How much are you worth?
calculator has been launched by Gros Plastics Recruiters.
The executive recruiting firm carried out an extensive salary survey to obtain comprehensive trend information surrounding compensation, benefits, and job security and satisfaction for the plastics and packaging industry.
"After several years working with plastics and packaging professionals, I felt it was important to create a tool that helps managers in the plastics and packaging industry to identity trends about salaries, bonus compensation, healthcare coverage, job security, and job satisfaction," said Dennis Gros, president of Gros Plastics Recruiters.
"This survey is the first of many that will help these managers to reliably benchmark their salary and benefit information needs on an ongoing basis."
The survey, which covers the US sector, shows that the average CEO salary is $158,969, while the average process engineer earns $59,993. The average mould designer makes $49,533.
The findings make for some interesting reading and suggest that the sector currently suffers from a lack of professional confidence. This may be due to the fact that packaging manufacturers have been continually squeezed this year, with chemical firms passing on the costs of higher raw materials.
A whole variety of raw material prices are hostage to the vagaries of global oil and natural gas prices. Natural gas - a starting point for the production of polyethylene - has shot up in price this year, with the effect that chemical giants have continually passed on the cost to packaging firms.
The international price for naphtha, which is extracted from petroleum and is also used to make polyethylene, has increased from US $222 a tonne in May 2003 to US $420 a tonne in August.
As a result, the Gros survey found that some 10 per cent of respondents stated that they were not confident that their job would exist in 12 months.
In addition, 28 per cent of respondents did not expect to receive a bonus in 2004, while 24 per cent did not anticipate a bonus in 2005. Just over a fifth of people who will not receive a bonus in 2004 expect to receive a bonus in 2005.
Some 28 per cent of respondents stated that the percentage of their healthcare covered by their employers decreased in 2004 as compared to 2003.
However, most people remain satisfied with their work. 59 per cent stated that they were mostly or extremely happy with their job, though 34 per cent of all respondents stated that they would likely be looking for a job next year.
Some 12 per cent responded that they were at present actively seeking a new job.
Salary results for a specific job title can by obtained by visiting the Gros Plastics Recruiters Salary Calculator on the company's website. Gros Plastics Recruiters plans to repeat the survey on an annual basis.
