×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Salary raise survey
2

Salary raise survey

Salary raise survey

(OP)
Ok, I dont want know how much you make.  I just want to see the average raise per year (even if you move to different companies).  Please do this calculation for me and give me your answer

CS = Current salary or hourly rate
SS= Starting salary or hourly rate (after you just graduated)
Y= Years since graduation
R = % raise per year assuming you get the same % per year

If you own a company then only put the data only when you still work for a company.


R = [(CS/SS)^(1/y)]-1

Could you post your R on this forum

http://www.krmconsultants.com

RE: Salary raise survey

R=0.110 with almost three years experience.
I'm in land development in Florida.

RE: Salary raise survey

.0823  or 8.23%

I've never calulated that before.  Interesting.  I guess I've been fortunate to work where merit counts in the salary review process.

-Tony Staples
www.tscombustion.com

RE: Salary raise survey

(OP)
Although I must say higher R doesnt mean it is better.  It can also mean you received below average starting salary.  But anyway, it is still fun to see what the average R is considering how often we get a new thread about expected raise on this forum.

http://www.krmconsultants.com

RE: Salary raise survey

.0726, 5 years w/ 10% raise after receiving PE this past fall

RE: Salary raise survey

Before I give the figures, I had a break of over a year outside of engineering back in 04/05 and for about 9 months before that was effectively part time freelance contractor.  So I kind of lost about 2 years in total.

Also my first job was in the UK in an area with average cost of living, while I’m now in the US working in an area with very high cost of living.  I used an exchange factor of 1.9 in converting pay in UK to dollars, not sure this is really accurate.  My first jobs starting salary was competitive.

If I deduct the approximately 2 years from Y I get R = 13.6

If I include the 2 year in Y I get R = 10.2

Having compared this with what other people got:

A. I’m concerned I’ll get lynched if we all got together.winky smile

B. I’m questioning any advice I’ve ever given regarding expected salary as I’m well off the curve.

RE: Salary raise survey

Sorry should be

13.6% (.136) & 10.2% (.102), I'm not sure even Bill Gates got what I'd put abovewinky smile

RE: Salary raise survey

4.5% per year; it's been that for a while.

TTFN

Eng-Tips Policies FAQ731-376


RE: Salary raise survey

R=.0588 over 10yrs.  I guess it could have been worse.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Salary raise survey

0.08635 or 8.64% on 23 years...

-The future's so bright I gotta wear shades!
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of the Eng-Tips Forums.
 

 
 

RE: Salary raise survey

6.27%, 14 years.

RE: Salary raise survey

6.3% and 28 years.

Good luck,
Latexman

RE: Salary raise survey

R=0.0577 with 5 yrs. experience

RE: Salary raise survey

R=0.128 with 5 yrs. experience.

RE: Salary raise survey

6.4% over 26 years. That's as far back as I can remember. Now I'm depressed.

corus

RE: Salary raise survey

Using the depressingly low salary from the sweat-shop start-up outfit I worked at for a few months immediately after graduating I get a result of 14.3%.

Using the salary from my first engineering job being paid at something resembling market rate I get a result of 8.94% over 13 years. Not too bad.
 

----------------------------------
  Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

RE: Salary raise survey

Putting aside the depression for one minute, the figures themselves are only meaningful if they refer to real earnings growth, ie above or below the increase in the cost of living, or thr RPI as it's called in the UK. I don't know if this varies significantly from country to country but from http://archive.treasury.gov.uk/budget/1997/report/chap3c.htm
the figure over the past 20 years has been about 4% in the UK. In my case of a 6% rise in earnings then this relates to an annual 2% growth in earnings over that period, approximately. As an investment it's a poor return. Back to the depression.

corus

RE: Salary raise survey

0.0764 over 28 years

RE: Salary raise survey

.0679 - 15 years

RE: Salary raise survey

R=0.069, 12 years

RE: Salary raise survey

6.0%, 7 years.  Same company.  Continuous employment.

RE: Salary raise survey

8.3%, 17 years.  Mind you the figure has been dropping off since I hit my ceiling - the one all technical people eventually hit if they stay in employment.

RE: Salary raise survey

7.8% over 23 years with the same company, that includes one year with a 20% raise in the early years.  Without that raise it would have been much lower.

David

RE: Salary raise survey

Well, I think it's time to look for a new job.  I do not get a COLA raise, only merit and that has been about 1.5% per year because I am above the midpoint for salary.  I do get a incentive bonus so that helps reduce the backslide on salary.

