Pay and Reward survey
Every two years, we ask our members to share their experiences of salaries, pensions and benefits in their field of the chemical sciences.
I have found the RSC Pay and Reward survey a powerful resource for career planning. It provided trustworthy guidance as I moved from my PhD studies into the commercial chemistry environment. It also helps me determine if my current remuneration is fair in a world that bombards you with temptation to change job, both social media and recruiters, without definite evidence. – Senior Chemist
Using the data we are able to put together an authoritative employment and job satisfaction report created by the chemical sciences community for the chemical sciences community to help you to manage your career. We also use the report data to support our careers team, the Chemist's Community Fund and inform our wider policy and advocacy work in the chemical sciences.
Download the 2017 report2019 Pay and Reward Survey
The 2019 survey has now closed and we have received a great response from members creating an authoritative dataset to inform this year's report. The full report will be available to members in early Autumn. Survey participants will be emailed a copy of the report as soon as it is available. It will also be accessible from this page.
The 2019 report is sponsored by Hyper Recruitment Solutions and empowers you to make evidence-based career decisions and compare the pay of different sectors and roles using our highly-trusted dataset. If you have any queries about the report then please contact the Career Management team.
Your responses will be reported anonymously and as a group (in aggregate). Your data will not be shared with the survey sponsor, Hyper Recruitment Solutions, and will be used in line with our privacy policy. If you chose to provide us with your contact details at the end of the survey, they will be used only for the purposes described in the survey and with your permission. The survey is being conducted by an independent research agency, Ashridge Communications Ltd, on our behalf.
Pay and Reward Survey 2017 Student Edition
To help you make your next career decision, we produced a condensed version of the 2017 Pay and Reward report.
We combined the 2017 report with data from surveys of graduates six months after completing their course. It brings together salary expectations across the many sectors in which chemistry graduates work, information about the current graduate recruitment market in the UK, and working conditions and benefits in various chemical science roles.
This special, student-focused report also discusses the prevalence and impact of further study, opportunities to develop your skills during and after university, information about the gender pay gap and job satisfaction within the sector.
Access the historical reports 1919 - present
Read about what a chemical scientist earned in 1919 and how employment in the chemical sciences has changed over the last 100 years. Members can exclusively access our digital archive of these highly-trusted reports from their beginning to the present day. Find out more about how the pay and reward survey started and its continued importance to the community.
1919 – 2017 reports (login required)
Not a Royal Society of Chemistry member? If you are not yet part of our community, you can purchase a copy of our 2017 Pay and Reward Survey report for £250. Contact our career management team for details.
Career management team
- Tel:
- +44 (0) 1223 432231
- Email:
- Send us an email