A new salary survey from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) finds that disparities in salary within the chemical engineering profession are driven by variables including work experience, geographic location, and amount of time taken off for personal reasons, rather than gender. Overall survey results show chemical engineers continue to earn considerably more than the average U.S. worker.
The biennial AIChE Salary and Employment Survey examined multiple factors for their impact on chemical engineers’ paychecks, including age, education, job function, industry and gender. The results of the survey show chemical engineers are earning family-sustaining incomes, as the median salary of survey respondents was $127,000 — a 5.8 percent increase over the median of $120,000 reported in 2013.
For the second time since the survey has been conducted, AIChE accounted for time taken off for family reasons. Women are more likely to take off work for family or personal reasons than men — nearly one in five women vs. one in 50 men. In the 2013 survey, which first examined time taken off for family/personal reasons, the results revealed each increment of time taken off was associated with an average salary reduction of $4,500, regardless of gender.
According to the 2015 survey results, the difference in salaries between men and women who take time off is not significant, if the same amount of time is taken. A regression analysis shows each month out of the workforce reduces future earnings by $232/month for the remainder of the individual’s career.
“This is the second survey where we’re finding that family leave and work experience are the driving factors in compensation, rather than gender,” said June Wispelwey, AIChE executive director. “As we continue to examine such factors in future surveys, we hope the insights we gain will further help us better understand how these and other factors together impact salaries.”
The survey, published in the June issue of Chemical Engineering Progress (CEP), the Institute's flagship magazine, was based on the results from 2,633 AIChE members. The distribution of survey respondents by employment type, gender distribution, and job function were similar to the 2013 survey.
About AIChE:
AIChE is a professional society of more than 50,000 chemical engineers in 100 countries. Its members work in corporations, universities and government using their knowledge of chemical processes to develop safe and useful products for the benefit of society. Through its varied programs, AIChE continues to be a focal point for information exchange on the frontiers of chemical engineering research in such areas as energy, sustainability, biological and environmental engineering, nanotechnology and chemical plant safety and security. More information about AIChE is available at www.aiche.org.