· • Salaries paid in Chinese yuan have remained nearly flat since 2014, following a gain of 33% from 2011 through 2014. Euro salaries were flat, while earnings in U.S. dollars

THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OPTICS AND PHOTONICS

www.SPIECareerCenter.org

ii 2017 OPTICS & PHOTONICS GLOBAL SALARY SURVEY

Introduction The optics and photonics community is composed of workers and students on every continent, engaged in disciplines ranging from aerospace to semiconductor to biotechnology. The Optics and Photonics Global Salary Report provides the community with up-to-date information on pay, job satisfaction, and other important workplace topics. A key goal of the report is to provide a reference for employees, students, and managers interested in understanding compensation across the career landscape: How does my pay compare with that of my colleagues? What is a typical mid-career salary in my country? What can I expect to earn in industry versus academia?

SPIE delivers the report each year, free of charge, as part of its mission as a not-for-profit educational society supporting the science and application of light. The report builds on data provided by nearly 10,000 individuals in 103 countries1 who shared career information in a short online survey.

This is the seventh annual survey and report, the largest such study in the optics and photonics community. This year’s report greatly increases detailed information on salaries in individual countries by career stage, organization type, and job level. For instance, median salaries by career stage are reported for the first time for Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Taiwan (see page 7).

Unless otherwise noted, all salary data is for full-time workers. For a complete list of participant countries and other details on survey methodology, please see Methodology and Footnotes on page 25.

KEY FINDINGS: • The median salary for full-time employees is $65,000, up slightly from $62,443 last year.2 Salaries are

very widely dispersed, primarily driven by country economic conditions and organization type.

• Salaries paid in Chinese yuan have remained nearly flat since 2014, following a gain of 33% from 2011 through 2014. Euro salaries were flat, while earnings in U.S. dollars were up 5%, pay in British pounds was up 10%, and Japanese yen earnings declined 5%.

• Entry-level pay for PhDs is highest in Switzerland, where employees with 1 to 2 years of experience earn a median salary of $81,970. The United States, Australia, and Germany follow, with respective salaries of $79,750, $61,562, and $53,465.

• The highest-paid discipline is aerospace, with a median income of $110,000. Aerospace has held the top spot for all seven years that the survey has been conducted.

• Median salaries are 37% higher overall for men than for women, though median pay is equal during the first two years of employment. 71% of women feel that they are paid fairly, versus 79% of men.

• Survey respondents are highly satisfied with their jobs overall: 96% enjoy their work, 95% find their work meaningful, and 93% feel that their work is respected by their peers.

• 32% of workers in higher-income Asian countries work 50 or more hours per week. 21% of Ukrainian workers report working 55 or more hours per week, the largest percentage of any country.

• Unsurprisingly, there is a strong positive correlation between higher pay and happiness with pay: Workers who earn more are happier about their pay than workers who earn less. Similarly, people working fewer hours are more satisfied with their work/life balance than those working more.

• Startups account for just over 15% of workers at for-profit organizations. These workers earn median salaries of $70,000, versus $95,473 for those at traditional companies.

• More than half of student respondents (59%) are working towards a PhD, followed by 25% pursuing master’s degrees, and 11% seeking a bachelor’s degree.

WWW.SPIECAREERCENTER.ORG 1

DISTRIBUTION OF FULL-TIME SALARIES

DATA OVERVIEW

$1,000,000$100,000$10,000$1,000

600

400

200

0

Log scale

Full-time Salary Summary Statistics Response Demographics

Mean = $81,208

Median = $65,000

Standard Deviation = $96,694

Percentiles:

• 5th = $7,593

• 25th = $33,946

• 75th = $110,000

• 95th = $197,000

• 99th = $300,000

n = 6717

9993 Valid responses

6717 Full-time employees

291 Part-time employees

262 Unemployed

145 Retired

7630 Men

1985 Women

2578 Students

2 2017 OPTICS & PHOTONICS GLOBAL SALARY SURVEY

Country OverviewThe countries in the survey represent a broad range of incomes, work habits, and happiness with pay. Workers in the United States, Switzerland, and Australia enjoy the highest median salaries. Within these high-earning countries, Australians report the heaviest workloads, though they are also happiest with their pay.

