Packaging pay is better for men
salaries in the industry have risen steadily over the last few
years, but that there are still major disparities between men and
women when it comes to pay.
Sex matters, at least when it comes to salaries in the UK packaging industry. A recent survey from the Institute of Packaging shows that salaries have risen steadily in the UK and Ireland, but that there are still major differences between the sexes.
Salary was, for obvious reasons, an important consideration for most of the Institute's members questioned as part of the survey, with nearly 30 per cent of those questioned replying.
"We're delighted that so many members have responded to the survey. On the whole, employment in the industry seems to be very stable, with the majority of members receiving a pay rise in the past 12 months, and 75 per cent of respondents have never been made redundant throughout their careers," commented Colin Hatton, co-author of the survey and Fellow of The Institute of Packaging.
However, for female members the gender gap in salaries is not good news. While salaries appear to be rising at a steady rate year-on-year, females within the industry can be earning as much as 28 per cent less their male counterparts. In fact, only on two occasions do average female salaries exceed male salaries.
Hatton continued: "Despite the gender gap in salaries, the average salary for the packaging industry is substantially above the national average, and equally interesting is that salaries in the south east of England [traditionally the part of the country where salaries are highest] are in many cases lower than some areas of the country."
One point of concern raised through the survey, however, was the amount of overtime worked throughout the industry. Unpaid overtime appears to be the norm within the packaging industry, with the mean average a staggering 10 hours per week, whilst 66 per cent of respondents work between six and 26 hours unpaid overtime on a weekly basis.
Hatton concluded: "I feel that the importance of this survey cannot be overestimated and we plan to conduct further surveys annually to enable us to plot the ways our industry is changing and keep our members informed."
The Institute of Packaging's Salary Survey is available to members free of charge on the Institute's website or at a cost of €165 to non-members.
