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OPTICS & PHOTONICS THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OPTICS AND PHOTONICS 2020

OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

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Page 1: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

OPTICS & PHOTONICS

THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OPTICS AND PHOTONICS

2020

Page 2: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

II Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 1

IntroductionThe optics and photonics community is composed of workers and students on every continent, engaged in disciplines ranging from aerospace to semiconductors 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 this 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 from over 5,000 individuals in 100 countries1 who shared career information in a short online survey. This is the tenth annual survey and report, the largest such study in the optics and photonics community.

Unless otherwise noted, all results are based on full-time workers. For a complete list of participant countries and other details on survey methodology, please see Methodology and Endnotes on page 21.

Page 3: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 1

Key findings: • The median salary for full-time employees is $75,000, up one-thousand

dollars from last year.2 This increase likely reflects the strength of the global economy, and tight labor markets for the highly-skilled workers in our community.

• Salaries paid in Chinese yuan are up 33% versus last year, and have increased an impressive 122% since 2011. Earnings in Japanese yen rose 13%, euro salaries rose 10%, and pay in US dollars was up 4%. Salaries paid in British pounds declined by 2%.

• The highest-paid discipline is aerospace, with a median income of $130,000. Aerospace has held the top spot for all ten years that the survey has been conducted.

• Median salaries are 21% higher overall for men than for women, down from 29% in last year’s survey. Women out-earn men in early career stages and several geographic regions.

• Most full-time workers (65%) identify as engineers. Within this group, 63% have engineering degrees and are working as engineers, 23% have engineering degrees but are not working as engineers, and 14% work as engineers without having engineering degrees.

• The most popular engineering degrees are electrical (25%) and optical (24%), with mechanical (12%) falling in third place.

• The largest proportion of engineers focus their work on optical engineering (38%), followed by electrical (11%).

• Startups account for just over 13% of workers at for-profit organizations. These workers earn median salaries of $83,565, versus $100,000 for those at traditional companies.

• Almost two thirds of student respondents (64%) are working towards a PhD, followed by 22% pursuing master’s degrees, and 12% seeking a bachelor’s degree.

I ’ VE B E E N WORKING AS A FU LL-TIME

OP TICAL DESIGNERFOR 36 YE ARS , AND EVE N AF TE R ALL

THOSE YE ARS , IT STILL SE E MS LIKE A

WELL PAID HOBBY TO ME.

“ “

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2 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 3

FIRST FOR INDUSTRY™

optics.org covers the global optics and photonics industry for SPIE

The leading source of photonics news, market trends and product applications.

Sign up free to the weekly newsletter and we’ll send the news to you.

optics.org/newsletter

Get the latest industry news.

follow us on twitter @opticsorg

24

Page 5: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 3

Distribution of Full-time Salaries

Data OverviewFull-time Salary

Summary Statistics Response Demographics

Mean = $92,243

Median = $75,000

• 5th percentile = $8,343

• 25th percentile = $40,111

• 75th percentile = $125,000

• 95th percentile = $217,000

• 99th percentile = $340,000

n = 3,866

5,280 Valid Responses

3,866 Full-time employees

194 Part-time employees

109 Unemployed

91 Retired

4,012 Men

1,120 Women

1,020 Students

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

400

300

200

100

0

Log scale

Page 6: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

4 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 5

Country OverviewWorkers in the United States, Switzerland, and Israel enjoy the highest median salaries. Within these high-earning countries, workers at for-profit organizations earn more than their colleagues in academia.