Country Median Salary Work 55 or more hours per week

“I am happy with the amount I am paid”

United States (n=2505) $117,000 9% 70%

Switzerland (n=76) $116,536 9% 80%

Australia (n=65) $84,786 15% 85%

Israel (n=65) $84,376 6% 77%

Denmark (n=27) $78,488 0% 81%

Netherlands (n=124) $74,257 4% 77%

Japan (n=271) $71,012 17% 58%

Germany (n=387) $68,953 9% 66%

Sweden (n=54) $68,010 6% 71%

Canada (n=186) $64,318 6% 68%

Belgium (n=59) $63,649 2% 56%

Ireland (n=25) $63,649 12% 65%

South Korea (n=159) $60,192 11% 62%

Singapore (n=47) $55,799 11% 69%

United Kingdom (n=270) $54,052 6% 52%

Finland (n=25) $52,510 0% 71%

Chile (n=25) $51,169 12% 72%

France (n=196) $50,388 8% 56%

South Africa (n=33) $48,083 6% 60%

Spain (n=131) $44,554 5% 56%

Brazil (n=72) $43,791 8% 61%

Italy (n=240) $42,432 7% 42%

Portugal (n=35) $39,250 6% 31%

Taiwan (n=104) $31,307 16% 65%

Turkey (n=43) $22,608 7% 43%

Malaysia (n=33) $21,722 12% 79%

Mexico (n=80) $21,035 8% 68%

Lithuania (n=30) $20,156 7% 41%

Czechia (n=50) $19,436 2% 44%

People’s Republic of China (n=387) $17,329 17% 54%

Poland (n=60) $17,243 12% 37%

Romania (n=40) $14,490 15% 61%

India (n=178) $13,227 13% 62%

Russia (n=179) $12,023 12% 47%

Ukraine (n=29) $2,664 21% 16%

Table includes all countries with a sample size of 25 or more full-time workers. For happiness with pay, the percentage is the sum of respondents who agree or strongly agree with the statement "I am happy with the amount I am paid."

MEDIAN SALARY, HIGH WORKLOAD, AND HAPPINESS WITH PAY BY COUNTRY


Ukraine, People’s Republic of China, and Japan top the list of the heaviest workloads, with 17%-21% of respondents reporting that they work 55 or more hours per week.

Australians, Danes, and Swiss are the happiest with their pay, while Ukrainians, Portuguese, and Poles are generally unhappy. Ukraine holds the unenviable position of the heaviest workload, lowest median salary, and lowest level of happiness with pay.

In comparison to broader populations within surveyed countries, the optics and photonics community fares quite well. For example, the median earnings of German survey participants is $68,953 versus the average for the general population at $41,716. In Poland, survey participants earn $17,243 versus $12,257 for the country.3

“My job feels much more like a hobby than a job. I really like what I do.”

“Be passionate about your work and you will be happy.”

“The three most decisive factors in my career were: education, network and luck.”

“I would like to advance in my career, but my family will always come first, and I can’t help but feel like that places me at a disadvantage.”


SURVEY RESPONSES BY REGION

34%31%

4%

2%

3% 25%

1%

“I have thoroughly enjoyed working in the optics industry for over 30 years and would recommend optics as a career to any student who is just starting out.”

HAVE YOU EVER WORKED AS AN ENGINEER OR DO YOU HAVE A DEGREE IN ENGINEERING?

For-profit Government/Military Academic

Yes 81% $95,473 58% $58,520 54% $47,000

No 19% $72,879 42% $55,162 46% $50,188


Job Satisfaction and Workplace More than 90% of optics and photonics workers enjoy their work (96%), find it meaningful (95%), and feel that their peers respect it (93%). Majorities would recommend their field to their child or a friend (82%), feel they are paid fairly (77%), and perceive that promotions are handled fairly in their workplaces (73%).

JOB SATISFACTION

“I AM HAPPY WITH THE AMOUNT I AM PAID”: MEDIAN SALARIES BY HAPPINESS WITH PAY

“I HAVE AN EXCELLENT WORK/LIFE BALANCE” BY HOURS WORKED PER WEEK

0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

I am happy with the amount I am paid

I have an excellent work/life balance

Decisions about my promotions/advancement are handled fairly

I am paid fairly compared to others at my organization

I would recommend my field to my child or a friend

My work is respected by my peers

My work is meaningful

I enjoy my workAgree

Strongly Agree

Strongly agree (n=918) $123,973

Agree (n=3036) $87,666

Disagree (n=1837) $60,291

Strongly disagree (n=532) $50,155

While 77% of workers say they are paid fairly, only 63% are happy with their pay. Workers earning the most are also the happiest with their compensation—the median salary for the happiest respondents is $123,973 versus $50,155 for the least satisfied.

0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

60 hours or more

55-59 hours

50-54 hours

45-49 hours

40-44 hours

35-39 hours

30-34 hours

Less than 30 hours Agree

Strongly Agree

Over two-thirds of respondents feel they have an excellent work/life balance. Part-time workers are happiest about the balance between career and private life, with 85% deeming it excellent. At the other end of the spectrum, only 46% of people working 60 or more hours per week agree that they have an excellent work/life balance.


