Documentation Salary Survey 2024 Results¶

Introduction¶

This sixth incarnation of the Write the Docs Salary Survey drew 779 responses from documentarians in 55 countries. As always, we are impressed by the skills, experience and diversity of the Write the Docs community, and are grateful to everyone who took the time to fill out the survey and share it with their co-workers.

Tip

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Feedback¶

We’re always keen to hear your thoughts on this survey, so that we can continue to develop and refine it - and if you have used the data to help negotiate a raise or evaluate an offer, we would love to know about it! Email us at support@writethedocs.org with your feedback, ideas and experiences.

Your comments

Here’s some of our favourite comments from 2024:

I used the results of this survey to ask for a raise a few years ago. It helped enormously - I got the most significant raise I’ve ever received!

I negotiated a much higher salary bracket when hiring a new team member. Other (paid) salary calibrators don’t have enough info for tech writers and the ‘AI’ estimates are always too low.

Data from past years helped me understand how underpaid I was at the time and gave me confidence to negotiate with the next opportunity.

In 2025, I expect to convert from a contractor to a full-time employee. I fully expect that I will need to negotiate my salary and will lean heavily on the WTD Salary Survey to do so.

Pay transparency data is extremely valuable. Keep up the good work!

I feel much more confident when interacting with recruiters and interviewers (not my employer, yet!) about what salary I’d accept in a potential job change thanks to the information in these surveys.

Salary transparency is critical to build equitable industry standards. Since technical writers don’t always qualify for union membership, we need to share information with each other in other ways.

Thank you for making an industry-agnostic resource for technical writers. Standard salary sites recommended in MSM are so skewed towards software that they are of no use to me.

This survey has helped me identify best fit roles for both salary expectations and work life balance.

Documentarians - do yourself a favour and complete the survey. It will assist you heaps come during salary negotiations and pay rises. Back your claims with real and substantial data.

I regularly use WTD’s salary information to help other writers negotiate higher pay for their roles, and I use it to negotiate mine too.

I love having a community that cares about supporting writers in getting paid what they’re worth. I love this survey and I make sure to participate every year!

The 2023 WTD Salary Survey helped me negotiate a higher starting salary for a new role! Thanks to the organizers and everyone who participated!

My manager loves using the WTD Salary results to advocate a raise for me because the data is directly relevant to my role, versus the generic third party market rate tool HR uses.

Employment parameters¶

This section establishes the parameters of the respondent’s employment: the type of employment, number of hours worked, job title and type of role, length of time in current position, and how focused the role is on documentation.

In this section

Basis of employment
Hours worked
Job title
Role category
Team configuration
Length of time in current role
Proportion of role related to documentation

Basis of employment¶

What we asked (click to expand)

In the past year, I have worked as:

an employee
a contractor
both employee and contractor

As an employee, currently:

I’m employed
I’m not employed

As a contractor, currently:

I have work
I don’t have work

Contractors, freelancers and self-employed people

We asked those who filled out the survey as independent contractors, freelancers or self-employed people what term they used to describe their type of employment. More than half (63.8%) preferred the term “contractor”, with only 18.1% using “freelancer” and 10.6% using “self-employed”. In this report, we’ll use the term “contractors” to refer to this entire group.

As in previous surveys, employees made up the majority of respondents (686, or 87.9%). Contractors made up 8.5% (66 individuals).

For the first time this year, we included a third option - for respondents who had worked in the past year as both employee and contractor. 28 respondents (3.6%) chose this option, and provided both salary and contract rate data. This means that in total there are 714 employee responses and 94 contractor responses (the highest number of contractor responses yet).

Basis of employment (2019-2024)¶
Survey year	Employees	Contractors
2019	2. 652 (93.9%)	2. 42 (6.1%)
2020	4. 748 (92.9%)	3. 57 (7.1%)
2021	5. 887 (92.5%)	4. 72 (7.5%)
2022	1. 491 (93.5%)	1. 34 (6.5%)
2023	6. 938 (92.2%)	5. 79 (7.8%)
2024 *	3. 714 (88.4%)	6. 94 (11.6%)

*: Includes 28 employee-contractor respondents who are counted twice - once as an employee and once as a contractor

As in previous years, we encouraged those currently not working to respond as though still at their previous job/contract, provided they had worked at least some of the past year. 16 employees (2.3%) and 7 contractors (10.6%) filled out the survey on this basis.

Of the 28 respondents who had worked as both employee and contractor in the past year, 15 were currently working in both capacities. The others were currently working as one or the other only, or not working at all (2 respondents).

Hours worked¶

What we asked

How many hours per week do you work?

1–20 hours
21–30 hours
31–40 hours
41–50 hours
51–60 hours
More than 60 hours

In total, 95.3% of all respondents worked “full time” hours, using the US standard of 30 hours/week as the minimum. 27% of all respondents worked in excess of 40 hours a week.

68.3% worked between 31 and 40 hours
24.9% worked between 41 and 50 hours
2.2% worked between 51 and 60 hours

For the first time this year, no respondents reported working more than 60 hours.

4.6% of respondents worked “part time” hours, using the US standard of less than 30 hours/week:

2.7% worked 21 to 30 hours each week
1.9% worked 1 to 20 hours

Weekly hours worked (2024)¶
Hours	No.	%
31-40 hours	532	68.3%
41-50 hours	194	24.9%
21-30 hours	21	2.7%
51-60 hours	17	2.2%
1-20 hours	15	1.9%

Figure: Weekly hours worked (2024)

Job title¶

What we asked

What is your job title?

With typos fixed, abbreviations expanded, “stop words” removed and keyword faceting applied, 217 unique job titles could be discerned. One respondent indicated that they did not have a job title.

As in previous years, the most widely used exact title was “Technical Writer”, reported by 26.8% of respondents. This term appeared in 6 of the top 10 job titles, in 51 of the 217 unique job titles, and in 65.2% of all job titles.

Top job titlesExcluding "technical writer"

Most widely-used job titles¶
Title	No.	%
Technical Writer	209	26.8%
Senior Technical Writer	158	20.3%
Lead Technical Writer	32	4.1%
Staff Technical Writer	26	3.3%
Principal Technical Writer	16	2.1%
Documentation Manager	12	1.5%
Technical Writer II	12	1.5%
Manager, Technical Writing	10	1.3%
Technical Author	8	1.0%
Senior Documentation Manager	6	0.8%

Job titles excluding “technical writer”¶
Title	No.	%
Documentation Manager	12	7.1%
Documentation Specialist	6	3.6%
Senior Documentation Manager	6	3.6%
Content Developer	5	3.0%
Knowledge Manager	5	3.0%
Documentation Engineer	5	3.0%
User Assistance Developer	4	2.4%
Documentation Team Lead	4	2.4%
Information Developer	4	2.4%
Manager, Product Documentation	3	1.8%

Figure: Job title word cloud

../../../_images/2024-job-title-word-cloud.svg

Role category¶

What we asked

How would you categorize your primary role? Please select one category - you will be able to select additional categories in the next question.

