AMWA Salary Survey 2011 Presentation of Statistical Analyses Susan Bairnsfather.

AMWA Salary Survey 2011

Presentation of Statistical Analyses

Susan Bairnsfather

Survey Participants

1320

1704

1193

18111822

886

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

1989 1994 2002 2004 2007 2011

Survey Participants (continued)

2002N (%)

2004N (%)

2007N (%)

2011N (%)

Employee 871 (66) 1,215 (67) 1,183 (69) 819 (69)

Freelance 449 (34) 596 (33) 521 (31) 374 (31)

Survey 2011 Participants

EmployeeN (%)

Employee / Freelance

N (%)Freelance

N (%)

819 (68.6) 105 (8.8) 374 (31.3)

Total respondents = 1193

New York106 (8.9%)

Delaware86 (7.2%)

Pacific86 (7.2%)

Southwest55 (4.6%)

Chicago51 (4.6)%

Survey 2011 - Chapters with Larger Representation

Employees only; all chapters represented in survey

Map reproduced with permission from AMWA

Contents

• Methods

• Results Demographics and professional qualities Employee salary descriptive summary results Employee salary regression modeling -

estimates of salary predictors Pharmaceutical companies Freelance income descriptive summary results

• Discussion and summary

MethodsNotification

AMWA Journal March 2011 E-mail update in March and April 2011 E-mailed to 5,215 members

Data collection SurveyMonkey software

(SurveyMonkey.com LLC, Portland, OR) available April and May, 2011

Methods

Data handling

• Responses “cleaned” programmatically; remaining entries cleaned (adjudicated) manually; adjudications independently reviewed by quality control person

• Entries reflect missing data points; sometimes columns or rows do not add to the total counts

Methods

Statistical Analysis Descriptive statistics conducted for all

collected questions/variables Multivariate regression modeling

conducted for mostly categorical variables contributing to salaries; exploratory analyses conducted after review of initial descriptive statistics and initial regressions

Definitions Assumed for Analyses

EMPLOYED

You work for an employer in the form of a company, individual, or institution, where your employer files and pays your social security taxes, state taxes, and federal taxes to government agencies (whether hourly, salaried, or by contract).

FREELANCE

You provide work for hire to a company or individual and receive payment for your services; but you file and pay all of your own social security taxes, your state taxes, and your federal taxes to government agencies.


Income

Employed Gross income is your total income before deducting taxes

Freelance Gross income is the total amount of money collected from clientsNet income is income before deducting taxes and retirement contributions, but after subtracting deductible expenses (insurance, subcontracting, equipment, etc)



Part-time vs Full-time

Full TimePart Time

< 32 hours ≥ 32 hours

Contents

• Methods




Demographic Data

Employee (N=819)

n / Mean (SD)

Freelance (N=374)

n / Mean (SD)Age (total n=1136)

791 / 44.9 (11.1) 345 / 49.7 ( 9.9)

Women 654 / 44.6 (11.1) 304 / 49.2 ( 9.6)

Men 137 / 46.1 (11.0) 41 / 53.3 (11.1)

Employee (N=819)

n / Mean (SD)

Freelance (N=374)

n / Mean (SD)Experience in years (total n=1123)

782 / 10.8 (8.8) 341 / 14.8 (9.0)

Women 645 / 10.8 (8.7) 300 / 14.9 (9.1)

Men 137 / 11.0 (9.1) 41 / 14.0 (8.7)

Professional Qualities

Education(total n=1134)

Employee(N=819)

n (%)

Freelance(N=374) n (%)

Bachelors Degree

227 (28.8) 85 (24.5)

Masters Degree 266 (33.8) 124 (35.7)

PhD/PharmD/MD 294 (37.4) 138 (39.8)


Medical Writing

Technical Writing

Public Health

Communications

Medicine

Pharmacy

Journalism

Liberal Arts

Science*

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

(2.2)

(4.6)

(3.8)