Wage GrowthWages grew for three out of five of the largest currency groups, with median salaries paid in British pounds, U.S. dollars, and Chinese yuan increasing 10%, 5%, and 1%, respectively. Euro salaries were flat, while salaries paid in Japanese yen declined 5% over the last year.4

Over the longer term, median salaries have increased in all five currency groups. Pay in Chinese yuan has increased the most, rising 33% between 2011 and 2014, then remaining flat.

CHANGE IN MEDIAN SALARIES 2011–2016, LARGEST CURRENCY GROUPS

Pay for PhDs, the largest subset of survey respondents, is highest in either Switzerland or the United States at all career stages, followed by Australia. Germany and the Netherlands have the highest median wages in Europe, while South Korea and Japan are at the top in Asia.

2011 = 100

90

120

150Japanese yen

British pound

Chinese yuan

Euro

United States dollar

201620152014201320122011

Currencies with sample sizes of 250 or greater are displayed.

GROWTH IN MEDIAN SALARIES 2011-2016, SELECTED CURRENCIES

Chinese yuan 33%

United States dollar 9%

British pound 7%

Euro 6%

Japanese yen 3%


MEDIAN SALARY BY TOTAL YEARS EMPLOYED FOR RESPONDENTS WITH PHD, SELECTED COUNTRIES5

1-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years 16-20 years 21-25 years 26-30 years More than 30 years

Switzerland $81,970* $106,660* $98,760 $118,512* $126,412* $138,264* $276,527* $187,643*

United States $79,750 $91,000 $103,500 $120,000 $145,000 $151,500 $158,000 $160,000

Australia $61,562* $60,824 $73,343* $92,158* $88,472* $137,989* $132,708*

Germany $53,465 $58,345 $59,405 $68,422 $78,500 $82,213 $90,699 $95,473

Netherlands $47,737* $47,206* $65,870 $83,804* $84,662*

Canada $43,509 $51,833 $62,048 $73,398 $96,855* $83,235* $99,184 $139,986*

United Kingdom $37,654 $41,229 $46,764 $58,910 $65,591 $91,099 $77,130 $97,780

South Korea $33,440 $50,160 $73,401 $75,240 $79,002 $73,150* $100,320*

Brazil $31,905* $32,374* $40,663 $48,483* $48,483 $67,667* $90,710

France $31,824 $35,007 $42,432 $42,432 $55,162 $64,285 $69,484 $79,561

Japan $31,609* $51,960 $52,826 $69,280 $77,940 $86,600 $86,600 $95,260

Spain $38,189* $32,355 $42,432 $50,919 $63,649* $66,566 $79,561*

Italy $23,603 $26,554 $36,598 $47,206 $46,902 $53,041 $52,510 $67,892

Taiwan $21,408* $29,742* $37,568* $45,395 $37,568 $34,438*

People’s Republic of China

$17,329 $17,329 $17,329 $17,329 $21,661 $21,741 $25,993 $25,993

Mexico $12,153* $17,202 $19,866 $23,372* $23,372* $37,395

Russia $10,854* $15,446 $14,610 $20,038 $8,349 $10,019 $10,770

India $11,316* $8,539 $12,492 $14,697 $17,636 $22,046 $26,455* $29,394*

n=3247. Minimum cell sample size is 5 respondents, with an asterisk indicating sample size of 5-9.

“I love working on the leading edge of technology!”


Workload Most survey respondents work between 40 and 50 hours per week (64%), while just over one in five spends 50 or more hours per week at their jobs (21%). Higher workloads align with higher salaries from lower through middle ranges, then drop off at 55–59 and 60+ hour levels.

HOURS WORKED PER WEEK

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS WORKING 50 HOURS OR MORE PER WEEK

Respondents from higher-income Asian countries spend the most time in their offices and labs, with 32% working 50 hours or more per week and only 8% working less than 40 hours per week.

0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

60 hours or more

55-59 hours

50-54 hours

45-49 hours

40-44 hours

35-39 hours

30-34 hours

Less than 30 hours

0 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Africa

Europe, higher income

Latin America and the Caribbean

Oceania

North America

Middle East

Europe, lower income

Asia, lower income

Asia, higher income


MEDIAN SALARY BY HOURS WORKED PER WEEK

0 $10,000 $20,000 $30,000 $40,000 $50,000 $60,000 $70,000 $80,000

60 hours or more

55-59 hours

50-54 hours

45-49 hours

40-44 hours

35-39 hours

30-34 hours

Less than 30 hours

$74,257

$75,500

$80,000

$76,378

$63,649

$47,737

$32,772

$17,329

“My career has required long hours, some times very long hours, and I worked to develop expertise in multiple areas. It also has been very much worth the time and effort.”