Country All For-profit Academic

United States (n=1659) $121,467 $133,500 $93,650

Switzerland (n=42) $120,000 $123,687 $113,379

Israel (n=33) $109,368 $95,202 $63,468

Singapore (n=27) $85,513 $97,363 $44,560

Netherlands (n=49) $82,831 $98,050 $77,994

Germany (n=192) $79,812 $93,593 $68,586

Japan (n=136) $79,398 $81,877 $72,779

Canada (n=105) $76,313 $68,969 $67,819

South Korea (n=85) $75,548 $69,231 $70,962

Australia (n=37) $73,675 $95,043 $69,122

Belgium (n=30) $67,885 $77,994 $61,838

Sweden (n=31) $66,130 $72,089 $52,206

Chile (n=21) $59,761 $108,403 $54,201

United Kingdom (n=110) $58,756 $70,819 $50,678

France (n=73) $57,009 $63,509 $48,468

Italy (n=116) $54,925 $51,810 $44,568

Spain (n=72) $48,626 $56,267 $52,367

Taiwan (n=55) $47,887 $40,991 $50,193

Czechia (n=31) $47,317 $35,132 $43,087

Brazil (n=49) $45,607 $23,217 $33,496

Peoples Republic of China (n=173) $40,360 $29,012 $26,111

Poland (n=28) $26,814 $34,731 $18,715

Mexico (n=35) $26,231 $18,337 $21,260

India (n=93) $23,272 $13,151 $15,555

Russia (n=145) $22,480 $29,402 $13,068

Turkey (n=29) $21,242 $18,410 $14,319

Ukraine (n=23) $18,741 $35,456 $5,006

Table includes all countries with a sample size of 20 or more full-time workers. The “All” column shows median salary for all full-time workers. The for-profit and academic columns represent the subsets within those types of organizations.

Median salary for full-time workers, overall and at for-profit and academic employers

I H I G H LY R ECO M M E N D B E I N G AC TIVE I N SPIE, OSA, IEEE AND OTHER SOCIETIES

P U B LI S H I N G AN D S P O N SO R I N G CO N F E R E N CE S IN OPTICS AND PHOTONICS.TH RO U G H M Y AC TIV IT I E S I WA S AB LE TO B ROAD E N M Y CO NTAC T S NATI O NALLY,

S E RVE A S AN E D ITO R , AN D U LTI MATE LY TO B E E LEC TE D TO F E LLOW I N

ALL THREE SOCIETIES.

“ “

Page 7: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 5

Survey Responses by Region

4.5%

3%

28% 22%

1.5%

I AM A BIOMEDIC AL ENGINEER. We so lve rea l p rob lems re la ted to hea l th

AN D WE AR E P RO U D O F H E LP I N G DOC TO R S

WITH NEW ADVANCE SYSTEMSS U CH A S MACH I N E - BA S E D SYSTE M S

FO R M E D ICAL D ECI S IO N S .

Page 8: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7

Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers.

Have degrees in engineering, but are not currently working as engineers.

Currently work as engineers, but do not have a degree in engineering.

65% of full-time workers identify themselves as engineers

Within this group:

Engineers in Optics and Photonics

$85,000

$72,000

$93,033

63%

23%

14%

–Median salaries shown.

Page 9: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7

“What type of engineering degree do you have?”

“What type of engineering is your main focus?”

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Civil

Chemical

Environmental

Automotive

General

Industrial

Computer

Materials

Software

Mechanical

Aerospace or Aeronautical

Biomedical

Other

Electrical

Optical

Chart covers the set of peoplewho say they are currentlyworking as engineers.

1%

1%

1%

2%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

6%

7%

7%

7%

11%

38%

0 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Environmental

Nuclear

Civil

Software

General

Industrial

Aerospace or Aeronautical

Chemical

Biomedical

Materials

Computer

Other

Mechanical

Optical

Electrical

Graph covers the set of people who say they have a degree in engineering.