(3.2)

(44.4)

(2.9)

(10.7)

(remaining ≤ ~2%)

(4.9)

(3.7)

*Includes biology, medical technology, health science, and nutrition

Fields ofHighest Degree


Employee (N=819)

n / Mean (SD)

Freelance (N=374)

n / Mean (SD)Hours worked per week(total n =938)

746 / 43.2 (5.8) 192 / 43.9 ( 9.1)

Women 603 / 43.0 (5.7) 128 / 43.5 ( 9.0)

Men 137 / 44.1 (6.3) 18 / 46.7 ( 9.7)

ResearchÊducational Org

Medical Dev^JournÂssoc

University^Medical School

Clinical Research Org

Healthcare Org

Biotechnology Co

Medical Education Co

CommunicationsÂdvertisting Co

Pharmaceutical Co

0 100 200 300 400 500 600(3.7)

(7.7)

(7.0)

(6.2)

(21.3)

(4.1)

(9.0)

(remaining ≤ ~2%)

(8.6)

(6.6)

Primary Employers(%)

2011

Regions of Employment

181 (25%)93(13%)

89 (12)%

32 (4%)

90 (13%)21 (3%)

20 (3%)

60 (8%)

Overview

• Methods




Income by Educational Level and Sex

Degree Women(n=568)

n % Mean

Men(n=132)

n % Mean

Associate 10 1.5 68,300 0 - -

Bachelor 178 27.2 82,800 29 21.2 90,900

Master 194 28.1 90,400 36 26.3 93,300

Advanced 186 29.4 100,000 67 48.9 109,800

Income by Primary Employer

Employer nMean(SD)

Median(Min, Max)

% Chg2007-2011

Biotechnologycompany

77 116,800(37)

110,000(55, 230)

+10

Pharmaceutical company

150 112,800 (37)

108,500(38, 270)

+15

Communication or advertising

64 93,400(32)

86,000(42, 210)

+12

Medical device company

32 92,700(32)

92,500(40,160)

+9

SD, Min, Max in $1000; %Chg is percent change of the mean from 2007 to 2011

Income by Primary Employer (cont’d)

Employer nMean (SD)

Median(Min-Max)

% Chg2007-2011

Other 35 95,700(42)

110, 000(55, 230)

+25

Clinical research organization

75 89,600(30)

82,000(41, 173)

+17

Government 18 88,300(31)

94,000(45, 160)

+24

Medical education company

48 79,500 (25)

80,000(41, 160)

+3

SD, Min, Max in $1000; %Chg is percent change of the mean from 2007 to 2011

Income by Primary Employer (cont’d)

Employer nMean (SD)

Median(Min-Max)

% Chg2007 to

2011University or medical school

48 74,100 (29)

70,000(35, 200)

+15

Research or educational organization

31 72,200(25)

69,000(38, 140)

+14

Association or Professional Society

31 71,200(24)

68,000(39, 140)

+4

Health care organization

61 70,200(19)

66,500 +7

SD, Min, Max in $1000; %Chg is percent change of the mean

Income by Geographical Region

Region n Mean(SD)

Median(Min, Max)

% Chg2007 to 2011

MA, CT, RI, VT, NH, ME

19 109,700(43)

97,000(42, 200)

+31.2

WA, OR, CA, West Canada

86 106,100(44)

96,500(40, 270)

+16.0

Outside US/Canada

4 100,200(73)

83,000(35, 200)

+12.9

NY, PA, NJ, DE, East Canada

179 97,100(34)

93,000(41, 220)

+7.0

WI, MI, OH, IN, IL 95 87,400(32)

81,000(37, 220)

+12.0


Income by Geographical Region (cont’d)

Region n Mean(SD)

Median(Min, Max)

% Chg2007 to 2011

ND, SD, NE, MN, IA

23 91,800(28)

91,000(47, 160)

+20.3

KY,TN, NC, VA, WV, MD, DC

96 85,700(31)

