for their male colleagues. In March 1974 these rates were 3.5% and 1.2%, respectively. From the point of view of salaries, B.S. chemists came closer than their M.S. and Ph.D. colleagues last year in keeping up with inflation. For those at the B.S. level, the gain in median salary over the previous year was 8.6%—from $17,500 to $19,000. For M.S.'s it was 7.6%—from $18,400 to $19,800. And for Ph.D. chemists it was 6.0%—from $21,700 to $23,000. The weighted average gain for all chemists was 7.1%. Chemical engineers covered by the survey did a little better. They posted gains of 10.0% with median B.S. salaries moving up to $24,000, M.S. salaries to $25,000, and Ph.D. salaries to $26,000. The 7.1% salary gain for chemists was better than the 5.2% boost they posted in 1974. But salary boosts in the 1974 period were hampered by government controls on wages and prices. There was no such barrier to raises in the latest period. Between March 1974 and March 1975, the weekly wages of production workers in manufacturing industries rose 6.9%—from $170.45 to $182.28. For production workers in the chemicals and allied products industry the gain was 7.0%—from $195.21 to $208.87. Over these same 12 months, the consumer price index for all items rose 10.2%. This surge reduced the real earnings of practically all groups. According to government figures, for example, the average earnings of workers
fell, in constant 1967 dollar terms, from $105.08 in March 1974 to $100.73 in March 1975—a drop of 4%. And the average spendable earnings dropped almost 5%, also in constant dollar terms. In constant dollar terms, salaries for chemists peaked in 1973. Since then they have fallen about 7% for those at the B.S. level, 8% at the M.S. level, and also 8% for Ph.D.'s. This downward break follows a long period of steady growth. For instance, over the 11-year period from 1962 to 1973, B.S. chemist salaries rose 27% in constant dollar terms. In the same period M.S. chemists posted a 19% constant dollar gain, and Ph.D. salaries moved up 17%. As to the detailed analysis of chemists' salaries; those who are self-employed are apparently the best paid —but they represent not much more than 1% of all chemists. Of larger groupings, those in industry are the best paid followed very closely by those in government. Those in education are relatively poorly paid. By work activity, management, not surprisingly, pays the best. And by academic specialty, there are no major differences, except for inorganic chemists, who appear to be poorly paid. The major salary differential that is brought out by the latest survey, as it has been by earlier surveys, is the difference between men and women chemists. Women are still paid less than men, essentially without exception, at all work activities, at all degree levels, for all academic specialties, and by all employer groupings. D June 23, 1975 C&EN
23
