- Going for the Green (Commentary)
- Pay Comparisons By Job Title, Industry, Age, Experience, Etc. (Tables)
- Hitting the Glass Ceiling
METHODOLOGY
The 2007 Logistics Today Salary Survey was conducted in January 2007 over the Internet via e-mailed invitations to 40,539 subscribers. A total of 2,551 people responded (for a response rate of 6.3%), of that number 2,275 completed the entire survey. Because of the relatively high number of respondents, we can report the data and split it in multiple ways with a high level of statistical confidence. There was no monetary incentive but participants were offered an early preview of the survey results. All responses were anonymous. The responses below include all respondents, including those from the United States, Mexico, Canada, and elsewhere ; n equals the total number of valid responses for each question.
Why Focus on Medians
When participants in the Logistics Today 2007 Salary Survey were asked to share their thoughts on logistics as a career choice, many wrote that while they were satisfied with their jobs, they felt that they were paid below the industry average for their experience and level of responsibility. This sentiment may reflect a poor understanding of what market pay rates actually are.
When it comes to knowing what fair levels of compensation are, medians are a better indication of central tendency than the arithmetic mean, or average. With an abnormal distribution--the pay data of logistics professionals that we collected has a long tail at the upper end of the scale--the mean will be skewed in one direction. Because of this upwardly skewed distribution the median pay level, the central data point, is a better representation of typical pay levels in the industry than the mean.
Have something more to say about your pay?Judging by the huge response and emotional comments that we received, there’s a lot more that needs to be said on this topic. Fortunately the logistics community has a central place to seek information about salary levels, job offers, benefits and other compensation-related issues, from people you can trust, your peers. Register now for Logistics Today’s forums at forums.logisticstoday.com, and start a conversation. |
JOB TITLE/FUNCTION (n=2,487)
| Total Respondents, % | |
| Logistics/Transportation/Distribution Manager | 27.3 |
| Traffic Manager | 9.9 |
| VP/General Manager | 8.9 |
| Operations Manager | 8.1 |
| Warehouse Manager | 7.4 |
| Purchasing/Procurement Manager | 5.2 |
| Supply Chain Manager | 5.0 |
| Analyst Planner | 4.8 |
| Global Trade/Customs/Import/Export | 4.2 |
| Fleet Manager | 3.8 |
| Corporate Management (CEO, COO, Pres., CFO) | 3.8 |
| Customer Service | 3.6 |
| Consultant | 3.3 |
| Manufacturing/Production/Materials Manager | 2.8 |
| Information Systems Manager | 1.4 |
INDUSTRY (n=2453)
| Total Respondents, % | |
| Transportation Services | 11.6 |
| Third-Party Logistics Provider | 10.7 |
| Industrial Products/Machinery/Metals/Plastics | 9.1 |
| Wholesale Distribution | 7.6 |
| Food & Beverage | 7.0 |
| Consumer Goods | 5.5 |
| Electronics/Hight-Tech/Telecom Equipment | 5.4 |
| Retail | 5.2 |
| Chemicals/Petroleum | 5.1 |
| Pharmaceuticals/Healthcare | 4.2 |
| Automotive | 3.7 |
| Paper/Printing/Publishing | 3.5 |
| Construction/Building Materials | 3.4 |
| Government | 2.5 |
| Apparel | 1.6 |
| Aerospace | 1.5 |
| Computer Equipment & Peripherals | 1.3 |
| Furniture | 1.3 |
| Utilities/Energy | 0.9 |
| Other | 8.7 |
SEX (n = 2,438)
| Total Respondents, % | |
| Male | 79.3 |
| Female | 20.7 |
AGE (n = 2,415 )
| Total Respondents, % | Total Respondents, yrs. | ||