82,000(39, 160)

+17.0

ID, MT, WY, NV, UT, CO, AZ, NM

19 83,500(24)

78,000(38, 145)

+36.3

AL, MS, GA, FL SC

36 83,000(35)

68,000(39, 172)

+15.9

KA, OK, TX, MO, AR, LA

60 74,600(30)

69,500(32, 180)

+11.6


KY,TN, NC, VA, WV, MD

96/87,500 (+17%)

CA, OR, WA, W

Can86/

106,100 (+16%)

KA, OK, TX, MO, AR, LA60/ 74,600

(+12%)

Survey 2011 – Income by Geographical Region

Employees onlyMap reproduced with permission from

AMWA

ND, SD, NE, MN, IA95 / 91,800 (+20)%

ID, MT, WY, NV, UT, CO, AZ, NM

19 / 83,500 (+36)%

AL, MS, GA, FL SC 36/83,000 (+16%)

MA, CT, RI, VT, NH, ME19/ 109,700 (+31%)

WI, MI, OH, IN, IL95 / 87,400 (+12)%

NY, PA, NJ, DE, E Can

179/ 97,100 (+16%)

Income by Job CategoryCategory n Mean

(SD)Median

(Min, Max) % Chg

2007 to 2011

Supervision or administration

41 126,400(36)

123,000(61, 210)

+4.8

Writing/editing/supervision

145 113,800(40)

106,000(43, 270)

+14.9

Writing (primarily)

136 97,200(32)

92,500(43, 230)

+20.9

Other 30 90,300(46)

69,500(35, 220)

-0.8


Income by Job Category (cont’d)

Category n Mean(SD)

Median(Min, Max)

% Chg2007 to 2011

Writing/editing (equal mixture)

160 86,500(25)

85,500(37, 175)

+17.0

Research and writing

42 82,100(31)

78,500(38, 175)

+18.9

Teaching (and/or research, writing)

7 77,000(25)

85,000(42, 108)

N/A

Editing (primarily) 140 69,000(25)

64,500(32, 200)

+6.9


Income by Employment Level

Category n Mean(SD)

Median(Min, Max)

% Chg2007 to

2011

Senior Management 100 128,300

(42)123,500(62, 270)

+10.5

No management168 96,900

(30)95,000

(39, 220)+12.7


Income by Employment Level (cont’d)

Category n Mean(SD)

Median(Min, Max)

% Chg2007 to

2011Middle Supervision 103 101,300

(37)94,000

(42, 214)+12.3

No supervision 277 79,100(26)

74,400(32,175)

+14.0

Entry 45 64,700(23)

60,000(35, 150)

+7.6


Income by Company SizeNumber Employees

n Mean(SD)

Median(Min, Max)

% Chg2007 to 2011

> 500 405 97,800(37)

94,000(37, 270)

+12.3

301 – 500 43 84,000(28)

80,000(41, 150)

+6.5

201 – 300 37 84,600(31)

81,000(42, 161)

+4.2


Income by Company Size (cont’d)Number Employees

n Mean(SD)

Median(Min, Max)

% Chg2007 to 2011

101 – 200 26 90,900(31)

90,000(40, 180)

+21.0

50 – 100 23 85,600(28)

80,000(50, 140)

+20.4

< 50 63 87,100(41)

75,375(32, 220)

+14.7


Income in Relation to Inflation

• Mean income forfull-time employees

2007 Survey

2011 Survey

• Inflation over 4 years

• Increase in income

$ 82,232

$ 92,867

5.2%*

12.9%

*www.usinflationcalculator.com; calculation for inflation based on consumer price index (does not consider price increases for food or energy-based commodities)

Income and AMWA Certificate

Certificate n %AMWA

Mean(SD)

Median(Min, Max)

%Chg2007/2011

None 481 9.2 89,800(37)

80,000(32, 270)

+12.4

Core Curriculum

170 3.2 94,600(32)

92,000(35, 230)

+10.8

Advanced 51 1.0 115,600(34)

112,000(60, 220)

+15.7

SD, Min, Max in $1000Certificate versus no certificate, P <0.0001, Wilcoxon test (This statistic does not account for other possible contributing factors.)