$24,251

$103,000

$46,796

$69,697

$65,154

$69,000

$90,974

$98,959

$67,000

$83,725

$68,426

$64,624

$92,362

$83,565

$92,570

Page 10: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

8 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 9

Wage GrowthWages grew in both Asian currency groups, with Chinese yuan salaries increasing 33% and Japanese yen up 13%. Euro salaries rose 10%, and pay in US dollars was up 4%. Salaries paid in British pounds declined by 2%. Over the longer term, median salaries have increased in all five these currency groups, with pay in Chinese yuan increasing the most, rising 122% since 2011.3

Change in Median Salaries, 2011–2019, Main Currency Groups

Growth in Median Salaries, 2011–2019, Main Currency Groups

2011 Median Salary

2018 Median Salary

2019 Median Salary

Growth 2018-2019

Growth 2011-2019

Chinese yuan ¥90,000 ¥150,000 ¥200,000 33% 122%

Euro € 47,200 € 55,000 € 55,000 10% 17%

United States dollar $106,000 $118,000 $123,000 4% 16%

British pound £42,000 £46,000 £45,000 –2% 7%

Japanese yen ¥8,000,000 ¥8,000,000 ¥9,000,000 13% 13%

“ I’m happy with my career!”

50

100

150

200

250

201920182017201620152014201320122011

CHANGE IN MEDIAN SALARIES 2011-2019

2011 = 100

Japanese yen

British pound

United States dollar

Euro

Chinese yuan

Page 11: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 9

E VERY THING YOU LE ARNPOTENTIALLY WILL BE OF VALUE .

  THIS INCLU DE S

math, physics, and biology,B UT AL SO

economics, history, management science, leadership, and behavioral sciences.

NE VER STOP LE ARNING.

Page 12: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

10 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 11

RegionNorth America and higher-income Asia stand out as the regions with the highest salaries.4 A large portion of regional income gaps is explained by the level of economic development of countries within each area.5

Median Salary by Region

“How did you find your original position at your present employer?”

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

Europe, lower income (n=200)

Africa (n=54)

Asia, lower income (n=340)

Latin America and the Caribbean (n=142)

Middle East (n=95)

Europe, higher income (n=910)

Oceania (n=48)

Asia, higher income (n=313)

North America (n=1764)

MEDIAN SALARY BY REGION

$13,535

$16,578

$21,759

$30,098

$32,728

$61,281

$69,122

$69,231

$120,000

Alumni network1%

In-person job fair2%

Public/governmentplacement agency2%

Professionalassociation2%

I founded or startedthe company2% Other

2%

Printed job advertisement(newspaper or journal)4%

University careero�ce6%

I contacted theemployer directly(no job was advertised)10%

I was recruited17%

Online job advertisement18%

Networking or referral through personal contact33%

Page 13: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 11

Employer Type Median salaries are greatest in civilian government, followed by for-profit companies. Universities, colleges, and other research institutes pay the least.6

Median Salary by Employer Type

Region For-profit Government/Military Academic

North America $130,000 $129,900 $92,000

Oceania $95,043 $76,034 $69,122

Europe, higher income $75,766 $51,144 $53,482

Asia, higher income $72,779 $60,405 $66,411

Middle East $62,314 $26,421 $17,387

Europe, lower income $29,402 $11,006 $12,219

Asia, lower income $25,861 $21,759 $20,490

Africa $21,580 $25,057 $12,790

Latin America & Caribbean $18,035 $34,203 $31,440

Percentage of Respondents Median Salary

Traditional companies 87% $100,000

Startup companies 13% $83,565

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

Median Salary by Region: For-profit, Government/Military, and Academic Employers

Median Salaries at Startup versus Traditional Companies

Startups account for just over 13% of workers at for-profit organizations. These entrepreneurs earn median salaries of $83,565, versus $100,000 for their colleagues at traditional companies.

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

University, college, or other educational institution (n=1155)

Government laboratory or research institute (n=505)

Other research institute (n=32)

Private laboratory or research institute (n=64)

Self-employed or consultant (n=32)

Not-for-profit organization or intergovernmental organization (n=101)

Company or corporation (n=1809)

Military or defense (n=98)

MEDIAN SALARY BY EMPLOYER TYPE

$50,808

$53,426

$32,833

$61,559

$76,000

$91,364

Civilian government (n=42) $111,501

$100,000

$91,246

Page 14: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

12 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 13

Median Salary by Primary Discipline

Discipline Aerospace and semiconductor disciplines enjoy the highest median earnings, at $130,000 and $115,000, respectively. Remote sensing falls at the opposite end of the spectrum, with a median salary of $49,847.