RegionNorth America and Oceania stand out as the regions with the highest salaries, with median earnings well above other areas.6 North American median incomes are 86% greater than higher-income Asian countries and more than double higher-income European countries. A large portion of regional income gaps is explained by the level of economic development of countries within each area.7

MEDIAN SALARY BY REGION

0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000 $120,000

Europe, lower income (n=288)

Asia, lower income (n=684)

Africa (n=76)

Latin America and the Caribbean (n=229)

Middle East (n=170)

Europe, higher income (n=1901)

Asia, higher income (n=595)

Oceania (n=78)

North America (n=2691)

$10,392

$15,885

$20,612

$30,028

$38,218

$53,922

$60,620

$81,099

$113,000

“Highly appreciate security and benefits of government job. None of the crazy hours and uncertainty of industry, no drive to publish large quantities of trivial papers like in academia. I get to do science and engineering in the public interest.”

“At a startup, one underrated benefit is the many different jobs one is exposed to and can undertake if desired.”


Employer Type Median salaries are greatest in civilian government, followed by for-profit companies. Universities, colleges, and other educational institutions pay the least.8

MEDIAN SALARY BY EMPLOYER TYPE

Region For-profit Government/Military Academic

North America $124,724 $120,000 $85,000

Oceania $81,468 $69,303 $81,099

Asia, higher income $54,340 $69,280 $51,960

Middle East $56,299 $68,230 $22,500


$47,737 $65,680 $51,048


$28,098 $26,275 $31,279

Asia, lower income $17,329 $18,363 $14,441

Africa $30,832 $14,590 $22,023


$9,184 $14,280 $10,770

MEDIAN SALARY BY REGION: FOR-PROFIT, GOVERNMENT/MILITARY, AND ACADEMIC EMPLOYERS

0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000 $120,000

University, college, or other educational institution (n=2266)

Other research institute (n=116)

Government laboratory or research institute (n=1018)

Private laboratory or research institute (n=95)

Self-employed or consultant (n=58)

Not-for-profit organization or intergovernmental organization (n=158)

Other (n=40)

Military or defense (n=140)

Company or corporation (n=2717)

Civilian government (n=97)

$46,157

$48,334

$49,374

$54,724

$78,780

$81,482

$84,865

$89,000

$90,169

$104,000


MEDIAN SALARIES BY ORGANIZATION TYPE AND TOTAL YEARS EMPLOYED, SELECTED COUNTRIES

ACADEMIC

Country 1-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years 16-20 years 21-25 years 26-30 years More than 30 years

United States $50,000 $57,666 $72,650 $87,500 $105,000 $111,500 $144,000 $136,500

Germany $48,692 $53,041 $59,405 $63,649 $63,649 $79,561 $84,865 $100,777

Canada $41,617 $45,401 $61,291 $66,210* $88,910* $90,802*

United Kingdom $38,869 $41,229 $45,974 $49,193 $58,668 $94,743* $72,270 $99,601

France $31,824* $34,370* $40,311* $38,189 $53,041* $64,285* $74,257* $63,649*

Japan $31,609* $41,568 $49,795 $69,280 $76,208 $86,600* $86,600 $95,260

Italy $20,420* $26,520 $42,432 $47,737 $46,068 $54,102 $47,737* $82,743*

Spain $29,438* $32,620* $42,432 $48,797* $63,649* $64,179* $76,909*


$14,441 $14,441 $17,329 $14,441 $21,661 $17,329 $25,993 $15,163*

India $10,288* $5,879 $10,288 $14,697 $16,797 $26,455* $23,516*


FOR-PROFIT


United States $82,750 $89,000 $114,000 $120,000 $135,000 $140,000 $135,000 $155,500

Germany $63,649 $63,649 $74,787 $92,290 $87,517 $93,882 $119,649 $100,777

Canada $45,401 $52,590 $59,021 $68,101* $76,046 $79,451 $90,802 $103,286

Netherlands $42,539* $68,953 $78,500 $99,186 $104,490* $108,203*

Japan $52,393* $60,620 $60,620 $84,868 $86,600 $99,590 $86,600

South Korea $41,800 $41,800 $72,230 $66,880 $77,330 $125,400*

France $40,311* $42,432* $53,200 $63,649 $72,250 $58,345* $89,108

United Kingdom $35,832 $42,513 $44,314 $63,162 $65,591* $72,879* $71,664 $68,020

Taiwan $21,915* $27,237* $68,875* $50,091* $62,614* $125,228*


$13,719 $14,441 $28,881 $43,322* $36,102*


For-profit pay is higher than academic pay in most countries at most career stages, but the gap narrows with higher levels of experience. Earnings in North America are highest in both academia and for-profits, across regions and career stages.