Contents

• Methods




Analysis of Predictors Affecting Income

Multivariate regression analysis was performed for respondents who were full-time employees.

Regression analysis provides estimates of factors (“predictors”) that may predict income level.

Results were optimized for statistical significance and correlation, and means were rounded to nearest $1000.

SAS® software used for data cleaning and statistical analyses

Predictors Considered in Analysis

• Educational level

• Sex

• Years of biomedical communication experience

• AMWA certificate (of any kind)

• Region or location of employee (mapped to areas according to cost of living)

• Working level of responsibility

• Medical communications category

Regression Analysis – Employer Groups

Similar employers grouped on basis of average income:

Group 1: Pharmaceutical company or biotechnology company

Group 2: Medical device company or communications or advertising companies

Group 3: All other employers (university or medical school, association or professional society, journal or publisher, health care organization, CRO, and research organization)

Results of Regression Analysis

Regression model estimated contributions of: education level, years of experience, sex, company category, and AMWA certificate.

AMWA certificate was not significant in the model, p>0.05.

Each of other predictors were significant, p ≤ 0.03;R2 = 0.4359, ie, the model explained ~44% of the variance of salaries.

Regression Analysis – Salary “Build”

Bachelor’s degree = $40, 200

+$13,200

Pharmaceuticalor biotech

+$10, 800

Medical device,communications,

advertising

+

$2,200 Each year of experience

+$21,500Master’sdegree

+$23,300

Advanceddegree

+$0

All other companies

(not significant)

+

$5,500 Male

Cost of Living Predictor Added to Regression

Regions were grouped according to low, medium and high cost of living; cost of living was computed with a “composite consumer price index” (cCPI) including:

Food Transportation

Housing Health Care

Utilities Other Goods & Services

When this predictor was added to the model, R2 was increased from 0.4359 to 0.4469, ie, 45% of the variance in income was explained by these predictors. http://www.missourieconomy.org/indicators/cost_of_living/index.stm

United States-Cost of Living Indices

http://www.missourieconomy.org/indicators/cost_of_living/index.stmChptr

} >100

95 to 100 < 95

Regression Analysis Salary “Build”Add Cost of Living

Bachelor’s degree = $43,100+

$12,300pharmaceutical or

biotech

+$3,800

Low cCPI

+$10,000

medical device,communications, advertising

+

$2000 each year of experience

+$20,000

Master’s degree

+$21,700

Advanced degree

+$4,500

Medium cCPI

+$5,200

High cCPI

+$7,300 for male

Other Predictors Added to the Regression

• Employment levels (5); adding this predictor increased R2 from 0.45 to 0.5194

• Communication categories (7); adding this predictor increased R2 from 0.45 to 0.6126

• Added each factor separately to current regression analyses

Regression Analysis Salary “Build”Add Employment LevelBachelor’s degree = $33,700

+$20, 800 Pharmaceutical

or biotech

+$16,900 Medical device,

communications, advertising

+$1200 Each year of experience

+$8,600

Master’sdegree

+$9,300

Advanceddegree

+$0 Male (not significant)

+Mid-no mgmt

$8,100

+Mid-mgmt$22,300

-Senior-no mgmt

$4,500

+Senior-mgmt

$31,500

+$3,300

Low cCPI

+$3,900

Med cCPI

+$4,500

High cCPI

Regression Analysis Salary “Build”Add Communication Category

Bachelor’s degree = $47,700+

$18,400 Pharmaceuticalor biotech

+$15,000 Medical device,

communications, advertising

+

$2,000 Each year of experience

+$7,400

Master’sdegree

+$8000

Advanceddegree

+

$0 Male (not significant)

+Edit

$14,400

+Write

$22,300

-Write-super

$4,500

+Super-admin

$31,400

+$3,300

Low cCPI

+$3,900

Med cCPI

+$4,500

High cCPI

Closing the Income GapBetween Men and Women?

