Discover your next big idea in food packaging & processing this Sept.
Experience a breakthrough in food packaging & processing—explore solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries at PACK EXPO Las Vegas.
REGISTER TODAY & SAVE

Higher pay, heavier workload

Our second exclusive salary survey finds most readers satisfied with their pay. However, concerns exist about advancement potential and the lack of time to plan strategies or satisfactorily train personnel.

Chart A
Chart A

“Soaring demands, shrinking resources” would be as apropos a headline for Packaging World’s second exclusive salary and job satisfaction survey as it was for our first survey published in late 1997 (see PW, Sept. ’97, p. 52 or packworld.com/go/salsur).

In the two-year period between the surveys, packagers reported mean annual salaries climbing to $62꽤 from $55걄 in ’97. Packagers are earning that pay by meeting ever-growing daily challenges. The pay increase isn’t surprising given the combination of two additional years of experience and a sizzling national economy.

In 1999, nearly two-thirds of respondents earned $55ꯠ/yr or more. That compares favorably to fewer than half of respondents who did so in ’97. While salaries have risen, the level of annual increase slipped ever so slightly to 4.2%, from 4.3% in ’97. That indicates that not all of the comparative figures favor the ’99 results.

On the contrary, more respondents experienced packaging-related staff or budget cuts in ’99 than in ’97. At the same time, only 15.7% of respondents to the most recent survey said they were promoted to a new job. That’s down from the 20.1% figure given in ’97. For a capsule comparison of survey results, see (Chart A). Other notable differences between the surveys were:

• Male respondents rose to 88.6%, up from 75.4% in ’97. Conversely, females accounted for a mere 11.4% of this survey’s respondents, down from 24.6%.

• More responses came from production supervisors/managers, plant managers and engineers. Fewer responses came from purchasing agents and directors of packaging than in ’97.

• Packagers reported greater satisfaction with their salaries this time than in ’97, and less dissatisfaction with advancement potential, though that job aspect fared poorly in this survey as well.

• Overall job satisfaction declined slightly, with more respondents feeling neutral about the topic than in ’97, while fewer were very satisfied with their current position this time around.

• Geographically, the latest survey saw responses increase significantly from packagers located in the Midwest, while decreasing responses were received from the Northeast and Southwest.

• Responses increased from packagers working at locations that package chemicals, while the opposite happened among those packaging pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Current results

The mean annual salary for respondents to the 1999 survey was $62꽤 (Chart B). One in four (25.1%) indicated yearly earnings ranged between $55ꯠ and $69ꯠ, while 24.4% made $40ꯠ to $54ꯠ. Another 20.8% received $70ꯠ to $84ꯠ. Next was our highest category, those earning $85ꯠ or more, with a 16.9% response. Fewer than 13% of respondents earned less than $30ꯠ.

The mean salary increase during the past 12 months was 4.2% (Chart C). More than four in 10 respondents revealed that their salary increase in the past 12 months ranged from 3% to 4.9%. Another 19.2% reported their increase between 5% and 7.9%, while 18.6% saw an increase less than 3%. Another 3.9% reported no pay hike in the past 12 months.

The 1999 survey was mailed to 2ꯠ readers late last summer. We received 307 responses, for a 15% return rate.

‘Firefighting’

In general, respondents were satisfied with their salary levels. However, they voiced many concerns. A plant manager for a Midwest food/beverage manufacturer, for example, explained that because the company is “understaffed, it requires me to spend too much time on functions that I would generally delegate to others. That does not allow...time to improve operations and plan for future growth.”

Putting out “daily fires and [working on] validation requirements [limits] long-term operation planning and development,” added a manager of industrial engineering for a Northeast pharmaceutical firm. A packaging engineer at a food/beverage operation in the Mountain states lamented there’s “not enough time to get out and see and [price] equipment to improve systems and lessen labor hours.”

Nearly six in 10 respondents worked in food or beverage operations (Chart D). Locations packaging chemical products were the next most frequently mentioned, followed by pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and medical products. Slightly more than one in 10 worked for companies that made other products or services.

The most prevalent title among survey respondents, at 26.1%, was packaging, production or project engineer (Chart E). Production supervisor or manager was cited by 15.2% of our respondents, followed by plant manager, purchasing agent, packaging research and development, packaging department manager and director of packaging.

Nearly half of all respondents worked for companies employing at least 1ꯠ people worldwide. Companies employing 250 to 1ꯠ accounted for 25.3% of respondents, while 25% worked for companies with fewer than 250 people on the payroll.

Satisfying salaries

Food safety excellence on a budget: The smart approach
When material costs rise and margins shrink, efficient cleaning becomes critical. Learn cost-effective sanitation strategies that enhance food safety while reducing resource consumption.
Read More
Food safety excellence on a budget: The smart approach
Dairy Food & Beverage Innovations Report
Discover cutting-edge packaging and processing solutions in the inaugural Packaging World/ProFood World Innovations Report. From high-speed filling machines to mono-material lids, see how the latest advancements from PACK EXPO International 2024 are driving safety, sustainability, and extended shelf life—shaping the future of dairy food and beverage packaging.
Access Now
Dairy Food & Beverage Innovations Report