MEDIAN SALARIES BY ORGANIZATION TYPE, TOTAL YEARS EMPLOYED, AND REGION

ACADEMIC


North America $50,000 $57,000 $70,125 $84,500 $101,983 $110,000 $142,000 $136,000


$35,225 $38,869 $48,267 $47,737 $53,041 $70,014 $68,953 $83,804

Asia, higher income $30,096 $50,160 $43,830 $66,880 $62,785 $78,680 $86,600 $95,260


$19,902 $18,698 $28,046 $32,000 $28,518 $50,000 $46,037 $56,093

Asia, lower income $13,719 $13,834 $14,441 $14,441 $21,661 $21,821 $22,500 $14,441

Middle East $12,000* $17,386 $29,063 $20,858 $21,531* $19,019* $38,757*


$10,436 $10,019 $9,440 $9,351 $16,694 $10,019 $14,026


FOR-PROFIT


North America $73,000 $85,000 $110,000 $117,000 $130,000 $136,500 $130,000 $155,000

Europe, higher-income

$39,476 $44,638 $57,284 $63,649 $84,865 $89,584 $93,879 $95,473

Asia, higher-income $34,876 $43,300 $63,862 $66,462 $77,940 $86,600 $99,590 $90,930

Asia, lower income $11,905 $13,332 $24,020 $42,621 $36,102 $43,934 $17,329 $73,485


“Making significantly more money at large aerospace company compared to small non-profit. About 50% more money.”


MEDIAN SALARY BY PRIMARY DISCIPLINE

Discipline Aerospace and semiconductor disciplines enjoy the highest median earnings, at $110,000 and $95,473, respectively. Civil/environmental falls at the opposite end of the spectrum, with a median salary of $35,474.

The two most important factors driving salary gaps across disciplines are employment sector and country income level. The highest-paying disciplines have much higher representation at for-profit companies: The top three disciplines by pay (aerospace, semiconductor, and systems engineering) have 663 people at for-profits versus 314 combined in government/military and academia.

0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000 $120,000

Civil or environmental (n=55)

Remote sensing (n=338)

Photonics (n=500)

Computer science, software, or information technology (n=378)

Physics (n=495)

Mechanical (n=116)

Nanotechnology (n=191)

Electrical or electronics (n=334)

Materials (n=208)

Other (n=265)

Biomedical, medical, biology, biophysics, or biotechnology (n=671)

Optical design (n=173)

Lasers (n=387)

Chemical (n=125)

Optical systems (n=517)

Astronomy or astrophysics (n=405)

Interdisciplinary engineering or research (n=252)

Illumination (n=42)

Manufacturing (n=270)

Systems engineering or research (n=172)

Semiconductor (n=475)

Aerospace (n=331)

$35,474

$48,868

$50,390

$51,980

$53,041

$53,041

$55,000

$55,651

$57,258

$60,000

$60,000

$63,649

$63,649

$69,280

$69,748

$71,941

$72,048

$74,500

$76,689

$83,800

$95,473

$110,000


Country income level has a similar impact on median salaries of optics and photonics disciplines. In the highest paid category, aerospace, 294 out of 331 workers are located in higher-income countries.

MEDIAN SALARY BY DISCIPLINE:

FOR-PROFIT, GOVERNMENT/MILITARY, AND ACADEMIC EMPLOYERS

Discipline For-profitGovernment/

MilitaryAcademic

Physics (n=494) $116,500 $58,345 $48,422

Aerospace (n=331) $113,501 $116,000 $84,865

Semiconductor (n=474) $109,734 $36,102 $59,256

Biomedical, medical, biology, biophysics, or biotechnology (n=671)

$105,935 $42,432 $50,000

Remote sensing (n=337) $100,000 $38,189 $31,307

Systems engineering or research (n=172) $95,473 $69,346 $65,770

Photonics (n=500) $90,866 $33,360 $42,716

Interdisciplinary engineering or research (n=251)

