One of the more notable changes from the 2008 Photonics Salary Survey is the percentage of you who are satisfied with your job. Then, 75% of you said you were content, while 21% percent said you were not. This year, however, only 65% of you reported job satisfaction, while 31% – not so much. There was a change in the ratio of males to females from the last survey, too. In 2011, 5% fewer women answered the survey, while men’s responses were up 9%. Salary* by primary focus of work 4% Aerospace, aviation $134,077 1% Agriculture, food, forestry, mining $176,000 2% Automotive, transportation $94,375 2% Chemicals, pharmaceuticals, environment $86,400 2% Communications (telco, cable, video, etc) $113,857 3% Consumer goods (computers, electronics, etc.) $98,250 4% Electronics, semiconductors and ICs $85,808 5% Laboratory (private, government or industrial) $94,988 6% Manufacturing Equipment $84,875 9% Medical/biotechnology $101,731 5% Military $98,236 30% Photonics (lasers, cameras, fiber optics, imaging, electro-optics, detectors) $98,406 1% Printing, publishing, graphic arts $135,500 7% Test & measurement equipment $86,436 10% University, institution, college $79,144 1% Utilities, energy development $122,333 8% Other 3% Unspecified *Average salary in US dollars. Are you job hunting? 30% Yes 67% No Are you satisfied with your job? 65% Yes 31% No Top Vocation Vexations* 1. Compensation 2. Management issues 3. Lack of advancement 4. Overwork 5. Stress 6. Fear of layoff 7. Desire for change 8. Lack of resources 9. Unsatisfying corporate culture 10. And this: Chaos *from the Survey How many years with current employer? 12 Would you relocate for a better job? 21% Yes 32% No 43% Depends on location What do you consider criteria for a better job? 29% More money 25% Corporate culture 6% Better benefits 7% More authority 8% Different technology focus 12% More responsibility 3% Better hours How many years in workforce? 21 How many years in photonics? 15 Compensation by current position Senior Management $131,552 Project/Product Manager $113,150 Principal/Senior Engineer $112,186 Principal/Senior Scientist $110,305 Educator $86,600 Researcher/Scientist $77,724 Engineer $75,051 Consultant $65,375 Technician $60,300 Hours worked in a typical week 45 Hiring Is your company hiring? 59% Yes 27% No Is your company hiring for positions that involve photonics? 43% Yes 36% No What country do you live in? 34% Europe 52% North America 0.6% Israel 9% Pacific Rim 0.6% South America Gender 92% Male 7% Female Primary focus by gender Male Female Photonics 28% 52% University 10% 8% Medical/Biotech/Pharmaceuticals 10% 4% Test & Measurement 7% 4% Manufacturing 6% 0% Military 5% 12% Laboratory 4% 8% Electronics 4% 4% Aerospace/Aviation 4% 0% In which general category would you place your job? 51% Research & Development 9% Marketing/sales 8% Production/manufacturing 7% Design 7% Education 5% Application 4% Measurement/testing 3% Other engineering 3% Management 3% Unspecified 2% Other 0.6% Clinical