| 20-30 | 8.1 | Mean | 45 |
| 31-40 | 25.6 | 25th Percentile | 38 |
| 41-50 | 36.4 | Median | 45 |
| 51-60 | 25.6 | 75th Percentile | 52 |
| 61 or more | 4.3 | 90th Percentile | 57 |
EDUCATION (n = 2,391)
| Highest level of education | Total Respondents, % |
| High School | 10.7 |
| Some College | 31.9 |
| 4-year Undergraduate Degree | 28.5 |
| Some Graduate Study | 8.1 |
| Graduate Degree | 20.8 |
LOGISTICS EXPERIENCE (n = 2,372)
| Total Respondents, % | Total Respondents, yrs. | ||
| 0-5 years | 14.5 | Mean | 17.0 |
| 6-10 years | 19.0 | 25th Percentile | 9.0 |
| 11-15 years | 18.3 | Median | 15.0 |
| 16-20 years | 17.4 | 75th Percentile | 24.0 |
| 21-25 years | 12.2 | 90th Percentile | 30.0 |
| 26 or more years | 18.5 |
YEARS AT CURRENT COMPANY (n=2,389)
| Total Respondents, % | Total Respondents, yrs. | ||
| 0-5 years | 37.1 | Mean | 10.5 |
| 6-10 years | 25.0 | 25th Percentile | 3.0 |
| 11-15 years | 13.1 | Median | 8.0 |
| 16-20 years | 10.2 | 75th Percentile | 15.0 |
| 21-25 years | 6.1 | 90th Percentile | 25.0 |
| 26 or more years | 8.5 |
REGION (n=2,398)
| Total Respondents, % | |
| New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) | 5.2 |
| Middle Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) | 13.7 |
| South Atlantic (DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 14.7 |
| North Central (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH,SD,WI) | 28.3 |
| South Central (AL, AR, KY, LA, MS, OK, TN, TX) | 13.5 |
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY) | 3.8 |
| Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 10.4 |
| Canada | 2.1 |
| Mexico | 0.5 |
| Other | 7.7 |
COMPANY SIZE (n=2,534)
| Total Respondents, % | |
| Less than $50 million | 27.4 |
| $50 million-$100 million | 14.4 |
| $100 million-$500 million | 18.7 |
| $500 million-$1 billion | 10.4 |
| $1 billion or more | 29.1 |
NUMBER OF PEOPLE MANAGED (n=2,256)
| Total Respondents, % | |
| 0 | 19.2 |
| 1-10 | 48.1 |
| 11-25 | 15.8 |
| 26-50 | 7.6 |
| More than 50 | 9.3 |
DIRECT COMPENSATION (n=2,092)
| Total Respondents, % | Total Respondents, $ | ||
| $40,000 or less | 12.1 | Mean | $77,872 |
| $40,001-$60,000 | 29.1 | 25th Percentile | $50,000 |
| $60,001-$80,000 | 26.0 | Median | $67,800 |
| $80,001-$100,000 | 15.5 | 75th Percentile | $90,000 |
| $100,001-$120,000 | 6.7 | 90th Percentile | $124,000 |
| More than $120,000 | 10.6 |
RECEIVED BONUS LAST YEAR (n=1,950)
| Total Respondents, % | |
| No | 24.7 |
| Yes | 75.3 |
ANNUAL BONUS AMOUNT (n=1,950)
| Total Respondents, % | Total Respondents, $ | ||
| $1,000 or less | 9.2 | Mean | $9,773 |
| $1,001-$5,000 | 28.5 | 25th Percentile | $0 |
| $5,001-$10,000 | 12.9 | Median | $3,000 |
| $10,001-$25,000 | 16.4 | 75th Percentile | $10,000 |
| More than $25,000 | 8.3 | 90th Percentile | $25,000 |
| $0 | 24.7 |
LOGISTICS CAREER SATISFACTION (n=2,242)
| Total Respondents, % | |
| Very satisfied | 30.4 |
| Satisfied | 48.7 |
| Neither satisfied or unsatisfied | 15.8 |
| Unsatisfied | 4.1 |
| Very unsatisfied | 1.0 |
LOGISTICS JOB PRIORITIES (n=2,235)
| Total Respondents, % | |
| Job Stability | 50.6% |
| Base Salary | 48.9% |
| Recognition of Importance to Company | 36.0% |
| Career Advancement Opportunities | 34.5% |
| Benefits | 34.2% |
| Company's Recognition of the Importance of Logistics | 23.4% |
| Relationships with Co-Workers | 22.6% |
| Flexible Schedule | 19.3% |
| Continuing Education/Training | 12.7% |
| Vacation Time | 11.7% |
Note: The sum of percentages exceeds 100% because of multiple responses.
Source: Logistics Today 2007 Salary Survey.