Anyhow my R is 0.052 (5.2%) with 25 yrs and a PE.

RE: Salary raise survey

R=0.2011-8 years
Changed company, changed country and now living in a tax haven.
The big jump was when I moved. If we only count after that then I get R=0.028.
Maybe time to jump again, my average is dropping...

RE: Salary raise survey

R=0.097 N=25 years

You'd be much better off looking at some sort of integral rather than base salary at t=0 and t=now, as the method you propose overemphasises starting salary.


Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Salary raise survey

11.3% at just over 12 years.  Two job moves included...

RE: Salary raise survey

6.2% over 23 years, 3 job moves.

RE: Salary raise survey

R = .005 over a 2 year time period.  I was promised (in writing) at least a .100 when I started.  That is why I left the compay for a better job.

RE: Salary raise survey

(OP)

Quote (GregLocock):

You'd be much better off looking at some sort of integral rather than base salary at t=0 and t=now, as the method you propose overemphasises starting salary.
Come up with something and we can do survey #2.  Don't make it too complicated because some people might not be able to figure it out  smile  I am going to get my 1 year review from my new job in 3 days.  I have to put my new R.

http://www.krmconsultants.com

RE: Salary raise survey

0.117

RE: Salary raise survey

8.4% after 5 yrs.

RE: Salary raise survey

.126 after 13 years

Kevin Hammond

Mechanical Design Engineer
Derbyshire, UK
 

RE: Salary raise survey

0.0625  -  6 months.

RE: Salary raise survey

.128 , 3 years - extra low SS

RE: Salary raise survey

R = 0.0955 after 5 years.  Like many others though, I started out of college with a very low salary relative to others in the same industry & company size.  I'd say I am still on the low end of average now, but I will be happy if the 0.0955 continues.

Good luck with your situation!

RE: Salary raise survey

R = 0.0834 with 1.5 years

RE: Salary raise survey

3.8% at 5.5 years experience (and hell, that's WITH bonuses).  If you factor in schooling reimbursement, it's 5.6%  Thanks...I thought my week started off depressing enough.  Isn't manufacturing great?

RE: Salary raise survey

.09155 after 9 years.  

RE: Salary raise survey

Oh, that is depressing.

If you look at my first job to my second job...  .11
That was $13/hr as a truss designer right out of college, then jump to structural work for a big company for 4 years til the bottom fell out and then I made virtually -0- for a year or so.

Now I've job-hopped 3 times in the last year, so my overall since graduation (7 years ago) is 0.04.

I'm still $7k per year below where I was when I was laid off. That's what's depressing.

But I'm $8k ahead of where I was a year ago with my first job after the layoff.  I guess that's a bright spot, huh?  Another jump or two and I might be back where I left off...what a depressing thought.

Geez, my career sucks...

RE: Salary raise survey

I guess the real comment is that R you just calculated is more likely to;

A) Increase
B) Decrease
C) Unchange

Its easy for management to increase us youngin's, it looks like if you are 15+ a 10% ROI looks to be a pipedream.

Another reason for me to wish I stayed 25 forever....*sigh*

I'm hovering @ 12.5% at 7 years.

Frank "Grimey" Grimes
Rule 25. of Swanson's "Unwritten Rules of Management"
Have fun at what you do. It will reflect in your work. No one likes a grump except another grump.

RE: Salary raise survey

.0549 over 28.5 years

Spent 5 years in the early 90's with a net of no increase.
Laid off from company A in 1989 at salary X, worked for company B for salary Y with raises, went to company C in 1994 at salary X. Company A was in defense, companies B and C were commercial work.

"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli
Sr IS Technologist
L-3 Communications

RE: Salary raise survey

Think about it.  While we probably never stop learning as engineers the rate at which we learn new stuff, acquire new skills etc. typically slows as we get more experience.

Hence our 'rate of increase of value to the company' probably slows.

This probably corresponds to the slow in rate of pay increase as our career develops, and hence a lower average increase for those with more experience.

For instance an Engineer with 5 years of experience may well be one and half times more valuable than a new graduate so a pay level approximately 50% higher than that of a new graduate may not be unreasonable.  This would correspond to a relatively rapid rate of pay increase, around 8.5% per annum.

However an Engineer with say 40 years of experience probably isn’t 50% more valuable than an engineer with 35 years of experience.  In fact, other factors being even, they are probably of approximately the same value to the company and so may be expected to have similar pay.  As such the pay increases from 35 to 40 years may at best be inflation/COLA.

