Photonics pros love their work, survey shows

The percentage of respondents reporting high job satisfaction surpassed last year’s 82 percent in SPIE’s new salary survey of the global optics and photonics community. This year’s results show 85 percent of respondents report high job satisfaction. The vast majority of respondents also reported that they find meaning in their work and respect the work of their peers. The survey, the largest such international study of the industry, also showed no correlation between job satisfaction and either salary or length of workweek. “Overall, these are jobs that not only pay well but also yield quality-of-life satisfactions and the ability to make a difference,” said SPIE CEO Eugene Arthurs. The median salary of $76,000 was 4 percent higher than last year, with differences driven by country income level and employer type.