The average salary for chartered chemical engineers in the UK and Ireland has risen by 5% since 2008.
According to the Institution of Chemical Engineers’ 2010 UK and Ireland salary survey, the median salary for a chartered chemical engineer is now £60,400 compared to £57,500 in 2008.
A chartered chemical engineer aged between 30-39 will typically earn around £8,500 a year more than a non-chartered chemical engineer.
However growth in average salaries has slowed during this period. The biennial pay increase for chartered chemical engineers was £2,900 between 2008 and 2010, compared to £4,500 from 2006 to 2008, and £4,700 from £2004 to 2006.
For non-chartered chemical engineers, biennial growth was £1,000 compared to £2,900 from 2006 to 2008, and £2,100 from 2004 to 2006.
David Brown, chief executive of the institution, said: “Naturally chemical engineers have not been unscathed by the downturn but the survey proves chemical engineering is still a good place to be - for income and for job prospects.
“It also shows the value of being a chemical engineer is all the greater if [they] are chartered.”
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