UK chemical engineers report positive pay trends
4 Jul 2012
London – UK chemical engineers have experienced positive pay trends with salaries continuing to rise, according to the 2012 salary survey from the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).
The IChemE survey of over 2,500 chemical engineers, estimates that the median annual salary for those participating in the survey was £53,000 compared to £50,000 in 2010.
The best paid sectors were unchanged with those working in the oil and gas production and oil refining sectors reporting the highest median annual salaries of £72,000 (+15%) and £63,800 (+12%), respectively.
Chemical engineers working in the petrochemicals sector also reported a 10% median pay increase from £55,000 to £60,400 a year. The highest median salaries can be found in London (£62,000) closely followed by south east England (£60,725) and the country’s ‘south central’ region (£59,600).
Chartered chemical engineers also reported significantly higher salaries than non chartered counterparts, continuing to earn more than non-chartered equivalents at almost every stage of their career. Chartered professionals in their thirties outearn a non chartered counterpart of the same age by around £10,000.
Graduates starting salaries remain some of the most competitive across all disciplines in the UK, with a typical annual starting salary of £28,000, said IChemE.
The number of students studying chemical engineering in the UK has doubled over the last decade, the report also noted. There are now a record number of students studying the subject with another bumper intake expected this September.
“Chemical engineering presents an excellent career opportunity across all of the sectors and the results show that chemical engineers still command real earning power,” said IChemE ceo David Brown.
“We’ve always said that becoming a chartered chemical engineer is evidence of both competence and commitment to the profession,” added brown. “This data shows that employers also continue to recognise the value of chartered status.”