30 2722

17 1811

0

20

40

60

80

100

1989 1994 2002 2004 2007 2011

Survey Year

% D

iffe

ren

ce

Contents

• Methods


estimates of salary predictors Pharmaceutical companies Freelance income estimates


Pharmaceutical Company:Mean Income by Experience and Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Experience (years)

Womenn / Mean (STD)

Menn/ Mean (STD)

<5 10 / 83,000 (32) ---

≥5 to 10 8 / 93,100 (30) 2 / 74,000 (11)

≥11 to 15 7 / 98,300 (30) ---

≥16 8 / 117,800 (31) 1 / 160,000 ( )

--- Fewer than 5 responses ; STD is in $1000


Master’s Degree

Experience (years)

Womenn / Mean (STD)

Menn / Mean (STD)

<5 7 / 92,900 (29) 1 / 58,000 ( )

≥5 to 10 18 / 109,400 (33) 1 / 120,000 ( )

≥11 to 15 5 / 139,200 (26) 2 / 114,000 (14)

≥16 7 / 150,900 (24) 1 / 140,000 ( )

STD is in $1000


Advanced Degree

Experience (years)

Womenn / Mean (STD)

Menn / Mean (STD)

<5 17 / 97,000 (28) 9 / 106,400 (26)

≥5 to 10 13 / 117,300 (30) 3 / 121,700 (32)

≥11 to 15 11 / 123,400 (24) 3 / 125,300 (31)

≥16 5 / 131,600 (37) 1 / 140,000 ( )

STD is in $1000

Pharmaceutical Company:Mean Income by Employment Level

Employment Level

Womenn / Mean (STD)

Menn / Mean (STD)

Entry 9 / 76,700 (22) ---

Middle No supervision 46 / 96,800 (27) 13 / 96,700 (24)

Supervision 14 / 127,600 (33) ---

Senior No supervision 37 / 114,900 (33) 6 / 118,300 (28)

Supervision 16 / 137,900 (26) ---

STD is in $1000

Hiring Demand in the Pharmaceutical Industry

http://www.wantedanalytics.com

2008

2009

2010

2011

Contents

• Methods


estimates of salary predictors Pharmaceutical companies Freelance income descriptive summary

results


Freelance - Years Experience

2004 2007 2011

Respondents 818 568 374

Full-time (n [%]) 376 (46%) 206 (36%) 158 (42%)

Mean (SD)(Min, Max)

12.4 (8.5)(1, 46)

12.9 (8.7)(1, 46)

11.0 (7.3)(1, 40)

Part-time (n [%]) N/A* N/A* 197 (29%)

Mean (SD)(Min, Max)

13.9 (9.7)(1, 41)

*Freelance experience in 2004 and 2007 calculated for all freelancers only

Mean Years of Age and ExperienceEmployee

n / Mean (SD) Freelance

n / Mean (SD)

Age (all) 791 / 44.9 (11) 345 / 49.7 (10)

Women 654 / 44.6 (11) 304 / 49.2 (10)

Men 137 / 46.1 (11) 41 / 53.3 (11)

Experience (all) 782 / 10.8 ( 9) 341 / 14.8 ( 9)

Women 645 / 10.8 ( 9) 300 / 14.9 ( 9)

Men 137 / 11.0 ( 9) 41 / 14.0 ( 9)

Billing Methods for Services*

Method2004n (%)

2007n (%)

2011n (%)

By the hour 387 (55) 364 (64) 291 (78)

By the job 240 (34) 143 (25) 110 (29)

By the unit of work

14 ( 2) 39 ( 7) 31 ( 8)

Other 63 ( 9) 26 ( 5) 30 ( 8)