Technical writer
UX writer
Editor
Programmer-writer (code, sample apps etc)
Content producer (visual, audio, interactive content, etc)
Educator, trainer, instructional designer
Developer, engineer
Support
Developer relations, outreach
Translation, localization
Project or product manager
Testing, quality assurance
Information architecture
DocOps (infrastructure, tools etc)
Other (please specify)

What additional roles do you also perform? Select multiple if appropriate, or select “None”.

Technical writer
UX writer
Editor
Programmer-writer (code, sample apps etc)
Content producer (visual, audio, interactive content etc)
Educator, trainer, instructional designer
Developer, engineer
Support
Developer relations, outreach, advocate
Subject matter expert
Translation, localization
Project or product manager
Testing, quality assurance
Information architecture
DocOps (infrastructure, process, tools etc)
Manager or team leader
Marketing
Mentoring
Other (please specify)
None

Question background

Given that job titles and the responsibilities they entail varies widely, this question attempts to add context to the salary data by identifying the type of work being primarily performed.

We added the original version of this question - which asked respondents to broadly categorize their role into one of a limited set of options - in the second survey, in 2020. Starting in 2022, we allowed respondents to choose multiple role categories. This highlighted the breadth of talent in our community, but made comparing salaries more difficult.

After community consultation in 2024, we split this question into two parts - one for primary role category, and one for additional roles - and expanded the number of options.

Primary role category¶

“Technical writer” was by far the most widely-selected primary role category, chosen by 83.7% of respondents. “Editor”, “DocOps” and “project/product manager” counted for around 2% each.

7 respondents selected “other” and provided more detail: most were all-rounders who performed a combination of roles, although “content strategist”, “communications writer” and “rebranding tech” were also mentioned.

Primary role categories¶
Role category	No.	%
Technical writer	652	84.7%
Editor	20	2.6%
DocOps	18	2.3%
Project or product manager	16	2.1%
Programmer-writer	12	1.6%
UX writer	10	1.3%
Support	9	1.2%
Content producer	8	1.0%
Information architecture	6	0.8%
Developer or engineer	4	0.5%
Developer relations, outreach or advocate	4	0.5%
Educator, trainer, or instructional designer	2	0.3%
Testing, quality assurance	2	0.3%

Additional role categories¶

45 respondents (5.8%) chose only a primary role category. Of these, 42 listed “technical writer” as their primary role category, 2 selected “editor” and 1 selected “developer or engineer”.

Of the respondents who selected additional role categories, the number chosen ranged from 1 (82 respondents) to 10 or more (32 respondents). The most popular number of additional role categories was 3, with 136 respondents selecting 3 additional categories.

This resulted in an incredibly diverse range of primary and secondary role category combinations - over 3,400 in all.

Technical writerEditorDocOps

Combinations with primary role “technical writer”¶
Additional role category	No.
Editor	380
Information architecture	267
UX writer	263
DocOps	179
Mentoring	176
Subject matter expert	155
Content producer	147
Manager or team leader	132
Testing / QA	120
Educator	116
Project or product manager	109
Programmer-writer	93
Translator	79
Support	75
Developer relations	41
Marketing	40
Developer or engineer	23

Combinations with primary role “editor”¶
Additional role category	No.
Technical writer	15
Mentoring	7
Subject matter expert	6
Project or product manager	6

Combinations with primary role “DocOps”¶
Additional role category	No.
Technical writer	14
Information architecture	9
Mentoring	8
Editor	7
Manager or team leader	7

Team configuration¶

What we asked

When working with other people, what is your typical role? Select multiple options, if appropriate.

A solo worker
Part of a team of people with the same or similar roles
Part of a team of people with different roles
Part of multiple teams
A manager or team leader
Other (please specify)

50.6% of respondents reported that they were part of a team of people with the same or similar roles, while 45.6% reported being part of a team with different roles. 26.2% reported being part of multiple teams, and 25.3% reported being a solo worker.

Team configuration¶
Configuration	No.	%
Team - similar roles	394	50.6%
Team - different roles	355	45.6%
Multiple teams	204	26.2%
Solo worker	197	25.3%
Manager	148	19.0%
Other	3	0.4%

Length of time in current role¶

What we asked

EMPLOYEES:

How long have you worked at your current organization, in your current role? Please select the length of time for your current position at your current organization only - your total years of experience in documentation will be covered in the individual demographics section. If you have changed roles at the same organization, please select the length of time that you have been in your current role.

Less than 1 year
1 year or more but less than 2 years
2 years or more but less than 5 years
5 years or more but less than 10 years
10 years or more (please specify)

CONTRACTORS:

How long have you worked as a contractor or freelancer, or been self-employed? This is how long you have been a contractor or freelancer only - your total years of experience in documentation will be covered later on.

Less than 1 year
1 year or more but less than 2 years
2 years or more but less than 5 years
5 years or more but less than 10 years
10 years or more (please specify)

A spike in respondents with new jobs was first seen in 2021, with 31.7% of respondents reported being in their current position at their current organization for less than a year. In 2022, this number peaked at 36.8% - when respondents with new jobs outstripped the number who had held their current position for medium or long terms. In 2023, the number of respondents with new jobs fell again, to 20.3% - lower than in 2020 although still well above the 9% reported in 2019, and this number has remained steady in 2024, at 21.8%.

EmployeesContractors

Length of time in current role - employees¶
Time	No.	%
2-5 years	274	38.4%
0-1 year	156	21.8%
1-2 years	131	18.3%
5-10 years	110	15.4%
more than 10 years	43	6.0%

Figure: Length of time in current role (employees)

../../../_images/2024-time-in-role-employees.svg

Length of time contracting - contractors¶
Time	No.	%
1-2 years	23	24.5%
0-1 year	19	20.2%
more than 10 years	18	19.1%
5-10 years	18	19.1%
2-5 years	16	17.0%

Figure: Length of time contracting

../../../_images/2024-time-in-role-contractors.svg

Proportion of role related to documentation¶

What we asked

Documentation is:

the whole of my official job description
part of my official job description
not officially part of my job description, but I am expected to perform documentation-related tasks
not officially part of my job description, and I am not expected to perform documentation-related tasks, but I do anyway

Approximately what percentage of your day-to-day tasks are documentation-related?

