Corrosion professionals in North America and Europe have experienced another year of continued growth in career opportunities and salary levels, according to the 2015 Corrosion Career Survey conducted by Materials Performance magazine. The survey includes data on average annual salary by job type, company function, NACE certification, education level, years of experience, years of NACE International membership, and hours worked per week. There is also a breakdown of annual salary averages by U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and European countries.
The full survey is available on the NACE Web site at nace.org/salarysurvey.aspx.
The full survey is available on the NACE Web site at nace.org/salarysurvey.aspx.
The average annual U.S. compensation including salary and bonuses is $113,734, an increase of 4.71% from 2014, but less than last year’s increase of 5.3%. In Canada, the average annual taxable income this year is CAN$121,538, a slight increase (0.88%) over last year’s average annual salary and less than the 11.4% increase experienced by Canadian respondents in 2014. European corrosion professionals reported an average salary of €76,147, up by 13.75% from last year-a substantial reverse of the 2.5% decrease in average annual salary reported by European respondents in 2014. The average annual salary for survey participants in the United Kingdom is £75,690, down 3.81% from 2014.
In addition to salary data, survey participants were asked about the challenges facing corrosion control professionals. Several emphasized the need to create understanding among non-corrosion personnel (i.e., owners, managers, operators, engineers, regulators, etc.) that corrosion is a major problem across all sectors and that it can be prevented or controlled through proper material selection, design, manufacturing, assembly, testing, application, inspection, and maintenance. Persuading upper management to invest in corrosion prevention strategies is challenging, writes one respondent, commenting that "corrosion becomes the last priority more often than it should. Then when an incident happens, everyone responds reactively. This must change."
As in past surveys, respondents also commented on the need to transfer corrosion knowledge from the older generation to the younger generation. "There appears to be more experienced people leaving this industry and [they are] not being replaced fast enough," says one respondent . In spite of the challenges, many respondents report that they are very happy with a corrosion-control career. "[I am] very happy to have been able to develop a career in corrosion investigation and mitigation," says one Canadian respondent. "I wish I had started sooner and could influence young people to consider this field. It is fascinating, challenging, and rewarding."
Since 1998, Materials Performance magazine has conducted its annual corrosion career survey of NACE members. The 2015 survey was conducted by Newlio, an independent survey company. With a 95% confidence level in all of the regions where the survey was complete, the results provide the latest details on demographics and salary levels for corrosion professionals in all fields of corrosion control.