*More than 1 response allowed

Billing Methods for Revisions*

Method2004n (%)

2007n (%)

2011n (%)

By the hour 379 (55) 312 (55) 249 (67)

By the job 148 (21) 169 (30) 130 (35)

By the page 10 ( 1) 13 ( 2) 12 ( 3)

Not applicable 158 (23) 45 ( 8) 45 (12)


Revisions Included in Fee*

Number of revisions

2004n (%)

2007n (%)

2011n (%)

Zero 10 ( 1) 11 ( 2) 5 ( 1)

One 182 (26) 143 (25) 67 (18)

Two 144 (21) 137 (24) 103 (28)

Three or more 44 ( 7) 26 ( 5) 39 (10)

Not applicable 315 (45) 251 (44) 216 (58)


Billing Percent Charged for Rush Jobs

<15%

20%

25%

30% to 45%

50%

>75%

0 10 20 30 40 50

19

22

20

8

22

3

Response Counts

Rate Reductions

2007n (%)

2011n (%)

No -- (34) 134 (35)

Yes/Reason Expand portfolio

-- (20) 105 ( 9)

Good cause -- (24) 86 ( 7)

Volume discount -- (17) 79 ( 7)

Get acquainted -- (18) 77 ( 6)

Desperate -- (11) 65 ( 5)

Beginner rate -- ( 8) 36 ( 3)

More than 1 response allowed

Most Recently Adopted Increase in Fees

10

19

32

27

0

10

20

30

40

50%

R

esp

on

se

17%

Response Counts

Overhead Expenses

Office Rental

Insurance Liability

Professional Licenses

Insurance Health/Disability

Office Equipment*

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

3

7

10

17

55

Response Counts

*Includes hardware, software, supplies, and additional utilities, phone and internet services

Billable Time

0 50 100 150 200

50-59

60-69

70-79

80-89

>=90

Response Counts

17%

% B

illa

ble

Tim

e

Profitability Compared to Previous 2 Years

Worse

Better

Average

0 50 100 150 200

85

138

151

Response Counts

Freelance Hours and Gross Income

Freelance Status

Hours n / Mean (SD)

Income n / Mean (SD) Median

All who freelance

397 / 29 (16) 395 / 68,000 (67) 51,000

Full-time(not employed)

158 / 44 ( 9) 137 / 116,000 (75) 99,000

All part-time freelancers

247 / 20 (11) 263 / 41,000 (44) 22,000

Part-time (not employed)

195 / 21 ( 9) 165 / 56,000 (46) 50,000

Part-time (employed only)

52 / 16 (16) 98 / 17,000 (27) 7,000

SD for income in $1000

Full-time Freelance Gross Income By Educational Level

SD is in $1000

DegreeGross

n / Mean (SD) MedianNet

n / Mean (SD) Median

Bachelor 26 / 95,100 (50) 84,500 24 / 78,500 (44) 69,000

Master 53 / 111,100 (60) 98,000 51 / 76,000 (40) 76,000

Advanced 44 / 127,300 (58) 120,000 41 / 86,600 (47) 85,000

Freelance Gross Income by Working Category

Working Category n Mean (SD) Median % Chg

Writing (primarily) 56 135,300 (64) 126,000 +23

Supervising, Writing,

and Editing

7 97,600 (64) 79,000 n/a

Writing and editing

(equal mixture)

30 94,800 (49) 79,000 +25

Research and writing 6 93,200 (25) 92,000 +22

Editing (primarily) 14 85,300 (23) 88,000 +85

SD is in $1000; % Chg is percent change since 2007 survey

Freelance Gross Income by Writing Category

Writing Category n Mean (SD) Median

Regulatory 36 142,600 (57) 133,500

Scientific publications 19 114,700 (57) 114,000

Continuing education 34 107,100 (50) 89,500

Marketing/advertising 6 99,200 (74) 87,000

Consumer writing 19 89,100 (59) 70,000

SD is in $1000; Writing service entered as “mostly” or “one of top 3”