0-25%
26-50%
51-75%
76-100%

The majority of respondents (68.8%) reported that documentation makes up their whole official job description, and most or all of their day-to-day tasks (54.7% reporting more than 76% of their daily workload). The portion of respondents performing documentation-related tasks even though it’s not part of their job description remained steady at 2.6%.

Official roleActual role

Portion of role officially documentation-related¶
Portion	No.	%
Wholly documentation	537	68.8%
Partly documentation	215	27.6%
Not documentation, but it’s expected	20	2.6%
Not documentation, and not expected	8	1.0%

Portion of role actually documentation-related¶
Portion	No.	%
76-100%	427	54.7%
51-75%	248	31.9%
26-50%	75	9.6%
0-25%	30	3.8%

Job changes¶

This section explores the changes in employment experienced by respondents in the past year: losing or gaining employment, changes in salary or contract earnings, and how they feel about the job market.

In this section

Salary or contract earnings changes
Reasons for salary increase or decrease
Reasons for contract earnings increase or decrease
Job or contract search status
Job security and stability
Job search confidence

Salary or contract earnings changes¶

What we asked

EMPLOYEES:

Has your salary changed in the past year? Please do not take outside factors such as inflation, cost of living or currency conversion rates into account - just the actual amount of compensation you receive.

Yes - my salary increased
Yes - my salary decreased
No - my salary stayed the same

CONTRACTORS:

Have your total contract or freelance earnings changed in the past year? Please do not take outside factors such as inflation, cost of living or currency conversion rates into account - just the total amount of money you received from work you have done in the past year.

Yes - my earnings increased
Yes - my earnings decreased
No - my earnings stayed the same

Question background

In the 2022 survey results, we saw more employee respondents in new positions - jobs that they’d held for less than one year - than in any previous survey. To better explore how the job market shake-up of the past few years is affecting our community - both employees and contractors - we added this new section for job changes in 2023.

After community input in 2024, we changed the format of the question to ask about salary or earnings changes directly, rather than asking about changes in employment or contract status. We also added a question about whether respondents had attempted to negotiate a salary increase in the past year, regardless of the outcome.

Of the 713 respondents who worked as employees in the past year, 75% reported that their salary had increased in the past year. 22.3% reported no change, and 2.7% reported a decrease.

Among the 94 respondents who had worked on a contract basis, only 46.8% reported an earnings increase. 37.2% reported no change, and 16% reported a decrease.

EmployeesContractors

Employee salary change¶
Change	No.	%
1. Increase	535	75.0%
2. No change	159	22.3%
3. Decrease	19	2.7%

Figure: Employee salary change

../../../_images/2024-salary-change-employees.svg

Contractor earnings change¶
Change	No.	%
1. Increase	44	46.8%
2. No change	35	37.2%
3. Decrease	15	16.0%

Figure: Contractor earnings change

../../../_images/2024-earnings-change-contractors.svg

Reasons for salary increase or decrease¶

What we asked

Why did your salary increase? Select multiple, if appropriate.

I received or negotiated a raise
I was promoted within the same organization
I moved to another position within the same organization
I started a new position in a new organization
Other (please specify)

Why did your salary decrease? Select multiple, if appropriate.

Organizational salary cuts
I was made redundant, downsized or laid off due to restructuring/bankruptcy/closure
My employment was terminated
I resigned
I moved to another position with the same organization at a lower salary
I started a new position in a new organization at a lower salary
Other (please specify)

Regardless of outcome, did you attempt to negotiate a salary increase in the past year? This could be through formal or informal procedures.

61.6% of employees reporting an increase in salary attributed this to a raise. 17.4% received a promotion, and 13.9% started a new position.

After examining the responses entered by those respondents who selected “Other” and provided more detail, four additional options were added to the reasons for salary increase:

“Adjustment” refers to a salary increase to account for inflation, cost-of-living increases, currency exchange rates or similar - rather than a performance, merit or tenure-based raise;
“Position change” refers to a change in location, increase in responsibilities or wider scope of tasks that warranted a salary increase, without actually being a promotion or lateral move;
“Equity” refers to the maturation of stock options or other equity-based compensation increases; and
“Bonus” refers to a one-time or annual bonus payment that was not part of the respondent’s regular salary.

50% of employees reporting a decrease in salary attributed this to starting a new position at a lower salary. 20.8% were made redundant, 12.5% experienced organizational salary cuts, and 8.3% had their employment terminated.

There was only one “other” response for salary decrease, representing a potentially common option which was added:

“Relocation” refers to a decrease in salary due to a move to a location with a lower cost of living or lower salary expectations.

32.8% of employees attempted to negotiate a salary increase in the past year.

Salary increaseSalary decrease

Salary increase¶
Reason	No.	%
Raise	369	61.6%
Promotion	104	17.4%
New position	83	13.9%
Adjustment	24	4.0%
Lateral move	9	1.5%
Position change	7	1.2%
Equity	2	0.3%
Bonus	1	0.2%

Figure: Employee salary increase reasons

../../../_images/2024-salary-increase-employees.svg

Salary decrease¶
Reason	No.	%
New position	12	50.0%
Redundancy	5	20.8%
Organizational cuts	3	12.5%
Termination	2	8.3%
Lateral	1	4.2%
Relocation	1	4.2%

Figure: Employee salary decrease reasons

../../../_images/2024-salary-decrease-employees.svg

Reasons for contract earnings increase or decrease¶

What we asked

Why did your contract or freelance earnings increase? Select multiple, if appropriate.

I started a new contract or freelance project (or multiple projects)
I raised my rate
I worked more hours
Other (please specify)

Why did your contract or freelance earnings decrease? Select multiple, if appropriate.

A contract or freelance project ended prematurely
A contract or freelance project ended as expected
My contract was not renewed or extended as expected
I resigned from a contract or “fired” a freelance client
My freelance work pipeline dried up
I lowered my rate
I worked fewer hours
Other (please specify)

Regardless of outcome, did you attempt to negotiate a contract or freelance rate increase in the past year?

Of those contractors reporting an increase in their earnings, 36.5% raised their rate, 34.9% started new contracts or projects, and 14.3% worked more hours.

Four additional options were added to the reasons for contract earnings increase, based on responses entered by those who selected “Other” and provided more detail:

“Received a raise” - as distinct from “raised rate” - applies to those contractors who work a single contract in the manner of a regular employee, and received a raise from their client/employer;
“Job changes” to describe taking on additional responsibility or work scope within the same contract, leading to an increase in earnings;
“Bonus” for a one-off additional payment; and
“Promotion” for a change in role or responsibility - again applying to those contractors working a single contract in the manner of a regular employee.

Of those contractors reporting a decrease in their earnings, 20% reported that their pipeline dried up, 16% worked fewer hours, and 16% had a contract end prematurely.

Two new options were added to the reasons for earnings decrease, based on responses entered by those who selected “Other”:

“Stopgap contracting” for those who took on contracts at a lower rate as a temporary measure after losing permanent employment, while searching for a new permanent position; and
“Relocation” for those who moved to a location with a lower cost of living or lower salary expectations.

45.7% of contractors reported that they attempted to negotiate a rate increase in the past year.

Earnings increaseEarnings decrease

Reasons for earnings increase¶
Reason	No.	%
Raised rate	23	36.5%
New contracts or projects	22	34.9%
Worked more hours	9	14.3%
Received a raise	5	7.9%
Job changes	2	3.2%
Bonus	1	1.6%
Promotion	1	1.6%

Figure: Contractor earnings increase reasons

../../../_images/2024-earnings-increase-contractors.svg

Reasons for earnings decrease¶
Reason	No.	%
Pipeline dried up	5	20.0%
Stopgap contracting	4	16.0%
Fewer hours	4	16.0%
Contract ended prematurely	4	16.0%
Contracted ended normally	2	8.0%
Contract not renewed	2	8.0%
Lowered rate	2	8.0%
Resigned or fired client	1	4.0%
Relocation	1	4.0%

Figure: Contractor earnings decrease reasons

../../../_images/2024-earnings-decrease-contractors.svg

Job or contract search status¶

What we asked

Employees:

What is your current job search status?

I’m not looking for a new position, and am not open to employment offers
I’m not looking for a new position, but am open to employment offers
I’m not looking for a new position, but expect to be within the next year
I’m actively looking for a new position
I’m actively looking for a new position and would also consider contract/freelance opportunities

Contractors:

What is your current contract/freelance search status?

I’m not looking for new contracts or freelance projects, and am not open to offers
I’m not looking for new contracts or freelance projects, but am open to offers
I’m not looking for new contracts or freelance projects, but expect to be within the next year
I’m actively looking for new contracts or freelance projects
I’m actively looking for new contracts or freelance projects and would also consider taking a permanent position
I’m only contracting while I search for a permanent position

The top two responses to “what is your job/contract search status” were the same for employees and contractors:

46.8% of employees and 30.9% of contractors reported that they were not actively looking for new positions, but were open to offers; whereas
29.5% of employees and 23.4% of contractors reported that they were not actively looking for new positions and were not open to offers.

5.5% of employees were actively looking for new positions and would also consider contract/freelance opportunities, while 18.1% of contractors were actively looking for new contracts or freelance projects and would also consider taking a permanent position. 17% of contractors were only contracting while searching for a permanent position.

EmployeesContractors

Current job search status - employees¶
Status	No.	%
Not actively looking - open to offers	334	46.8%
Not actively looking - not open to offers	210	29.5%
Actively looking	66	9.3%
Not looking yet, but expect to be within the next year	64	9.0%
Actively looking, would consider contract	39	5.5%

Current work search status - contractors¶
Status	No.	%
Not actively looking - open to offers	29	30.9%
Not actively looking - not open to offers	22	23.4%
Actively looking, would consider a permanent position	17	18.1%
Only contracting while looking for a permanent position	16	17.0%
Not looking yet, but expect to be within the next year	6	6.4%
Actively looking for new contracts/freelance projects	4	4.3%

Job security and stability¶

What we asked

Employees who are currently working:

How would you characterize your current feelings of job security and stability compared to this time last year?

More confident
Around the same
Less confident

Contractors who are currently working:

How would you characterize your current feelings of contract/freelance income security and stability compared to this time last year?

More confident
Around the same
Less confident

Employees and contractors who had indicated that they were currently unemployed were not shown this question.

Around half of all employees (51.4%) and half of all contractors (50% exactly) reported that their confidence in their job security and stability was around the same as last year. However, while 26.6% of employees reported feeling more confident, only 19.7% of contractors did. Conversely, 21.9% of employees reported feeling less confident, compared to 30.3% of contractors.

EmployeesContractors

Employee job security¶
Confidence	No.	%
2. Around the same	357	51.5%
1. More confident	184	26.6%
3. Less confident	152	21.9%

Figure: Job security confidence - employees

../../../_images/2024-job-security-confidence-employees.svg

Contractor earnings security¶
Confidence	No.	%
2. Around the same	38	50.0%
3. Less confident	23	30.3%
1. More confident	15	19.7%

Figure: Earnings security confidence - contractors

../../../_images/2024-earnings-security-confidence-contractors.svg

Job search confidence¶

What we asked

Employees who are currently not working, or who indicated that they were actively looking for a new position:

How would you characterize your confidence in your ability to secure a new position with terms favorable to you?

Very confident
Confident
Neutral
Not confident
Not confident at all

Contractors who are currently not working, or who indicated that they were actively looking for new contracts or freelance projects:

How would you characterize your confidence in your ability to secure a new contract or freelance project/client with terms favorable to you?

Very confident
Confident
Neutral
Not confident
Not confident at all

Employees and contractors were shown this question if they indicated that they were currently not working, or if they indicated that they were actively looking for a new position or new contract.

Amongst employees, job search confidence was mixed, with around a third (30%) feeling “confident” and another third (27.5%) feeling “not confident”. Similarly, a smaller proportion (10%) felt “very confident” and an almost equal number (11.3%) “not confident at all”.

Amongst contractors - a smaller number of respondents overall - the trend was towards the negative, with 40.9% feeling “not confident” and 13.6% feeling “not confident at all”.

EmployeesContractors

Employee job search confidence¶
Confidence	No.	%
2. Confident	24	30.0%
4. Not confident	22	27.5%
3. Neutral	17	21.3%
5. Not confident at all	9	11.3%
1. Very confident	8	10.0%

Figure: Job search confidence - employees

Contractor job search confidence¶
Confidence	No.	%
4. Not confident	9	40.9%
1. Very confident	4	18.2%
3. Neutral	3	13.6%
5. Not confident at all	3	13.6%
2. Confident	3	13.6%

Figure: Contract search confidence - contractors

Workplace¶

The questions in this section relate to respondents’ workplace: whether they work from home, from an office, or a combination, and how they feel about that. We were also interested in how the much-discussed “return to the office” (RTO) mandates have affected our community.

In this section

Work location
“Return to office” (RTO) mandates
Preferred work location

Note on use of the term “remote”

In previous surveys, this was some confusion as to the definition of the term “remote”, as many people suddenly forced to work from home due to the pandemic did not think of that situation as working remotely. To clarify, we consider the word “remote” to have the same meaning as “work from home” or “home office”.

Work location¶

What we asked

What is your current work location?

I am required to be on-site full time
I am on-site full time, but it is not required
I am partially on-site, and partially remote (hybrid)
I am fully remote, but it is by choice (i.e. an office location is available to me)
I am fully remote, and it is required (i.e. no office location is available to me)

How do you feel about your work location?

Very negative
Negative
Neutral
Positive
Very Positive

The vast majority of respondents (58.9%) work remotely - 30% by choice, and 28.9% by necessity. 32.3% of respondents report that they work in a hybrid environment. Those working on-site, whether by choice or necessity, make up only 8.7% of respondents.

Work location¶
Location	No.	%
Hybrid	252	32.3%
Remote (not required)	234	30.0%
Remote (required)	225	28.9%
On-site (required)	42	5.4%
On-site (not required)	26	3.3%

Figure: Work location

The majority of respondents (82.6% overall) reported feeling “positive” about their work location, with 48.8% feeling “very positive”. Only 5.6% reported negative feelings, with 1.5% feeling “very negative”.

Attitudes towards work location¶
Attitudes	No.	%
1. Very positive	380	48.8%
2. Positive	263	33.8%
3. Neutral	92	11.8%
4. Negative	32	4.1%
5. Very negative	12	1.5%

Figure: Attitudes towards work location

../../../_images/2024-work-location-attitude.svg

“Return to office” (RTO) mandates¶

What we asked

In the past year, has your organization (or for contractors, any organization that you work for) implemented an RTO (return to office) policy - requesting or requiring that remote or “work from home” employees/contractors return to working on-site?

Yes, it’s required all of the time
Yes, it’s required but only part of the time (hybrid work is ok)
Yes, it’s encouraged but not mandatory
Yes, but only for some roles
No, remote work is still allowed/encouraged/required
No, my position was always remote-only
No, my position was always hybrid
No, my position was always on-site only
I don’t know, or it doesn’t apply to the kind of work I do

How do you feel about your organization’s “return to office” policy?

Very negative
Negative
Neutral
Positive
Very Positive

In 2024, 51.4% of respondents reported that they have not been affected by RTO policies - either because remote work was still possible, or because their position was always on-site.

For those that have been affected, most reported that a hybrid model was being mandated (25% overall). 9.4% reported that a return was encouraged but not mandatory, and 7.6% reported that it was mandatory for some roles.

RTO mandates¶
Policy	No.	%
No - remote work is still ok	382	49.0%
Yes - hybrid	195	25.0%
Yes - not mandatory	73	9.4%
Yes - for some roles	59	7.6%
Don’t know or doesn’t apply	28	3.6%
Yes - full-time	23	3.0%
No - position was always on-site	19	2.4%

Those who reported being affected by an RTO policy were asked about their feelings on the situation.

Overall, the split between positive, negative and neutral feelings was fairly even - 33.4% reported feeling neutral, 39.4% negative or very negative, and 27.1% positive or very positive.

Those who were affected by partial RTO mandates were split in a similar manner - 35.5% reported feeling neutral, 37% negative, and 27.5% positive.

Those affected by a full time RTO mandate felt predominantly negative - 73.9% reported feeling negative or very negative, while only 21.7% reported feeling positive or very positive.

All affectedPartial RTOFull RTO

Attitude to RTO - all affected¶
Attitudes	No.	%
3. Neutral	117	33.4%
4. Negative	95	27.1%
2. Positive	68	19.4%
5. Very negative	43	12.3%
1. Very positive	27	7.7%

Figure: Attitude towards RTO - all affected respondents

../../../_images/2024-rto-attitude-all-affected.svg

Attitudes to partial RTO¶
Attitudes	No.	%
3. Neutral	116	35.5%
4. Negative	89	27.2%
2. Positive	64	19.6%
5. Very negative	32	9.8%
1. Very positive	26	8.0%

Figure: Attitude towards RTO - respondents affected by partial RTO

../../../_images/2024-rto-attitude-affected-by-partial.svg

Attitudes to full RTO¶
Attitudes	No.	%
5. Very negative	11	47.8%
4. Negative	6	26.1%
2. Positive	4	17.4%
1. Very positive	1	4.3%
3. Neutral	1	4.3%

Figure: Attitude towards RTO - respondents affected by full RTO

../../../_images/2024-rto-attitude-affected-by-full.svg

Preferred work location¶

What we asked

Regardless of the policy at your current organization or your current situation, what is your preferred work location?

I prefer to work on-site on a full-time basis
I prefer to work remotely/from home on a full-time basis
I prefer the flexibility of a hybrid work location (partly on-site, partly remote)
I have no strong preference / it depends on the situation

Regardless of their current situation, 52.1% of all respondents said that their preferred work location is remote. Another 40.6% favored a hybrid model (some days in the office, some days working from home or another location). Only 2.8% said they preferred working on-site at their employer’s office, and 4.5% stated no preference or that their preference depended upon the situation.

Preferred work location¶
Location	No.	%
Remote	406	52.1%
Hybrid	316	40.6%
No preference, or it depends	35	4.5%
On-site	22	2.8%

Figure: Preferred work location

../../../_images/2024-preferred-work-location.svg

Employee salary, benefits and satisfaction¶

This section covers employee salaries, associated benefits of different types, levels of satisfaction and the factors affecting those satisfaction levels.

To protect the privacy of our community, we do not publish median salary figures for any region or category with less than 10 respondents. In regions or categories that meet the minimum threshold of 30 respondents, we’re also providing the 25^th percentile (the value below which 25% of the data falls) and 75^th percentile (the value below which 75% of the data falls).

In this section

Salary
Median salary
Employee benefits
Employee satisfaction
Factors affecting salary satisfaction

Salary¶

What we asked

Please enter your salary before taxes are taken out, and indicate whether this is a monthly or yearly amount (in some countries it is customary to talk about monthly salary, while in others yearly figures are more common). Monthly figures will be multiplied by 12 for comparison with yearly figures.

If your total compensation is made up of a base salary and significant bonus, equity or commission payments, please enter your total compensation (or an average, if it fluctuates).

currency
salary
monthly/yearly

Currency¶

Employee respondents reported being paid in 33 different currencies. To make comparisons possible, all currencies were converted to USD using mid-market exchange rates, averaged for the whole of 2024.

Currencies and exchange rates - employees¶
Currency (code)	Rate	No.	%
United States Dollar (USD)	1.0	321	45.0%
Euro (EUR)	1.08	105	14.7%
Canadian Dollar (CAD)	0.7303	76	10.7%
British Pound Sterling (GBP)	1.28	43	6.0%
Indian Rupee (INR)	0.012	40	5.6%
Australian Dollar (AUD)	0.6602	40	5.6%
Israeli New Shekel (NIS)	0.2703	26	3.6%
Swedish Krona (SEK)	0.0947	9	1.3%
Romanian Leu (RON)	0.2176	7	1.0%
Czech Koruna (CZK)	0.0431	6	0.8%
New Zealand Dollar (NZD)	0.6055	4	0.6%
Hungarian Forint (HUF)	0.0027	3	0.4%
Norwegian Krone (NOK)	0.0931	3	0.4%
Colombian Peso (COP)	0.0002	2	0.3%
Serbian Dinar (RSD)	0.0092	2	0.3%
Kazakhstani Tenge (KZT)	0.0021	2	0.3%
Mexican Peso (MXN)	0.0549	2	0.3%
Polish Złoty (PLN)	0.2514	2	0.3%
United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED)	0.2723	2	0.3%
Brazilian Real (BRL)	0.1866	2	0.3%
Philippine Peso (PHP)	0.0175	2	0.3%
Japanese Yen (JPY)	0.0066	2	0.3%
Russian Ruble (RUB)	0.0108	2	0.3%
Danish Krone (DKK)	0.1451	1	0.1%
Pakistani Rupee (PKR)	0.0036	1	0.1%
Turkish Lira (TRY)	0.0305	1	0.1%
Chilean Peso (CLP)	0.0011	1	0.1%
Swiss Franc (CHF)	1.14	1	0.1%
Argentine Peso (ARS)	0.0011	1	0.1%
South African Rand (ZAR)	0.0546	1	0.1%
Thai Baht (THB)	0.0284	1	0.1%
Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY)	0.139	1	0.1%
Bulgarian Lev (BGN)	0.5534	1	0.1%

Median salary¶

As in previous years, salaries for those working part-time hours (less than 30 per week) have been omitted from the figures in this section. The median salaries are based on 689 full-time employee respondents.

In this section

Median salary by respondent region
Median salary by gender identity
Median salary by years of experience
Median salary by organization size

Definition of percentile values

Throughout this report, the following definitions apply:

25^th percentile: one quarter of all respondents earned less, three quarters earned more
50^th percentile (median): half of all respondents earned more, half earned less
75^th percentile: one quarter of all respondents earned more, three quarters earned less

Medians are used when comparing salary data, as they are less affected by outliers than average values. Medians are shown for any salary breakdown with at least 10 responses, and 25th and 75th percentiles are shown for breakdowns with at least 30 responses.

Median salary by respondent region¶

Given the range of socio-economic differences in the countries in the survey results, median salary figures broken down by country of residence of employee is more useful than overall median salary.

Privacy and salary information

The following countries - all of which had fewer than 10 respondents in 2024 - are excluded from the median salaries breakdown for privary reasons:

North America: Puerto Rico, Mexico
Europe: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine
Oceania: New Zealand
Asia: China, Japan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand
Middle East: Lebanon, United Arab Emirates
Africa: Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia

Salary (USD) by respondent region¶
Region (No.)	25^th	50^th	75^th
Worldwide (689)	$60,250	$85,760	$120,000
North America (384)	$80,333	$107,050	$150,000
United States (303)	$89,100	$120,000	$160,000
Canada (77)	$60,177	$73,760	$92,018
Europe (180)	$47,760	$61,332	$82,620
United Kingdom (39)	$57,600	$75,679	$96,000
Germany (29)	$64,800	$75,600	$86,832
France (19)	–	$54,000	–
Asia (48)	$18,000	$29,400	$46,200
India (40)	$18,000	$28,800	$44,400
Oceania (43)	$70,972	$83,185	$95,729
Australia (39)	$73,282	$84,506	$101,011
Middle East (26)	–	$94,064	–
Israel (24)	–	$94,064	–

Respondent numbers allow some additional breakdowns by US state, Candian province and Australian state, as well as a handful of major cities.

United StatesCanadaAustralia

Salary (USD) by respondent region - USA¶
State (No.)	25^th	50^th	75^th
California (46)	$108,000	$150,000	$188,000
San Francisco (23)	–	$168,000	–
Washington (24)	–	$141,000	–
Seattle (19)	–	$160,000	–
North Carolina (19)	–	$108,000	–
New York (18)	–	$125,000	–
New York City (11)	–	$170,000	–
Oregon (16)	–	$120,000	–
Portland (13)	–	$127,600	–
Texas (15)	–	$141,250	–
Pennsylvania (14)	–	$150,000	–
Colorado (12)	–	$115,000	–
Minnesota (11)	–	$104,358	–
Ohio (11)	–	$106,500	–
Michigan (10)	–	$90,000	–
Virginia (10)	–	$127,000	–

Salary (USD) by respondent region - Canada¶
Province (No.)	25^th	50^th	75^th
Ontario (32)	$60,323	$71,569	$91,288
Toronto (18)	–	$80,066	–
British Columbia (16)	–	$86,806	–
Vancouver (10)	–	$91,288	–
Quebec (12)	–	$67,188	–

Salary (USD) by respondent region - Australia¶
State (No.)	25^th	50^th	75^th
Victoria (16)		$79,224
Melbourne (14)		$82,525
New South Wales (10)		$84,506

Median salary by gender identity¶

In order to have large enough numbers for statistical significance, we only break down salary by gender identity for women (57% of all respondents) and men (37.2% of all respondents), and only in regions where there are at least 30 respondents of each gender.

This year, that means that we are able to show breakdowns for Worldwide, North America and Europe. Men earned more than women in all regions, but the difference was largest in Europe (where men earned 19.6% more than women).

WomenMenComparison

Salary (USD) by gender identity - women¶
Region (No.)	25^th	50^th	75^th
Worldwide (378)	$57,600	$82,620	$116,855
North America (220)	$80,000	$105,000	$145,000
Europe (93)	$44,547	$57,024	$73,984

Salary (USD) by gender identity - men¶
Region (No.)	25^th	50^th	75^th
Worldwide (272)	$64,000	$87,636	$124,879
North America (138)	$85,000	$110,000	$155,000
Europe (77)	$51,516	$68,184	$93,077

Median salary (USD) by gender identity - comparison¶
Region	Women	Men	Diff
Worldwide	$82,620	$87,636	6.1%
North America	$105,000	$110,000	4.8%
Europe	$57,024	$68,184	19.6%

Median salary by years of experience¶

The general trend is for salaries to increase with years of experience. This trend holds out throughout regions, with the most pronounced increase in the 10-15 year range.

WorldwideNorth AmericaEurope

Salary (USD) by experience¶
Experience	No.	25^th	50^th	75^th
1. 0-2 years	34	$44,496	$54,000	$72,622
2. 2-5 years	124	$52,500	$69,336	$90,000
3. 5-10 years	196	$54,772	$81,000	$112,000
4. 10-15 years	135	$72,500	$100,000	$150,000
5. 15-20 years	60	$75,923	$95,000	$124,900
6. 20+ years	138	$77,821	$101,000	$144,000

Salary (USD) by experience - North America¶
Experience	No.	25^th	50^th	75^th
1. 0-2 years	16		$70,000
2. 2-5 years	62	$63,951	$85,000	$111,736
3. 5-10 years	111	$75,000	$100,000	$144,000
4. 10-15 years	81	$91,288	$128,500	$165,000
5. 15-20 years	28	$90,000	$115,027	$173,665
6. 20+ years	85	$97,000	$120,000	$166,000

Salary (USD) by experience - Europe¶
Experience	No.	25^th	50^th	75^th
1. 0-2 years	13		$48,640
2. 2-5 years	39	$38,879	$54,000	$69,336
3. 5-10 years	56	$46,656	$60,480	$81,000
4. 10-15 years	29		$77,760
5. 15-20 years	16		$76,982
6. 20+ years	26		$72,900

Median salary by organization size¶

Salaries generally increase with the size of the organization, with the highest median salaries observed in organizations with more than 100,000 employees. In North America, this trend is particularly pronounced in the 75th percentile for the very largest organizations. In Europe, while the trend of increasing salaries with organization size is also evident, there’s a small drop in all salary ranges in the 10,000 - 100,000 employee category.

WorldwideNorth AmericaEurope

Salary (USD) by organization size¶
Size	No.	25^th	50^th	75^th
1. 1-100	87	$54,000	$71,222	$105,000
2. 101-1,000	270	$60,000	$82,620	$115,000
3. 1,001-10,000	201	$67,188	$92,000	$120,000
4. 10,001-100,000	85	$60,250	$89,200	$123,369
5. 100,000+	46	$73,473	$107,354	$180,000

Salary (USD) by organization size - North America¶
Size	No.	25^th	50^th	75^th
1. 1-100	41	$67,500	$90,000	$125,000
2. 101-1,000	144	$75,000	$101,000	$150,000
3. 1,001-10,000	118	$87,636	$108,000	$150,000
4. 10,001-100,000	55	$81,000	$106,000	$145,000
5. 100,000+	26		$170,000

Salary (USD) by organization size - Europe¶
Size	No.	25^th	50^th	75^th
1. 1-100	28		$51,840
2. 101-1,000	83	$50,544	$64,000	$83,160
3. 1,001-10,000	46	$51,516	$61,776	$86,848
4. 10,001-100,000	16		$57,600

Employee benefits¶

What we asked

Does your salary package include any of the following statutory benefits?

Labor laws in some countries mandate that employees receive some or all of the following benefits as part of their employment (in some cases depending on the size or type of employer).

Please indicate if you have access to any of the following statutory benefits. Check all that apply, or select “none of the above”.

Paid vacation
Paid parental leave
Paid sick leave
Healthcare benefits
Pension / superannuation / retirement
None of the above

Does your salary package include any of the following statutory benefits, in excess of the required minimums?

Please indicate if you receive any of the following benefits, in excess of any government-mandated minimums that may apply, as part of your salary package. Check all that apply, or select “none of the above”.

For example, in Germany, employees are legally entitled to 20 days of paid vacation per year. An employee living in Germany who has a paid vacation allowance of 30 days would therefore select “paid vacation” for this question, as they receive more than the government mandated minimum.

Paid vacation
Paid parental leave
Paid sick leave
Healthcare benefits
Pension / superannuation / retirement
I’m not sure
None of the above

Does your salary package include any of the following non-statutory benefits? Check all that apply, or select “none of the above”.

Time off or bonuses for community-related activities
401(k) matching or equivalent (additional pension contributions)
Unlimited PTO (paid/personal time off)
Insurance e.g. life, accident, income protection
Stocks, shares, stock options, or equity
Commission or bonus payments
Professional development / ongoing education / conference budget
Meals, meal vouchers, or food-related benefits
Gym, fitness, sport, or other wellness-related benefits
Transportation-related benefits (company car, public transport passes, parking, fuel vouchers or reimbursements for any transport-related cost)
Home office or co-working office budget (including for laptops or other equipment)
Phone and/or internet-related benefits or reimbursements
Other (please specify)
None of the above

Question background

This question was overhauled in 2024 to distinguish between benefits that are mandated by law in the country of employment, and those that are provided by the employer in addition to what is legally required. Instead of one question asking about all benefits, we now ask three separate questions: one about statutory benefits, one about statutory benefits in excess of legal requirements, and one about non-statutory benefits.

Statutory benefits such as paid vacation (86.3%), paid sick leave (82.2%), and healthcare benefits (76.6%) were the most commonly reported, with only 1.8% of respondents indicating they received none.

Extra statutory benefits, such as additional paid vacation (50.2%) and enhanced healthcare benefits (41.3%), were less common, with 14.2% reporting none.

Among non-statutory benefits, insurance (54.4%), professional development budgets (50.1%), and stock options or equity (45.3%) were the most frequently provided, while only 4.5% reported receiving none.