Now there are a lot of factors that can make a difference, such as taking more responsibility, new qualifications, promotions changing jobs etc and the above examples make sweeping assumptions but I believe is basically true.

I forgot to take into account profit sharing at my current job, If I do then the higher figure (based on ignoring the couple of years I wasn’t a full time engineer) becomes about

.14 on 6.5 years

or .106 on 8.5 years (if I include them).

My starting salary was competitive, in fact it was better than many since at the time many large UK defense companies gave a slightly lower start salary with a hiring bonus and (more or less) guaranteed pay rises for the first year or two.

RE: Salary raise survey

That made me laugh. I was just wondering which two graduates, at ~ $50k each, could do my job. I'd like to meet them.

I doubled my value to the company 5 years back, because I went into a new field and brought all my old skills with me.

That option is always available.

As to a better scoring system, I'm tempted to suggest an effective compounded interest rate backwards from your current salary to give the same total earnings, but I ain't gonna work that out. That doesn't work especially well if you've had years off, of course.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Salary raise survey

Greg, you're not wrong.  2 Graduates doesn't necessarily = 1 guy with 20+ years experience just because what their combined pay equals, that's not what I meant to imply.

Like I said there are a lot of factors and my examples above are simplifications, but I think there's a grain of truth to it.  Pay probably isn't directly proportionate to value to the company, and value isn't directly proportional to time at company, but I think there is a link most of the time.

Maybe what I put is nonsense but it makes sense to mesmile

RE: Salary raise survey

0.103 over 10 years

RE: Salary raise survey

Pay is a little bit like stock market. Stock value is not only the actual value of the company but also the perceived future value that the company has in the market.
Imagine that a company has a very profitable product but in some time in the future will be forbidden due to for instance health/environmental concerns. Even if now the company is profitable, most probably its share price will drop as the perceived value of the its future by the market is fuzzy.
Your pay is also related with the perceived value that the company has regarding your work. That's why that when you change jobs tipically you go for a raise even if the productivity on the new job is, for some time, lower than your actual job (you need time to know colleagues, process, clients, etc.) but either way the perceived value of your new company is higher than the older one.

RE: Salary raise survey

I get R=0.062 based on 6.5 years and 1 job-change.

Or possible R=0.078 if I decide to take the job offer on the table at the moment.

The numbers don't totally match up - I started on an hourly rate for the first year or so and then switched to the starting salary i used in the calc. I think the hourly rate and salary matched at the time but I can't remember that far back anymore!

RE: Salary raise survey

R=0.11 over 4 years

RE: Salary raise survey

R=0.113 N=2 years

RE: Salary raise survey

OK, I stuck with the basic model pay0^((1+R)*(n-1))

but used a least squares fit to adjust both pay0 and R. This deemphasises pay0.

This gives 7.0% over 24 years - and clearly reveals that staying with one company and having more than 20 years experience is a bad thing - since the last few years are the only ones where I have consistently fallen below the overall trend.

Now that is not really doom and disaster - early on in my career inflation peaked at 18%, which will distort this sort of curve immensely.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Salary raise survey

~9.6%, ~3 years, same company,




RE: Salary raise survey

0.063 over 18 years with one company.  Perhaps I am old fashioned, but it is not all about the money.  Every move made to get higher pay also includes a risk that the job won't work out, that your new boss will be a jerk, that the wife and kids will hate the new city.  Every move include major inconvenience and disruption of everyone’s lives. I place some value on avoiding those risks and disruptions.  I am well paid relative to my experience and responsibilities.  I would not be interested in moving to Albuquerque just to get a 12% raise instead of a 6% raise.  (Nothing against Albuquerque, it’s a very nice city)

Johnny Pellin

RE: Salary raise survey

0.0652 with 16 years....3rd company and looking for a 4th company now...

______________________________________________________________________________
This is normally the space where people post something insightful.

RE: Salary raise survey

.075, 12 yrs, on 4th company.  Would be .085 had I taken the other offer f/ my most recent move, but chose the more interesting work over the money.

RE: Salary raise survey

R=0.25.  Wow, that's pretty good looking at other people's numbers.  2 years experience and second company as of the first of the year.  I am the product of a booming market.  However, I am in a volatile field and I am stashing away for when the bottom falls out again...

RE: Salary raise survey

COEngineer,

This is a nice posting that you started. I think the R values, especially of those with longer tenure, gives a very consistent picture of the expected pay/salary increases over a career. Gave you a star.

