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Purchasing pros 'buy' rising salaries

Decision-making autonomy and work hours satisfy purchasing personnel, but advancement potential and income receive a thumbs-down. Meanwhile, cuts in both staff and budget increased significantly in packaging since 1997.

Between 1997 and 1999, the average salary for packaging buyers rose to $54괌 from $46κ·” (Chart A). That’s an annual increase of more than 8%. Despite the seemingly generous pay hikes, purchasing people remain neutral when it comes to their overall job satisfaction.

Those are among the findings of Packaging World’s second reader survey on salaries. Independent research firm Market Research Support Services (Roselle, IL) tabulated the results of both the 1997 and 1999 surveys. The most current survey results, as well as a comparison between the two, was published last month (see PW, March ’00, p. 30 or packworld.com/go/salary). This month, PW concludes its 1999 survey reports with articles on packaging engineers (see p. 56) and purchasing agents.

Of the 307 respondents in 1999, 15% were purchasing agents. That number is down significantly from 44% in the previous survey. It’s uncertain whether fewer respondents affected the results, or the comparison to ’97. Two years ago, our survey report noted that purchasing agents ranked among the lowest in compensation among packaging people.

Job security concerns

Concerns about job security was a major reason why agents weren’t bullish about their current positions. Nearly three times more respondents in 1999 (by percentage) indicated they had experienced packaging-related staff cuts in the previous 12 months compared to 1997 (Chart B). Again, by percentage, in 1999 more than twice as many respondents reported packaging-related budget cuts, compared to ’97.

Purchasing must handle β€œtoo many nonrelated tasks due to understaffing,” pointed out an agent with a food and beverage company in the Midwest.

The most recent survey shows that only 6.7% of respondents said they were promoted to a new job in the last 12 months, down from 16.5% in ’97. And far fewer buyers changed jobs or switched to a new company in the 1999 survey.

Those figures bolster the dissatisfaction respondents reported regarding advancement potential. Salary was also a low-rated factor.

Salary ranges

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