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ARE you adequately rewarded for your work? Do you ever wonder about the salaries of other scientists and engineers around you or in different places, and think about making a change? Weighing up the benefits of taking a new professional direction can be hard, especially without reliable information on the potential earnings.

If such questions play on your mind, help is at hand. New Ů��С��Ƶ and science recruitment company SRG have gathered data on the earnings of 4300 scientists and engineers from a wide range of sectors, fields and roles in the UK, mainland Europe and the US.

The online survey shows, for example, that one of the best ways for Europeans to up their earnings is to cross the Atlantic. While the average salary excluding benefits in the UK and mainland Europe in 2017 was £37,200 and €39,400 (£34,700) respectively, in the US it was $69,600 (£50,000).

“Engineering is the most lucrative field, with UK salaries averaging £46,100”

Or you might want to consider Switzerland, where survey participants reported even higher salaries, averaging €90,100 (£79,000), although that has to be balanced against higher living costs of course. Also well paid were those in the Republic of Ireland, who earn €51,600 (£45,300) on average, and those in Germany who are on €48,200 (£42,300). By contrast, the lowest earners were in Italy, where the average is just €30,300 (£26,600).

The survey also reveals the extent of variations between fields and sectors. UK information technology specialists reported the highest average salaries of around £52,700, followed by project managers and those in regulatory roles. The lowest earners were those in quality control and in food (see “Average UK salary by specialism”).

“It’s a good time for people to explore their options,” says Kelly Morton, managing director of SRG. “There are shortages of candidates with niche technical skills and experience, which, together with an increasing focus on innovation, is driving pay up in certain areas.”

In the UK, respondents working in industry have the highest average earnings at around £40,000. Then come those carrying out medical trials, in government labs or agencies, at contract research organisations, in charities and foundations, and academia (see “Average UK salary by sector”).

There are large variations here by sector, too. Engineering and pharmaceuticals are the most lucrative, with average salaries of around £46,100 and £40,200 respectively. The least well paid are people working in biotechnology and manufacturing (see “Average UK salary by industry”).

Survey respondents in London had the highest average salaries, closely followed by those in the South-East. The regions with the lowest salaries were the North-East and Yorkshire and Humberside (see Map). There was a crumb of comfort for those in the North-East, where the average reported salary increase was 2.85 per cent in 2017 – the highest in the UK and almost 1 per cent above that in London.

People thinking about which scientific field to enter, or considering a switch, may want to consider which skill sets are in demand. According to our survey, jobs in chemistry, the biological sciences and data analysis are the hardest to recruit for in the UK. Elsewhere in Europe, the top three are the biological sciences, bioinformatics and data analysis. In the US, the picture is similar, with biological science skills most in demand, followed by statistics and bioinformatics.

This article was written and edited independently by New Ů��С��Ƶ

This article appeared in print under the headline “How much can you earn?”