I wonder what the R values are for some of the other "professions". Then again, topic for another thread.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."   
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Salary raise survey

R = 0.032 with 3 years experience after graduation

R = 0.25 with 7 years experience since being in the HVAC industry

RE: Salary raise survey

So far the average above is 0.0863

I removed the 0.25 (WOW) and the .005 for someone with only 6 months.

______________________________________________________________________________
This is normally the space where people post something insightful.

RE: Salary raise survey

R=0.165 y=5 years

RE: Salary raise survey

0.1915 (19.5%)- 19 years
lots of international moves - expat contracting.
Forex rate differences skew the number.

FOETS
Social Drinker with a Golfing Problem

RE: Salary raise survey

Interesting reading, but I do think there are a lot of variables.  Willingness to move has been brought up and I know I make less living where I do and less options for employment.  I do know that I made the least at the job I learned about the most at.  Choice I made.  Left that job a few months after getting PE and took $6k raise, left that job 5 mo later (hated it) for another $6k raise and again in two years for anothr $4k raise.  If you take a snapshot of that 2.5 years, it skews reality a bit.  But in 12 years I have more than doubled my income.  Not too bad.  LOL am changing jobs again, but this is a pretty lateral move salary-wise.  R=0.0646

RE: Salary raise survey

Just because this thread isn't long enough
R=1.05

9 years since graduated
started out with a really low salary
two job moves making at least 10% more with each change
2 grade level promotions accounting for 8-9% those years in addition to merit raise of 4.5-5%.

I'm now at the industry average!

--Scott

http://wertel.eng.pro

RE: Salary raise survey

swertel, do you mean R=0.105?  If not, are you guys hiring?! :)

RE: Salary raise survey

I have a CS/SS ratio of 1.5288 with 9 years experience, roughly.

Like I said, it wasn't just the one job, it was that my SS was REALLY low which I accepted just to have a job out of school unlike my peers.  In those 9 years, I've held 4 positions in 3 companies and got a 8-10% increase for each position.  Plus, starting out at Engineer I and now being an Engineer III, although I should be an Engineer IV, also helped because of the "promotion" raise for each grade level and added responsibilities.

--Scott

http://wertel.eng.pro

RE: Salary raise survey

Swertel, using the formula 1.05 would be 105% each year.

I'm with PMR06 are you hiring?

RE: Salary raise survey

I don't think anyone mentioned inflation.  The "effective" increase should be your R minus the average inflation between SS and CS.

RE: Salary raise survey

Besides inflation and relocation...it get's worse....what sbout rising cost of health insurance premuims, 401k options, and periods of unemployment, and there's probably even a few remaining who have pensions to consider..

RE: Salary raise survey

.079 compounded over 30 years, two promotions, about 12 different jobs, same company.

Last year was UK inflation + 0.5%, I think.

Bill

RE: Salary raise survey

3.86% over 5 years since completing a master's.  I took a big pay cut moving from construction to design and have crept back up.

RE: Salary raise survey

As a matter of fact, this company may be hiring since I may be moving on and a position may be opening up.  Most likely, though, they'll just deligate my duties to the other overworked engineers and pat eachother on the back for decreasing expenses and making the profits look better.

And by the way, I forget to subtract 1 each time I performed the calculation.  So it the correct answer is really .0483.

Sorry to get all your hopes up.

Like I said, even if I didn't mess up the calc before, I'm just now at the industry average.  You sure you want this job?

--Scott

http://wertel.eng.pro

RE: Salary raise survey

I found the thread late.  Mine depends on whether you count bonuses.

If not, then R = 0.0671

If so, then R = 0.103

9 years, 3 companies

RE: Salary raise survey

(OP)
grrr... im still waiting for my PE result.. I think I passed but my R is really low, hoping to have a good jump after the news.

RE: Salary raise survey

R=0.136, 4 years in.

1 company, started low and up to speed with industry now.

RE: Salary raise survey

Interesting.  
From a percent standpoint I don’t feel too bad now:
8.9% for 11 yrs – 9.3% if you count the bonus that has been pretty steady.
I think this was with low starting pay, up to about average current.

As a side note, with the recent debate of the minimum wage here in the US, a lot of people brought up the Congressional raises over the last 10 years.  From data that I found:  Ave Salary: $168,500 and 9 raises over 10 years totaling $31600.  That number calcs  out to 2.09% per year .

Definitely illustrates the starting pay aspect.

RE: Salary raise survey

TDAA-
that is a low number, percentage wise, but I believe that they receive that salary for the rest of their life once they leave Congress!!!