Freelance Hourly Rates

Work Status n Mean (SD) MedianFull-time

Writing 136 $105 (28) $ 100

Editing 91 $ 79 (27) $ 75

Full- and Part-time

Writing 351 $ 95 (30) $ 100

Editing 269 $ 69 (30) $ 70

Part-time (employed)

Writing 76 $ 86 (58) $ 75

Editing 80 $ 55 (26) $ 50SD is in $1; responses for both editing and writing allowed

Mean Increase in Freelance Hourly Rate

2004 2007 % Chg 2011 % Chg

Full-time

Writing $85 $97 +14 $105 +8

Editing $66 $80 +21 $ 79 -1

Part-time

Writing $79 $84 +6 $ 89 +6

Editing $63 $64 +2 $ 65 +2

Regulatory Freelance Hourly Rates

Full-time and Part-time Freelancers n Mean (SD) Median

1 of top 3 services

Writing 103 $111 (31) $110

Editing 57 $ 86 (32) $ 90

Mostly regulatory

Writing 39 $117 (26) $115

Editing 19 $104 (37) $100

SD is in $1

Regulatory Freelance Hourly Rates

Full-time Freelancers n Mean (SD) Median

1 of top 3 services

Writing 38 $120 (25) 120

Editing 18 $116 (28) 107

Mostly regulatory

Writing 16 $120 (22) 120

Editing 6 $116 (28) 107

SD is in $1

Contents

• Methods




Satisfaction With Work

Somewhat Satisfied

Very Satisfied

Very Unsatisfied

34%

44%

6%4%Somewhat Unsatisfied

Satisfaction With Income

Very Satisfied

Somewhat Satisfied

Somewhat Unsatisfied

34%

6%

11%

33%

Very Unsatisfied

Value* of AMWA Certificate

0 10 20 30 40 50

New Business

Basis for Fee

Advertised

Positive Client

Professional Credibility

Achievement

*Multiple selections were allowedResponse Counts

Client Response to Value of AMWA Certificate

0 20 40 60 80 100

Confirmed

UnsolicitedConfirmation

Never Asked

Response Counts

Survey Limitations

• Response rate in 2011 (23%) was lower than 2007 (32%).

• Some employers, especially pharmaceutical companies, instructed employees NOT to answer the survey, which also occurred with the last few surveys. This might have suppressed average income in this survey.

• Other surveys conducted by AMWA may have reduced the response rate for this survey.

Summary• Income for biomedical communicators is keeping

ahead of inflation.

• Income is positively related to education, experience, working level, geographical area of work according to a consolidated consumer price index, and the classification of medical communication work that one does.

• The data in this survey provides very little evidence for suggesting that men earn more than women when considering educational level and years of experience. Caution is advised for stating this conclusion due to the limited number of men in the survey and the relatively high variance observed.

How can we improve the response rate?

• Improve publicity and provide advance notice

• Extend interval for survey participation

• Work with AMWA employers at pharmaceutical companies to improve participation

• Internet chatter: FACE it, TWEET it, link up in LinkedIn, AMWA listserve, and other social media!

Acknowledgments

• AMWA members for taking time to participate in the survey

• Tinker Gray for providing independent adjudication of select survey entries

Acknowledgments

This is an extensive analysis requiring many hours. As some information is compared with information of the prior analyses of surveys, the work of the prior presenters deserve acknowledgement:

Tinker Gray (2007, 2004, 2002)

Cindy Hamilton (2007, 2004)

Flo Witte (2002)

Disclosure

• Susan Bairnsfather has received the value of a waived registration fee for this conference.

• Susan has consistently used the results of past surveys to set consulting fees.

AMWA Salary Survey 2011 Presentation of Statistical Analyses Susan Bairnsfather.

Documents

Transcript of AMWA Salary Survey 2011 Presentation of Statistical Analyses Susan Bairnsfather.