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: 88% of semiconductor and 66% or aerospace workers are at for-profits.

MEDIAN SALARY BY PRIMARY DISCIPLINE

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

Remote sensing (n=152)

Civil or environmental (n=32)

Nanotechnology (n=90)

Computer science, software,or information technology (n=193)

Photonics (n=347)

Electrical or electronics (n=180)

Materials (n=97)

Physics (n=253)

Other (n=142)

Biomedical, medical, biology, biophysics,biotechnology, or healthcare (n=354)

Mechanical (n=75)

Optical design (n=144)

Lasers (n=239)

Chemical (n=48)

Manufacturing (n=200)

Illumination (n=22)

Astronomy or astrophysics (n=212)

Optical systems (n=389)

Interdisciplinary engineering or research (n=121)

Systems engineering or research (n=120)

Semiconductor (n=253)

Aerospace (n=192)

$49,847

$51,739

$52,864

$60,000

$61,000

$61,281

$62,000

$62,838

$65,821

$66,852

$67,000

$73,911

$75,000

$75,000

$81,121

$82,425

$83,282

$83,565

$84,295

$94,853

$115,000

$130,000

Page 15: OPTICS & PHOTONICS...6 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 7 Have degrees in engineering and work as engineers. Have degrees in engineering,

Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 13

Country income level has a similar impact on median salaries of optics and photonics disciplines. In the highest-paid category, aerospace, 88% of workers are located in North America or higher-income European countries.

Median Salary by Discipline: For-profit, Government/Military, and Academic Employers

Discipline For-profitGovernment/

MilitaryAcademic

Aerospace $142,500 $91,987 $120,000

Systems engineering or research $125,000 $56,579 $80,111

Remote sensing $125,000 $32,511 $28,283

Semiconductor $123,843 $60,355 $62,395

Chemical $120,000 $57,000

Photonics $111,420 $49,484 $31,219

Biomedical, medical, biology, biophysics, biotechnology, or healthcare

$103,000 $52,000 $46,796

Physics $101,928 $53,482 $66,852

Astronomy or astrophysics $100,000 $86,539 $70,540

Interdisciplinary engineering or research $97,000 $66,852 $58,712

Optical systems $94,707 $46,458 $78,398

Lasers $94,636 $43,519 $61,281

Computer science, software, or information technology

$89,928 $40,111 $66,563

Illumination $88,856

Materials $87,465 $55,492 $31,843

Nanotechnology $85,004 $40,610 $60,597

Manufacturing $85,000 $53,482

Electrical or electronics $85,000 $38,997 $62,369

Other $85,000 $58,443 $55,517

Mechanical $80,793 $37,679 $46,796

Optical design $80,464 $55,710 $44,015

Civil or environmental $55,000 $54,762 $50,036

n=3,806. Minimum cell sample size is 10 respondents.

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14 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 15

Median Salary by Application Area

Application AreaSecurity/defense is the highest-paid application area, which is unsurprising given that roughly half of these workers are in aerospace, the highest-paying discipline.

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

Environmental monitoring (n=233)

My work does not havea direct application (n=179)

Biomedical, medical, biology, biophysics,biotechnology, or healthcare (n=705)

Communications/networking (n=302)

Other (n=406)

Advanced manufacturing (n=485)

Astronomy or astrophysics (n=376)

Transportation (n=116)

Semiconductor (n=501)

Security/defense (n=557)

$49,025

$53,642

$60,273

$60,347

$70,347

$75,000

$79,933

$81,200

$90,000

$115,000

MEDIAN SALARY BY APPLICATION AREA

Respondents were asked "What is the main application of your most recent work, research, studies, or teaching?"

I AM CURRENTLY LESS CONCERNED

ABOUT MONEY AND MORE CONCERNED

ABOUT WORKING ON

INTERESTING PROBLEMS.

