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Rising responsibilities, rising salaries

Looking at the economy’s impact on packaging careers, an exclusive 2011 IoPP/Packaging World survey finds incomes continue to climb as the workforce is stretched to its limit.

Pw 40671 Salary Cov Art

$107,440. That’s the weighted average for total 2011 earnings for packaging professionals, including salary, bonus, cash incentives, and commission, according to respondents to the 2011 Salary Survey.


That income tops the $104,850 reported in 2010, $101,470 in 2009, and $101,879 in 2008. The survey was conducted by the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) and Packaging World magazine, and developed in cooperation with Gros Executive Recruiters.


Much more than reporting earnings, this definitive packaging survey sought to examine how the 2011 economy made an impact on packaging careers, and how jobs may be affected in the future. More than 1,400 packaging pros responded to the online survey, which was conducted from Jan. 11, 2012 to Feb. 15, 2012. Some of the income highlights:


• Among eight titles, corporate management averaged the highest at $150,560
• Suppliers averaged $114,560 while end-user firm respondents made $103,590
• Females earned $92,140 on average, compared to $111,550 reported by males
• Geographically, workers in the Northeast earned the most, averaging $116,690


The modest income gains of the past two years seem to echo the notion that the economy is gradually pulling out of the “great recession.” To some extent, job stability was reflected in the results, showing that more than eight in 10 workers—82% to be precise—indicated they experienced no job change in 2011. Those figures, however, are open to interpretation.


“A decent job is good enough for now. That’s what I glean from this report,” says Dennis Gros, president of Gros Executive Recruiters. “Compensation increased in 2011 for 64 percent of our survey participants. Of that group, 30 percent of the raises were less than four percent, yet 56 percent are satisfied with their current pay.”


He also notes that 10% of this survey’s respondents are not currently employed in packaging. “That’s high,” says Gros. “During a robust business cycle, that number would probably be about five percent.”

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