$89,108 $82,743 $44,554

Chemical (n=124) $88,000 $66,880 $51,520

Materials (n=208) $85,732 $57,258 $50,000

Optical systems (n=517) $85,000 $60,000 $28,881

Manufacturing (n=269) $80,000 $28,881 $52,495

Illumination (n=42) $79,932 $30,000 $53,412

Nanotechnology (n=191) $78,750 $58,557 $44,343

Other (n=264) $78,500 $56,361 $48,868

Lasers (n=386) $76,378 $47,117 $37,183

Electrical or electronics (n=334) $76,000 $61,527 $43,322

Optical design (n=173) $75,456 $52,776 $25,047

Computer science, software, or information technology (n=377)

$72,000 $52,616 $36,370

Mechanical (n=116) $67,910 $62,564 $48,293

Astronomy or astrophysics (n=405) $66,464 $64,134 $79,780

Civil or environmental (n=55) $35,788 $30,932 $34,490

“The key issue in astrophysics research is securing sufficient funding. I spend far too much of my time writing proposals.”


“I am a minority as a woman scientist. I wish my workplace had more women in technical positions so I could have someone as a mentor in my career as well as personal life.”

0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000 $120,000


Oceania

Asia, lower income

Africa

Middle East



Asia, higher income

North America Women

Men

Gender Women make up 21% of the respondents to the survey, 29% of students, and 17% of full-time workers. Women earn less than men overall, with respective median salaries of $50,500 and $68,953.

The largest wage differences are associated with North American and higher-income Asian countries, employment at not-for-profit organizations, and employment of 26-30 years. Wage gaps persist in most demographic subsets of the data, though gaps are lower or non-existent in early career stages, and reversed in Oceania and Latin American and the Caribbean. Women in civilian government and military/defense earn more than men.

MEDIAN SALARY BY GENDER AND REGION

MEDIAN SALARY BY GENDER AND YEARS EMPLOYED

0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000 $120,000

More than 30 years

26-30 years

21-25 years

16-20 years

11-15 years

6-10 years

3-5 years

1-2 years Women

Men

n = 705 women, 3544 men


MEDIAN SALARY BY GENDER AND EMPLOYER TYPE

Women and men report similar levels of job satisfaction in most categories. The largest difference of opinion concerns fairness of pay: 71% or women feel that they are paid fairly, versus 79% of men. Nearly equal percentages of women (82%) and men (83%) would recommend their job to a child or a friend.

0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000 $120,000

Military or defense

Civilian government

Self-employed or consultant

University, college, or other educational institution

Government laboratory or research institute

Other research institute

Company or corporation

Private laboratory or research institute

Not-for-profit organization or intergovernmental organization Women

Men

0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

I would recommend my field to my child or a friend

My work is meaningful

I enjoy my work

Promotions at my organization are handled fairly

My work is respected by my peers

I am happy with my pay

I have an excellent work/life balance

I am paid fairlyWomen

Men

Sorted from greatest to least di�erence between genders. Percentage indicates the sum of respondents who agree or strongly agree with each statement.

JOB SATISFACTION BY GENDER

“I love the work I do and am honored to be considered one of the top performers. It is difficult at times to be the only female on a project or leading a project.”


Other Factors Other factors that influence salary include job level and job role. Top organizational leaders enjoy the highest salaries, while teaching assistants anchor the bottom of the range.

MEDIAN SALARY BY JOB LEVEL

MEDIAN SALARY BY JOB LEVEL, SELECTED COUNTRIES

Postdoc Assistant professor

Associate professor

Full professor

Technician, operator, or

lab techStaff Lead or

senior levelSupervisor or manager Director

Germany $55,809 $53,041* $63,649* $94,412 $56,223 $64,710 $84,865 $90,169 $135,784

United States $50,000 $94,000 $110,000 $152,000 $71,000 $98,000 $130,000 $135,000 $177,500

United Kingdom $40,656 $50,712 $66,806 $97,172 $40,812 $61,340 $63,648 $105,988*

Japan $35,506 $51,960 $69,280 $86,600 $51,094 $54,125 $77,940 $86,600 $108,250

France $34,688 $37,128 $71,605 $40,311* $46,676 $58,026 $70,544 $81,683

Canada $34,618 $87,018* $139,986* $44,644 $53,724 $75,668 $74,911 $105,935

South Korea $33,440 $58,520 $71,060* $86,108 $41,800* $50,160 $72,314 $58,520 $91,800

Spain $31,824 $47,884 $74,257 $29,703* $42,432 $49,858 $47,737* $111,385*

Italy $28,642 $44,554 $53,922 $79,560* $37,658 $37,128 $53,041 $53,041 $125,176*

Taiwan $21,414* $31,307* $37,568* $40,699 $28,176 $37,568* $78,268 $53,222*


$14,946 $14,441 $20,939 $23,105 $17,329 $14,441 $28,881 $27,437 $43,322

India $5,820* $8,818 $21,311 $22,046 $11,905 $19,106 $16,062


0 $50,000 $100,000 $150,000 $200,000

Teaching assistant (n=31)

