Take age, for example. It’s logical that salaries would
increase with age, and that’s exactly what the survey
results showed. Younger folks—those in the 26 to 35
age range—earned a respectable $64,900 on average.
Respondents aged 36 to 45 did much better, at $109,095,
and the next bracket did better still, with readers aged 46
to 55 making another $5,000-plus a year more. Stick with
this profession for the long haul and you will be rewarded;
the elder statesmen (and women) aged 56 and over pulled
down $124,499 on average.
For as long as logistics industry salary surveys have been
around, women have lagged behind men in terms of compensation, and this year was no different. Female respondents earned an average of $86,955, while the average man
who filled out our survey earned $117,550—a difference
of more than $30,000, or 26 percent. Frustrating as that
is for the hardworking women of the logistics profession,
at least it marked an improvement over last year’s survey
results, when women’s salaries fell 32 percent short of
men’s pay.
The difference can be attributed in large part to a lack
of seniority and experience on the women’s part. The
women and men in our survey this year had similar education profiles—for both genders, about one-third had
a high school education only, while slightly more men
held bachelor’s degrees ( 49 percent to 45 percent) and
slightly more women had master’s degrees ( 20 percent to
18 percent).
Some differences emerged from the numbers when we
looked at titles, however. Although the percentages of
women and men working as supervisors, managers, directors, and presidents were roughly equivalent, there was
only one woman with a vice president’s title, compared
with 29 men.
There was also a difference in experience, as women
were disproportionately represented among the cohort
with fewer than 15 years’ experience—women made up 21
percent of this group although they accounted for just 15
percent of the total respondent base. Likewise, they were
underrepresented among the logistics professionals with
16 or more years on the job, making up just 12 percent of
this group.
The size of your company may also make a difference in
your salary. As you might expect, small businesses—those
with fewer than 100 employees—pay the least, with an average salary of $82,799. Working for a larger company will get
you a larger salary—with average paychecks coming in at
least $23,000 higher for respondents working for companies
with between 100 and 1,000 people on the payroll. The best
checks came from the biggest corporations, with companies
employing more than 5,000 people paying an average salary
of $123,319.
UPWARD BOUND
As anyone who’s ever undergone a salary review well
knows, there are factors beyond those listed above that
might influence a person’s compensation—considerations
like job performance, departmental budget, internal politics, and perks and benefits.
But it’s also clear that salaries reflect overall economic
conditions. As orders and shipping volumes continue to
climb, e-commerce expands, and more manufacturing
returns to North America, demand for capable, knowledgeable logistics and supply chain talent will continue to grow.
And that means the size of their paychecks is likely to trend
upward for some time to come.
EXHIBIT 5
Salary by region
Region Average
salary 2015
New England $122,636
South $119,958
Middle Atlantic $118,788
West $117,902
Midwest $112,206
Southeast $96,103
work and documentation, terminating people, corporate politics, unreasonable customers, and lack of commitment from leadership.
b So, what would make survey-takers happier in their
work, besides a pay raise? Respondents said they wanted
more professional development opportunities, a better
balance of work and family life, better IT tools such as
computers and phone systems, and more independence.
“Provide me with direct control over the areas for which
I am accountable,” one person pleaded.