I WANT TO EXPLORE THE HIDDEN

SECRETS OF OUR UNIVERSE. I WANT

TO KNOW THE 96% UNKNOWN OF THIS

UNIVERSE THAT IS DARK MATTER AND

DARK ENERGY.

“ ““

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Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 15

Gender Women make up 22% of the respondents to the survey, 33% of students, and 18% of full-time workers. Women earn less than men overall, with respective median salaries of $63,099 and $77,994.

Median Salary by Gender and Region

The largest wage differences are associated with higher-income Asian countries, self-employment, and employment of more than 30 years. Wage gaps for women persist in most demographic subsets of the data, though women earn more than men in a variety of subgroups: Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean, and three out of four early career stages.

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

Africa

Europe, lower Income

Asia, lower Income

Latin America & Caribbean

Middle East

Asia, higher Income

Europe, higher Income

Oceania

North America

$23,915

$10,944

$17,849

$33,133

$55,390

$41,722

$47,911

$62,210

$100,000

$15,165

$16,334

$22,626

$29,598

$30,705

$72,779

$63,421

$76,380

$125,000Women

Men

n=702 women, 3,137 men

LIFE(AND WORK IN THE FIELD OF OPTICS)

is a continuous road,

with many surprises and great results.

     BOTH MUST BE

FOLLOWED AND LIVED!

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16 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 17

Median Salary by Gender and Employer Type

Median Salary by Gender and Years Employed

Women Men

Less than one year $50,517 $43,668

1-2 years $51,698 $51,000

3-5 years $55,000 $58,062

5-10 years $66,852 $60,372

11-15 years $54,298 $72,779

16-20 years $81,877 $85,897

21-25 years $90,409 $107,831

26-30 years $84,282 $118,000

More than 30 years $72,934 $124,223

n=688 women, 3,081 men

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

Other research institute

University, college, or other educational institution

Government laboratory or research institute

Private laboratory or research institute

Other

Self-employed or consultant

Military or defense

Not-for-profit organization orintergovernmental organization

Company or corporation

Civilian government

Women

Men

$47,476

$29,526

$46,796

$47,755

$62,000

$40,000

$90,395

$79,232

$85,000

$108,002

$51,126

$41,924

$55,611

$66,852

$68,000

$88,568

$91,246

$100,700

$102,253

$115,000

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Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 17

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

Full professor Postdoc Director Supervisor

or managerLead or

senior level Staff

United States $170,000 $55,652 $175,000 $140,000 $145,000 $102,500

Canada $144,068* $35,251 $101,537 $84,295 $72,800 $63,221

Germany $114,763 $58,495* $133,704* $100,278* $90,807* $72,423*

Japan $109,169 $40,938 $113,718 $95,523* $79,602* $63,682

South Korea $103,847 $35,481* $80,049* $80,049 $69,231 $60,577

United Kingdom $98,757* $46,267 $89,661 $68,220 $49,378

France $54,596 $30,594 $84,679* $61,281 $63,509 $44,568

Peoples Republic of China $31,760* $32,639* $40,617 $43,519 $21,759

India $28,283 $22,626 $15,980

Russia $11,434 $23,195* $65,338* $17,641 $17,216 $14,211

Italy $25,627 $89,136* $60,724 $61,281 $38,997

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

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

Teaching assistant (n=14)

Research assistant (n=119)

Assistant professor (n=190)

Associate professor (n=210)

Postdoc (n=263)

Technician, operator, or lab tech(including engineers and researchers) (n=151)

Instructor or adjunct professor (n=25)

Other (n=80)

Fellow (n=45)

Academic dean or provost (n=10)

Sta� (including engineers and researchers) (n=785)

Full professor (n=294)

Owner (n=43)

Supervisor or manager(including engineers and researchers) (n=429)

Lead or senior level(including engineers and researchers) (n=819)

Director (n=190)

C-level or senior executive (n=86)

Vice-president (n=68)

$14,506

$20,077

$39,554

$40,097

$48,000

$50,193

$52,000

$54,241

$54,707

$61,829

$72,423

$76,445

$100,000

$107,562

$108,000

$134,896

$150,000

$166,500

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18 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 19