Research assistant (n=195)

Assistant professor (n=383)

Associate professor (n=454)

Postdoc (n=544)

Technician, operator, or lab tech (including engineers and researchers) (n=266)

Fellow (n=78)

Instructor or adjunct professor (n=62)

Other (n=142)

Sta� (including engineers and researchers) (n=1286)

Full professor (n=560)

Supervisor or manager (including engineers and researchers) (n=685)

Lead or senior level (including engineers and researchers) (n=1301)

Academic dean or provost (n=30)

Owner (n=68)

Director (n=283)

C-level or senior executive (n=113)

Vice-president (n=87)

$10,890

$18,831

$38,189

$38,189

$42,216

$43,150

$45,000

$47,000

$60,000

$67,412

$74,257

$93,865

$95,260

$103,840

$121,368

$125,176

$159,122

$170,000


MEDIAN SALARY BY JOB ROLE

0 $30,000 $60,000 $90,000 $120,000 $150,000

Writer or editor (n=14)

College professor, teacher, or other educator (n=874)

Basic research or science (n=1074)

Technical or lab (n=170)

Applied research (n=1368)

Medical doctor or clinician (n=40)

Other (n=148)

Marketing (n=90)

Administrative (n=118)

Production, manufacturing, or quality assurance (n=159)

Consultant (n=63)

Application or product development (n=466)

Sales (n=148)

Purchasing (n=25)

Engineering or design (n=1172)

Project or program management (n=325)

Business development (n=128)

Recruiting, human resources, or training (n=13)

Executive, leadership, or owner (n=300)

$14,441

$47,737

$48,797

$50,902

$52,728

$55,861

$60,633

$69,066

$71,136

$72,353

$75,668

$76,189

$83,000

$83,235

$83,600

$90,169

$100,160

$106,081

$150,000

“I love my career very much.”

MEDIAN SALARIES AT STARTUP VERSUS TRADITIONAL COMPANIES

The question was seen only by respondents indicating "Company or corporation" or"Private laboratory or research institute" for organization type.

0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000

Startup companies

Traditional companies

$70,000

$95,473

Startups account for just over 15% of workers at for-profit organizations. These entrepreneurs earn median salaries of $70,000, versus $95,473 for their colleagues at traditional companies.


DEGREE BEING PURSUED

PRIMARY TOPIC STUDIED

StudentsThe majority of student respondents are pursuing PhDs. A variety of disciplines are represented, with photonics, biomedical, physics, and electrical topping the list.

0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

MD or similar medical doctor degree

Master's of Business Administration (MBA or equivalent)

Associate's degree

Other

High school diploma

Technical degree or certificate

Bachelor's degree (BA, BS, or equivalent)

Master's degree (MA, MS, or equivalent)

PhD, doctorate, or equivalent

0.3%

0.3%

0.4%

0.9%

1.3%

1.5%

11%

25%

59%n = 2534

0 3% 6% 9% 12% 15%

Illumination

Aerospace

Systems engineering or research

Civil or environmental

Manufacturing

Interdisciplinary

Chemical or chemistry

Semiconductor

Astronomy or astrophysics

Optical design

Materials

Mechanical

Remote sensing

Lasers

Nanotechnology

Other

Optical systems

Computer science, software, or information technology

Electrical or electronics

Physics

Biomedical, medical, biology, biophysics, or biotechnology

Photonics

0.3%

0.9%

1.1%

1.1%

1.2%

1.5%

2%

2%

2%

2%

3%

4%

4%

4%

5%

5%

7%

9%

10%

10%

12%

13%n = 2533


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“Business development and sales positions in the optics and photonics business can be highly rewarding and profitable.”


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“It is a meaningful career, and I am glad that I chose it.”


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Notes


Methodology and Footnotes In December of 2016 and January of 2017, SPIE sent email survey invitations to a large subset of its global customer database and through social media. Response was voluntary and open. An iPad raffle and early access to this report were offered as incentives to encourage participation. Surveys were completed online using SurveyGizmo’s enterprise survey tool. Results were filtered for duplicates and invalid data to yield 9993 valid responses. Microsoft Excel and SPSS were utilized to create summary statistics and related analyses. Quotations were selected from answers to an open-text question near the end of the survey that asked respondents to share thoughts about their careers.