RE: Salary raise survey


.201 - 41 years.

But...

30 GBP/week in the late 1960's and early 70's was a "good" salary!

I do not feel any more wealthy! (Thanks Mr G Brown!)


Cheers

Harry

RE: Salary raise survey

R=.0863 and N=17

Of course, I'm presently out of work with no immediate prospects so fat lot of good it does me now...

--------------------
How much do YOU owe?
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
--------------------

RE: Salary raise survey

Pud(Mechanical),
     You are either the highest paid engineer or there is a arithmetical blunder.  Are you making 1117% of your original salary?

RE: Salary raise survey

R=0.096 w/11 years but that doesn't include the 10% bonus.  The company treats the engineers well and we have really low turnover.  I've taken the stance that compensation is only one factor in totally job satisfaction.  Albeit, there was a time where I chased the $$$$$ before the dotcom bust and I was least happy during those times.

Heckler
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
SWx 2007 SP 3.0 & Pro/E 2001
XP Pro SP2.0 P4 3.6 GHz, 1GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro FX 1400
      o
  _`\(,_
(_)/ (_)

(In reference to David Beckham) "He can't kick with his left foot, he can't tackle, he can't head the ball and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that, he's all right."  -- George Best

RE: Salary raise survey

R = 0.064 after 27.5 years with the same company

Chose to retire rather than relocate and be integrated with an acquired business unit. Received total value of approximately 10.2 X final salary in lump sum retirement, continuing medical insurance and severance. Retirement included both my own and company contributions to company plan plus investment earnings on contributions.

The relocated operation was closed about three years after I left.

RE: Salary raise survey



civilperswon:

Well spotted! Gotta stop posting after a night in the pub!!

Ignore that - correct figure should be:

.094 - I always new I was underpaid!!!



Cheers


Harry

RE: Salary raise survey

(OP)
9.4% a year is awesome pud.  Nothing to complain about.

RE: Salary raise survey


COEngineer:

Is it? I must admit to being "comfortably well off", but that I guess is because I really left engineering around 12 years ago and started a manufacturing business. I enjoy actually making stuff!!

Rgds


Harry

RE: Salary raise survey

From first job out of college to present: R = 0.125
From PE license to present: R = 0.095
From SE license to present: R = 0.063

General trend I see is that later on in one's career the percentage increase in salary levels off.

RE: Salary raise survey



R= .111 Y=6

Although the R-value is quite good, my CS is still close to 25% below what the salary surveys say. And my SS was very low.

I've changed from a sweatshop to a global leader in the components we make, and got an R of .5 at that time, if I calc it for this employer only I get:

R=0.058 and Y=4

Hmmm and the COL increase last year in my area was ~4%. If I include the ~75% increase in fuel costs to get to work I probably make less money now.

RE: Salary raise survey

I have been waiting to be able to post this information.  
R=0.83333 with Y=1.
Starting salary was slightly above average.

RE: Salary raise survey

StructuralEIT,
I would be proud of an 83% raise in one year's time also.  Hope it happens consistently!

RE: Salary raise survey

damnit-
Sorry 0.08333  8.33%
I just had my review today, I was a little excited.

RE: Salary raise survey

R = 0.083 after 10 years

Work for myself now, though.

RE: Salary raise survey

R = .06658
y = 35
I've had to work hard to avoid management positions and stay in a technical jobs.

Life is good!

Timelord

RE: Salary raise survey

Wow...

After my last performance review it dropped to a 5.4% raise annually for the past 6 years with the same company.

Pretty depressing I'm almost the lowest in the entire thread.

Would you consider this underpaid?

RE: Salary raise survey

For your first 6 years after graduating, maybe. For your 20-26th years, no.

Bear in mind that between when you are say 32 to 38 you probably don't change much in value to the company. At 32 you are a valubale project engineer. When you get to 40 (ish) you reach old fart status, and have a good chance of having seen it all before. At which point your value to the company rockets, at the same time as your personal interest diminishes somewhat, since fresh challenges are few and far between.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Salary raise survey

My R was 0.174. I have just started so thats, not too bad.
On the other hand I just changed jobs so we will re-up this later.

David
Mechanical Engineer
Tulsa, Oklahoma

RE: Salary raise survey

"For your first 6 years after graduating, maybe. For your 20-26th years, no."

I'm 29 years old. I've been with the same company since graduating. I think I'm getting screwed.

RE: Salary raise survey

R = 0.25
Y = 2.0

If this trend continues another 10-20 years I might just end up owning a house in Sydney.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources