Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Comparison of salaries of University Professors around the world


This is the best information available I have found, so far.  
 

Introduction

The following sections present comparative data on salaries. After some general obervations about the relation between salaries and the organisation of university systems in different countries, we provide figures for different countries in absolute terms, adjusted to the cost of living and compared to GDP per capita. We also show salary progression by experience and gender.
These sections are constantly being updated with new information, given the wide interest in salary issues. As with all the ACO web pages, we invite you to send us comments and useful information and links on salaries in academia. To comment contact us by email.
 

Information on salaries across countries

Comparing salaries across countries requires some preliminary observations. Salary levels vary both across and within countries. Depending on national legislation and university governance, salary levels can be either fixed rigidly by the state or decided by universities.
In 2007, Bruegel calculated 'setting autonomy' by ten European countries and assigned values between 0 and 1. Many countries (Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Switzerland) had no autonomy (0). Sweden was the country with the highest autonomy (1), and The Netherlands (0.2), Denmark (0.5) and the UK (0.8) are located in between. The total for the ten European was 0.3 (Bruegel, 2007: 5).
Another issue is salary dispersion. There may be significant variations of salary at entry-level positions in universities in systems where universities are more or less free to set their own wages. Even within the same system salaries may vary according to seniority and/or merit. In systems where salaries progress mainly with seniority this progression is visible and can be measured. This is not true in those countries where salaries are fixed according to merit (e.g. record of publications).
In liberalised systems where universities are free to set their own wages, salary growth can be influenced not only by the dynamics of internal competition in the academic market, but also by external competition by non-academic agents, including private economic actors.
Overall, we can say that salaries are higher in systems where either 1) universities are autonomous, compete in the academic market and use salaries to attract and build a strong faculty, or 2) the state fixes high salaries. The UK and the US are typical examples of the first model. Switzerland is a good example of the second model. Universities from these three countries also dominate in the Shangai system for ranking universities.
 

Average gross salaries

The table below provides a comparison of avarage gross salaries across countires. Titles of academic positions differ form country to country but for means of comparison we have unified them into five categories. In countries where the position or its equivalent does not exist, the space is left blank. For more information on salaries as well as the start and maximum salary level, follow the link to the individual country pages.
Note that Ph.D. Candidate is included as a position, even though it is mostly in the Scadinavian countries that Ph.D. Candidates are considered employees with contractual rights equivalent to other academic positions.

 


Average Gross Salaries, €/month


PhD

Postdoc
Junior Lecturer/
Assistant Professor
Senior Lecturer/
Associate Professor

Full
Professor
Belgium (2007)
--
--
4.318
5.138
6.625
Canada (2007)
--
--
4.856
6.096
7.145
Denmark (2007)
3.152
4.560
--
5.499
6.974
Finland (2007)
2.290
3.220
--
3.420
5.218
France (2007)
--
2.500
--
3.000
4.500
Germany (2007)
--
--
3.277
3.744
4.546
Ireland (2004)
--
--
5.250
6.400/7.700*
9.750
Israel (2007)
--
--
2.650
3.029/3.597*
4.733
Italy (2004)
--
1.500
2.500
4.000
5.500
Netherlands (2004)
--
--
3.974
5.541
6.544
Norway (2005)
3.203
3.950
--
4.330
5.297
Poland (2006/2007)
--
--
586
1.127
1.758
Russia (2007)
250
--
--
600**
900/1.100***
Spain (2003)
--
1.584
2.250
2.750
3.584
Sweden (2006)
2.365
3.317
3.142
3.800
5.145
UK (2007)
--
3.813
4.766
5.842
6.353
Ukraine (2006)
50
100
200
400
1.000
USA (2006)
--
3.708
4.820
5.785
8.529
 
* These figures refer to respectively 'senior lecturer' and 'associate professor' positions.
** This figure refers to the undifferentiated 'lecturer' position.
** These figures refer to respectively the 'professor' and 'chair' positions.
 
All figures are gross. For taxing comparisons see: http://www.oecd.org. All countries provide different social benefits, social security, child care, family allowance, etc, to their citizens.
The salaries are provided by institutions or ministries in the respective countries.
For more detailed information salary levels see the individual country links.
Note that in the different countries there are various ways to top the salary with bonuses and other means of income. This is especially true in the case of Spain and the U.S. where the salaries comparatively seem very low, but the actual salary can be much higher depending on the productivity and outside activities of the individual.

In April 2007 the European Commission published a comparison of researchers salaries across Europe, based on an online survey. The following chart gives the average salaries adjusted to the cost of living in each country:

Average weighted total yearly salary per countries (2006 in €) 
Country Average weighted total yearly salary adjusted Country Average weighted total yearly salary adjusted
Austria 62.406 Latvia 10.488
Belgium 58.462 Lithuania 13.851
Bulgaria 3.556 Luxembourg 63.865
Croatia 16.671 Malta 28.078
Cyprus 45.039 Netherlands 59.103
Czech Republic 19.620 Norway 58.997
Denmark 61.355 Poland 11.659
Estonia 11.748 Portugal 29.001
Finland 44.635 Romania 6.286
France 50.879 Slovakia 9.178
Germany 56.132 Slovenia 27.756
Greece 25.685 Spain 34.908
Hungary 15.812 Sweden 56.053
Iceland 50.803 Switzerland 82.725
Ireland 60.727 Turkey 16.249
Israel 42.552 United Kingdom 56.048
Italy 36.201
 
Source: European Commission, 2007: 43.

The report found bropad differences between salaries in the EU and associated countries, which however were reduced once salaries were adjusted to the cost of living in each country. As expected, countries with a high cost of living were those that paid researchers better. Low-medium salary levels were reported in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean region, while high-very high salaries were paid in Central Europe and the Nordic countries.
A few countries (Austria, The Netherlands, Israel, Switzerland and Luxembourg) offered avarage salaries in line with the U.S. considering the cost of living.
Other countries outside the EU (Australia, India, Japan) all have average higher remuneration than the EU-25 area considering the cost of living. In Australia and Japan salaries are similar to those of the U.S. The only country in which the average salary was well below the EU was China.
See the report for further info
 

Salaries compared to GDP per capita

The ratio between the average salary for researchers and the average GDP per capita (adjusted to the cost of living) varies from country to country. Data show different degrees of investment on research by different countries. For example, with declining values Japan, the UK and the US all provide researchers with salaries higher than their country GDP per capita. Spain and Sweden pay around the same as the average GDP, and Italy pays less.



Click here to see the graph



Salary progression by experience and gender

The table draws on the Commission's study and reports researchers' annual salary average in the EU and associated countries by gender and years of experience.
The table draws on the Commission's study and reports researchers' annual salary average in the EU and associated countries by gender and years of experience.
Total country annualy salary of researchers in EU25 and associated countries, by gender and level of experience (2006, all currencies in purchasing power parities)
 
Country/years
of experience
(by gender)
 0-4 y.
Female
Male
 5-7 y.
Female
Male
 8-10 y.
Female
Male
 11-15 y.
Female
Male
 >15 y.
Female
Male
Austria 34.473   
37.244
41.921    
50.446
49.369    
63.648
56.817    
76.850
64.266    
90.052
Belgium 27.767
26.802
35.079
40.933
42.392
55.064
49.705
69.195
57.018
83.326
Bulgaria 2.045
1.961
2.668
2.689
3.292
3.417
3.915
4.144
4.539
4.872
Croatia 9.862
9.458
12.665
12.124
15.468
15.541
18.270
19.922
21.073
25.537
Cyprus 22.234
21.208
28.051
32.147
33.867
43.086
39.684
54.025
45.500
64.964
Czech
Republic
7.478
10.728
10.792
15.015
14.105
19.301
17.419
23.587
20.733
27.874
Denmark 43.117
42.852
51.460
52.204
59.804
61.556
68.147
70.908
76.490
80.260
Estonia 4.825
7.691
6.939
10.068
7.636
12.444
8.334
14.821
9.053
17.198
Finland 23.369
28.886
29.776
36.724
36.182
44.563
42.589
52.401
48.996
60.239
France 30.223
30.726
38.859
39.225
47.494
50.075
56.129
63.926
64.765
81.608
Germany 22.143
25.716
35.969
38.731
49.795
51.746
63.621
64.761
77.447
77.776
Greece 13.462
11.823
19.131
18.370
24.800
24.917
30.469
31.464
36.138
38.011
Hungary 6.902
10.706
10.152
13.244
13.401
15.783
16.650
18.322
19.899
20.861
Iceland 45.664
44.713
50.070
50.073
52.273
55.432
54.475
60.792
58.881
66.152
Ireland 26.428
20.290
39.691
41.073
52.954
61.856
66.217
82.639
79.480
103.422
Israel 16.329
13.523
22.407
20.453
28.486
30.933
34.564
46.783
40.643
70.754
Italy 12.244
12.760
19.777
23.488
27.310
34.216
34.844
44.944
42.377
55.672
Latvia 12.000
-
14.667
-
17.335
-
20.002
-
22.670
-
Lithuania 7.356
6.836
8.286
9.068
9.216
11.299
10.146
13.531
11.076
15.763
Luxembourg 24.742
43.578
40.365
53.864
55.988
64.150
71.611
74.436
87.234
84.722
Malta 24.364
21.364
27.267
23.746
30.169
26.393
33.071
29.336
35.974
32.606
Netherlands 22.518
31.921
35.655
47.095
48.792
62.269
61.929
77.443
75.066
92.617
Norway 49.031
52.829
54.174
58.346
59.316
63.864
64.459
69.381
69.602
74.898
Poland 5.921
8.453
8.088
10.166
10.255
12.226
12.421
14.703
14.588
17.682
Portugal 10.512
12.051
14.693
17.541
20.535
25.532
28.702
37.164
40.115
54.095
Romania 3.813
2.476
4.696
4.474
5.785
6.473
7.126
8.472
8.778
10.471
Slovakia 5.547
5.895
6.794
7.187
8.041
8.762
9.287
10.681
10.534
13.021
Slovenia 16.424
17.976
22.502
22.372
28.581
27.844
34.659
34.654
40.737
43.130
Spain 16.416
17.228
22.858
22.955
29.300
30.586
35.742
40.754
42.184
54.301
Sweden 28.591
28.012
41.900
42.655
55.209
57.298
68.518
71.941
81.827
86.584
Sweden 28.591
28.012
41.900
42.655
55.209
57.298
68.518
71.941
81.827
86.584
Switzerland 39.599
40.862
55.711
61.075
71.823
81.288
87.935
101.501
104.047
121.714
Turkey 7.674
8.634
10.707
11.387
13.740
15.016
16.773
19.803
19.806
26.116
United
Kingdom
25.411
29.060
37.461
38.608
49.511
51.293
61.561
68.146
73.611
90.536
 
Source: European Commission, 2007: 47

Here too the report found wide differences between countries. For example, in the UK one can expect a high progression moving from the first (0-4) to the last (>15) stage of the career stages considered by the report. At the same time, Denmark offers higher salaries already in the first stage but progression is limited (around 90%) compared to the UK (around 235%).
Women earn less than men, with significant differences in all the countries. In some (Estonia, Czech Republic, Israel and Portugal) the gap is above 35%. In others (Bulgaria, Greece, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Malta) it is below 15%.
See the report for more info.
 

Bibliography

Bruegel (2007), 'Why Reform Europe's Universities?', Policy Brief Series, 2007/04.
European Commission (2007), Study on the Remuneration of Researchers in the Public and Private Commercial Sectors (pdf).