NOTES: 1. This list includes valid responses from full-time, part-time, unemployed, retired, and student respondents. United

States (3076), People’s Republic of China (825), India (525), Germany (523), United Kingdom (359), Japan (337), Italy (310), South Korea (294), Russia (273), Canada (265), France (260), Spain (175), Taiwan (169), Netherlands (158), Mexico (157), Brazil (123), Switzerland (106), Poland (104), Israel (99), Australia and Turkey (87), Belgium (79), Czechia (73), Singapore and Sweden (68), Ukraine (57), Portugal (56), Romania (55), Malaysia (52), Lithuania (45), Greece and South Africa (43), Pakistan (42), Colombia and Ireland (41), Thailand (40), Argentina (39), Denmark (38), Austria (37), Algeria (36), Finland (33), Chile and Egypt (31), Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia (25), Indonesia (24), Philippines (22), New Zealand and Nigeria (21), Bulgaria (20), Hungary and Tunisia (19), Iran (15), Belarus, Morocco, Norway, and Slovenia (14), Ecuador and Vietnam (13), Slovak Republic (12), Armenia, Latvia, and United Arab Emirates (11), Jordan (9), Iraq and Luxembourg (8), Bangladesh, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Venezuela (7), Serbia and Sri Lanka (6), Kenya and Kuwait (5), Cameroon, Croatia, Ghana, and Qatar (4), Albania, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Mongolia, Nepal, Sudan, and Tanzania (3), Azerbaijan, Libya, Malta, Peru, Republic of the Congo, and Uganda (2), The Bahamas, Brunei, El Salvador, Kyrgyz Republic, Liberia, Swaziland, Syria, Uzbekistan, and Yemen (1).

2. U.S. dollars are used throughout. Local currencies were converted using January 2017 market exchange rates. Salary figures include total yearly compensation, both base pay and bonuses. Full-time employees are those who indicated working 35 or more hours per week. Unless otherwise noted, all data on pay is drawn from full-time employees.

3. Data for broader populations within countries are average annual wages per full-time and full-year equivalent employees in the total economy, 2015 USD exchange rates and constant prices, from https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=AV_AN_WAGE. Retrieved 16 January 2017.

4. Yearly wage growth was computed by comparing same-currency results for each year. Previous versions of this report listed 2012 as the baseline year. Starting with this year’s report, date labeling for this chart is shifted one year earlier to reflect the year workers were paid, rather than the publication year of the report.

5. Several tables in this report contain cells with lower sample sizes than have been included in previous reports. These small sample sizes allow for greatly increased specificity in reporting. The assumption is that readers will parse the data in light of the small samples, while appreciating the enhanced level of detail.

6. Oceania is composed of Australia and New Zealand. North America is composed of the United States and Canada. Mexico is included in the Latin America and Caribbean category.

7. Europe and Asia are composed of countries spanning a wide range of income levels, even when subdivided into higher- and lower-income groups. For example, the European higher-income category includes Czechia and Norway, at $18,140 and $93,740 per capita Gross National Income (GNI), respectively, for 2015.

Higher- and lower-income subcategories are based on the World Bank’s threshold for high-income countries, $12,476 per capita GNI in 2015. This threshold is used throughout this report when referring to “higher-income” and “lower-income” countries.

For data on per capita GNI, see http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD/countries. For World Bank country income categories, see http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications.

8. The category “for-profit” is composed of company/corporation, self-employed/consultant, and open text “other” entries that indicate for-profit affiliation. “Academic” is composed of university/college, private lab or research institute, not-for-profit, intergovernmental, other research institute, and open text “other” entries that indicate academic organizations. “Government/military” is composed of government lab or research institute, civilian government, and military/defense.


www.SPIECareerCenter.org

THE 2017 OPTICS & PHOTONICS GLOBAL SALARY REPORT IS SPONSORED BY SPIE CAREER CENTER

SPIE is the international society for optics and photonicsCONNECTING MINDS. ADVANCING LIGHT.

SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, an educational not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based science and technology. The Society serves nearly 264,000 constituents from approximately 166 countries, offering conferences and their published proceedings, continuing education, books, journals, and the SPIE Digital Library in support of interdisciplinary information exchange, professional networking, and patent precedent. SPIE provided more than $4 million in support of education and outreach programs in 2016.

2017

Glo

bal

Sal

ary

Rep

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SPIE INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS PO Box 10 Bellingham, WA 98227-0010 USA Tel: +1 360 676 3290 / Fax: +1 360 647 1445 [email protected] / www.SPIE.org

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FOR QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR SUGGESTIONS, CONTACT REPORT AUTHOR ADAM RESNICK AT:[email protected]

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Documents

· • Salaries paid in Chinese yuan have remained nearly flat since 2014, following a gain of 33% from 2011 through 2014. Euro salaries were flat, while earnings in U.S. dollars