Food Workers’ Compensation in Strong Rebound

Salary and bonus packages for food and beverage professionals in a broad mix of job categories increased an average of 3.16 percent over the last 12 months, based on feedback from 750 respondents to Food Processing’s 2014 Salary & Job Satisfaction survey. It’s the biggest increase since the 2007 recession and 19 percent higher than the 2.65 percent gain in the 2013 survey.

Job satisfaction rose along with wages, with almost two thirds (64.5%) indicating they are somewhat or very satisfied with their jobs. On a five-point scale, with five being the highest rating, this year’s respondents scored a 3.616 on the satisfaction scale, up from 3.57 last year. Job security scores also were up, with 4.3 percent more respondents indicating they feel more secure than those in the 2013 survey, and 1.6 percent fewer saying they feel less secure. Approximately half of survey participants both years indicated job security was unchanged.

This is the eighth consecutive year that Food Processing has conducted the survey. Readers were invited to participate in the on-line survey over a five-week period, beginning in May. For the first time, participants could indicate a specific compensation figure or select from a range of options. Responses were evenly divided between the two, and the average salary and bonus package was $97,303.

Complete results and analysis will appear in the July edition of Food Processing.