As the economic climate finally begins to thaw, many manufacturing companies are looking to gradually expand their workforce. Though many organizations may not reach pre-recession workforce levels, additional talent is needed to keep up with the slowly rising demand of goods. The 2010 Compensation Data Manufacturing survey results found the salary for a production worker has remained steady at $29,400 per year, reflecting only a one percent increase since 2009.
Some jobs did see above average increases to their salaries this year. Tool and die makers currently earn $47,300 per year, 2.4 percent higher than last year. Warehouse workers are earning $30,200 annually, up from $28,800 in 2009. The salary of a transportation supervisor has seen an increase of 4.66 percent to $58,400. Salaries for continuous improvement directors increased from $106,400 to $113,300, which is an increase of 6.5 percent.
"In an economy where many organizations are implementing salary freezes and reductions just to get by, it’s encouraging to see salaries for many jobs still rising, even if those increases are very modest," said Amy Kaminski, director of marketing for Compdata Surveys, the nation's leading compensation and benefits survey data provider. "If the government effort underway to double exports over the next five years is successful, the demand for many jobs within the manufacturing industry may significantly increase over the next few years."
According to the survey, salaries differ by region as machinists in the West earn the most, $49,700. This is followed by machinists in the Northeast and Southeast who currently earn $41,900 and $41,100, respectively. Machinists in the Midwest earn $39,800 per year. Machinists in the South Central earn the least, $39,200 per year, which is 26.8 percent less than their counterparts in the West.
About the survey
Compensation Data 2010 Manufacturing contains data on over 100 industry-specific job titles and more than 300 benchmark titles ranging from entry-level to top executives. Data was collected from nearly 1,100 manufacturing employers across the country. The results provide a comprehensive summary of pay data, benefit information and pay practices with an effective date of February 1, 2010.
Compdata Surveys is the nation's leading compensation and benefits survey data provider. Thousands of U.S. organizations provide data each year ensuring the reliability of our results. Compdata Surveys has been providing comprehensive data at affordable prices to organizations from coast to coast since 1988. For further information about their compensation and benefits surveys, contact Amy Kaminski at 800-300-9570.