Median Salary by Job Role

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

Basic research or science (n=534)

College professor, teacher, or other educator (n=431)

Technical or lab (n=117)

Applied research (n=728)

Administrative (n=60)

Other (n=74)

Consultant (n=38)

Production, manufacturing, or quality assurance (n=145)

Marketing (n=60)

Sales (n=129)

Application or product development (n=251)

Engineering or design (n=724)

Project or program management (n=208)

Business development (n=88)

Executive, leadership, or owner (n=215)

$53,130

$55,710

$56,551

$57,938

$62,000

$65,591

$74,094

$80,000

$85,506

$88,361

$89,000

$92,925

$100,139

$109,711

$150,000

ALWAYS SEEKING WAYS

TO DE VELOP MYSELF.“ “

“ “

I LOVE MY CURRENT JOBIN OP TIC S AND CAN ' T WAIT TO PU RSU E

A CAREER IN IT!

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Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 19

Degree Being Pursued

StudentsThe majority of student respondents are pursuing PhDs.

0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Technical degree or certificate

MD or similar medical doctor degree

High school diploma

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

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

PhD, doctorate, or equivalent

n=1,0180.5%

0.6%

0.8%

12%

22%

64%

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20 Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 21

Find targeted engineering and technical jobs, post your CV/resume online,

set up job alerts, access career-related articles and more, all for free.

STAY INFORMEDGAIN EXPOSURE

BUILD YOUR NETWORK

SPIECAREERCENTER.ORG

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Optics & Photonics Global Salary Report 21

Methodology and Endnotes In January of 2020, SPIE sent email survey invitations to a large subset of its global customer database. 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 5,280 valid responses. Microsoft Excel and SPSS were utilized for summary statistics and related analyses.

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

States (1899), Peoples Republic of China (348), India (256), Germany (250), Russia (194), Japan (169), Canada (146), Italy (143), United Kingdom (140), South Korea (117), France (98), Mexico (88), Spain (84), Taiwan (79), Brazil (73), Australia (58), Netherlands (55), Switzerland (54), Turkey (48), Belgium (47), Sweden (43), Israel (42), Poland (39), Czechia (38), Ukraine (34), Pakistan (33), Singapore (31), Chile (28), Portugal (27), Finland and Indonesia (26), South Africa (24), Lithuania and Malaysia (23), Austria and Colombia (22), Algeria (20), Argentina and New Zealand (19), Egypt (18), Denmark and Romania (17), Thailand (16), Nigeria (15), Greece (14), Ireland (13), Hungary and Philippines (11), Bulgaria and Saudi Arabia (10), Hong Kong SAR, China, and Morocco (9), Tunisia (8), Latvia, Slovak Republic, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam (7), Belarus and Jordan (6), Bangladesh, Estonia, and Norway (5), Armenia, Ecuador, and Kenya (4), Ethiopia, Ghana, Iraq, Peru, Qatar, and Tanzania (3), Bolivia, Chad, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Libya, Luxembourg, Macao SAR, China, Serbia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, and Zambia (2), Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Georgia, Guatemala, Iran, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Liberia, Mongolia, Oman, Paraguay, Senegal, Tajikistan, Uruguay, and Venezuela (1).

2. US dollars are used throughout. Local currencies were converted using January 2020 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. Yearly growth was computed by comparing same-currency results for each year.

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

5. 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 Lithuania and Norway, at $17,430 and $80,610 per capita Gross National Income (GNI), respectively, for 2018. European lower-income countries include Russia at $10,230 and Ukraine at $2,660.

Higher- and lower-income subcategories are based on the World Bank’s threshold for high-income countries, $12,376 per capita GNI in 2018. 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

6. 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.

STAY HUNGRY.STAY FOOLISH.

“ “

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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 257,000 constituents from 173 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. In 2019, SPIE provided over $5 million in community support, including scholarships and awards, outreach and advocacy programs, travel grants, public policy, and educational resources.

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