Salaries in Economics in US Academia 2010-11

 
 

Introduction

The American academic market for young economists is undoubtedly the most interesting and sought after. Salary packages are competitive in most universities, and not necessarily in the top-ranked ones.
Each year, The American Economic Association sends out to selected institutions the Universal Academic Questionnaire (UAQ), an annual survey of US economics departments. The American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings includes a few tables assembled from the latest UAQ responses. Even though the accuracy of these results depends on the willingness of individual departments to collaborate, it is, nonetheless, a good indication of the working conditions to be expected in the American job market for economists.
All the figures in the tables below refer to academic-year salaries (calendar-year salaries are converted into academic-year salaries by multiplying by 0.818) and in USD. 1 USD = 0.734 Euros on 28 September 2011. The number of surveyed institutions is indicated in round parentheses; satndard deviations for salaries in square parentheses.
 

Salaries of tenure-track academic economists by degree-granting institution

The US academic market for economics is highly segmented and either focuses on teaching activities (institutions granting mainly BA and MA degrees) or on research activities as well (most institutions granting PhD degrees).
The Table below shows the salaries of tenured faculty at different institutions, based on the highest degree awarded in economics. Of course, universities granting research-based degrees (PhD) attract the most talented economists and offer the best salary packages.

US academic-year salaries of tenure-track academic economists
(2010-11)

   Full Prof Associate Prof  Assistant Prof
PhD Institutions  $159,816 (76)
[$41,772]
$117,231 (76)
[$30,821] 
$100,451 (83)
[$13,471] 
 MA Institutions  $106,953 (33)
[$14,998]
$84,803 (31)
[$12,429] 
$79,492 (40)
[$11,743] 
 BA Institutions  $103,262 (148)
[$23,987]
$80,382 (30)
[$14,571] 
$74,677 (37)
[$15,393]

Salaries of Associate and Full Professors at PhD-granting institutions

The National Research Council (NRC) rankings of economics graduate programs divide programs into tiers. The top three tiers include:
  • Tier 1 (ranked 1-6): Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford and Yale;
  • Tier 2 (ranked 7-15): Columbia, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Pennsylvania, Rochester, California-Berkeley, UCLA, and Wisconsin-Madison;
  • Tier 3 (ranked 16-30): Illinois-Urbana, Boston University, Brown, Cornell, Duke, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, New York University, North Carolina, Texas-Austin, Virginia, California-San Diego, University of Washington, and Washington University-St. Louis.
Not unsurprisingly, as the Table below shows, the lower Tier (lower numbers), the lower the average salary.

US academic-year salaries of tenure-track Associate and Full Professors in PhD granting universities by NRC Tiers (2010-11)


  Full Prof  Associate Prof 
Tiers 1-2 (ranks 1-15)   $224,010 (6)
[$47,750]
$151,417 (5)
[$46,188]
 Tier 3 (ranks 16-30)  $180,518 (8)
[$29,605]
$133,932 (8)
[$34,314] 
 Tier 4 (ranks 31-48)  $171,024 (9)
[$38,446]
$131,678 (9)
[$27,492]
 Tier 5 (ranks 49+)  $140,714 (45)
[$26,216]
$104,758 (42)
[$17,791]


Employment conditions for new Assistant Professors

The Table below provides a fuller description of the employment conditions of newly hired Assistant Professors at US academic institutions offering different degrees in economics. In addition to the salary, compensations include: guaranteed summer compensation (over all years), other cash benefits to employees, such as a signing bonus. They do not include fringe benefits, moving expenses, computer that remains the property of the institution. Finally, the Table also summarizes the teaching load for each new Assistant Professor (courses per year), which is inversely correlated to the highest degree on offer.

Employment conditions for new Assistant Professors (2010-11)


   Salary Add. compensation Teaching load 
 PhD Institutions $111,878 (83)
[$28,422] 
$39,378 (81)
[$21,423] 
3.5 (86)
[2.4] 
 MA Institutions  $83,834 (26)
[$10,659]
$14,333 (7)
[$10,571] 
4.6 (35)
[0.7] 
 BA Institutions  $73,431 (10)
[$12,660]
$4,214 (9)
[$2,644] 
5.8 (11)
[1.4] 

References

Scott, C. S. and Siegfried, J. J. (2011): “American Economic Association Universal Academic Questionnaire Summary Statistics”, American Economic Review: Papers & Proceedings 101 (664–667).