StatutoryExtra statutoryNon-statutory

Statutory benefits¶
Benefit	No.	%
Paid vacation	672	86.3%
Paid sick leave	640	82.2%
Healthcare benefits	597	76.6%
Paid parental leave	557	71.5%
Pension, superannuation, or retirement fund	455	58.4%
None	14	1.8%

Extra statutory benefits¶
Benefit	No.	%
Paid vacation	391	50.2%
Healthcare benefits	322	41.3%
Paid sick leave	277	35.6%
Paid parental leave	239	30.7%
Pension, superannuation or retirement fund	204	26.2%
Unsure	164	21.1%
None	111	14.2%

Non-statutory benefits¶
Benefit	No.	%
Insurance e.g. life, accident, income protection	424	54.4%
Professional development, ongoing education, conference budget	390	50.1%
Stocks, shares, stock options, or equity	353	45.3%
401k matching or equivalent	328	42.1%
Gym, fitness, sport, or other wellness-related benefits	313	40.2%
Home office or co-working office budget, laptop	271	34.8%
Time off or bonuses for community-related activities	244	31.3%
Commission or bonus payments	244	31.3%
Phone and/or internet-related benefits or reimbursements	212	27.2%
Unlimited PTO (paid/personal time off)	205	26.3%
Meals, meal vouchers, or food-related benefits	204	26.2%
Transportation benefits (company car, public transport, parking, fuel)	200	25.7%
None	35	4.5%
Other	12	1.5%

Employee satisfaction¶

What we asked

Considering only your salary and benefits, rate your level of satisfaction:

Very unsatisfied
Unsatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Very satisfied

Considering your overall employment conditions - separate from your salary and benefits - rate your level of satisfaction:

Very unsatisfied
Unsatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Very satisfied

The majority of employee respondents (71.8%) said they were satisfied (46%) or very satisfied (25.8%) with their salary and benefits, while a similar percentage (71.3%) said they were satisfied (44.9%) or very satisfied (26.4%) with their overall employment conditions.

SalaryOverall

Salary satisfaction¶
Satisfaction	No.	%
2. Satisfied	328	46.0%
1. Very satisfied	184	25.8%
3. Neutral	109	15.3%
4. Unsatisfied	79	11.1%
5. Very unsatisfied	13	1.8%

Figure: Salary satisfaction

../../../_images/2024-salary-satisfaction.svg

Overall satisfaction¶
Satisfaction	No.	%
2. Satisfied	320	44.9%
1. Very satisfied	188	26.4%
3. Neutral	128	18.0%
4. Unsatisfied	61	8.6%
5. Very unsatisfied	16	2.2%

Figure: Overall satisfaction - employees

../../../_images/2024-overall-satisfaction-employees.svg

Factors affecting salary satisfaction¶

What we asked

How strongly do you agree with the following statements about your salary and benefits?

I’m paid fairly
My salary keeps up with inflation / cost-of-living
My benefits are sufficient

How strongly do you agree with the following statements about your job?

My hours are reasonable
I have flexibility in my hours
My responsibilities are reasonable
My workload is manageable
I have opportunities for career advancement
I have opportunities for professional development
My work is sufficiently interesting/challenging
I’m satisfied with the systems and toolsets I use

How strongly do you agree with the following statements about your workplace (remote, on-site or hybrid environment)?

I have flexibility in my work location
Our remote work systems, tools and practices function well
Our on-site work systems, tools and practices function well
Our hybrid work systems, tools and practices function well

How strongly do you agree with the following statements about your team and organization?

To my knowledge, salaries are consistent across similar roles
To my knowledge, all genders are paid equally
My role is sufficiently valued/funded
I like and/or respect my managers and team leaders
I like and/or respect my co-workers
I like and/or respect my organization
I’m satisfied with our methodologies, systems and practices

Question background

This question was overhauled in 2024 to be more positive in outlook, and to capture a fuller spectrum of attitudes. Rather than asking respondents to choose from a list of factors that may affect their satisfaction, we asked them to rate their agreement with a series of statements about their salary and benefits, job, workplace, team and organization.

While the format of this question has changed from previous years, it’s possible to see patterns in the responses. For example, most respondents like and/or respect their co-workers (91.7% agreed), and to a lesser extent their managers and team leaders (79.5%) and their organization (66.9%). Many respondents are concerned with their salary not keeping up with inflation (32.6%), and a significant number are not satisfied with their workload (14.2%).

Respondents who indicated that the statement was not relevant to their situation were excluded from the analysis.

SalaryJobWorkplaceTeam

Satisfaction statements - salary and benefits¶
Statements	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
I’m paid fairly	67.0%	16.1%	16.8%
My salary keeps up with inflation / cost-of-living	44.4%	22.7%	32.8%
My benefits are sufficient	68.9%	17.8%	13.4%

Figure: Satisfaction factors - salary and benefits - employees

../../../_images/2024-satisfaction-factors-salary-employees.svg

Satisfaction statements - job¶
Statements	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
My hours are reasonable	88.0%	7.4%	4.5%
I have flexibility in my hours	91.7%	4.5%	3.8%
My responsibilities are reasonable	79.1%	11.5%	9.4%
My workload is manageable	69.6%	16.2%	14.2%
I have opportunities for career advancement	44.2%	27.9%	27.9%
I have opportunities for professional development	63.0%	20.6%	16.4%
My work is sufficiently interesting / challenging	73.3%	17.0%	9.7%
I’m satisfied with the systems and toolsets I use	60.9%	20.7%	18.4%

Figure: Satisfaction factors - overall job - employees

../../../_images/2024-satisfaction-factors-job-employees.svg

Satisfaction statements - workplace¶
Statements	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
I have flexibility in my work location	82.0%	6.6%	11.4%
Our remote work systems, tools and practices function well	87.0%	9.2%	3.8%
Our on-site work systems, tools and practices function well	74.9%	17.2%	7.9%
Our hybrid work systems, tools and practices function well	77.4%	16.0%	6.6%

Figure: Satisfaction factors - workplace - employees

../../../_images/2024-satisfaction-factors-workplace-employees.svg

Satisfaction statements - team and organization¶
Statements	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
To my knowledge, salaries are consistent across similar roles	43.5%	35.8%	20.7%
To my knowledge, all genders are paid equally	54.3%	32.3%	13.4%
My role is sufficiently valued /funded	53.0%	20.1%	26.9%
I like and/or respect my managers and team leaders	79.8%	12.0%	8.2%
I like and/or respect my co-workers	92.2%	6.2%	1.6%
I like and/or respect my organization	67.3%	22.3%	10.4%
I’m satisfied with our methodologies, systems and practices	50.2%	25.2%	24.6%

Figure: Satisfaction factors - team and organization - employees

../../../_images/2024-satisfaction-factors-team-employees.svg

Contract rates and satisfaction¶

This section contains questions about the different types of contract work, rates, and feelings of satisfaction with contract work and contract earnings, as well as confidence in the current prospects for new contract work.

While the 2024 survey results include more contractor data than in any previous year (94 responses) this number is too low, and the respondents too geographically diverse, to determine median rates except for the very largest regions (the United States and Europe).

In this section

Preferred term
Type of contract work
Contract rates
Contractor satisfaction
Factors affecting contractor satisfaction

Preferred term¶

What we asked

What’s your preferred term to describe the kind of work you do?

I consider myself a contractor
I consider myself a freelancer
I consider myself self-employed
I prefer a different term (please specify)

Question background

In the first few surveys, we often struggled with the wording to describe the group of respondents who are not employees - “contractors, freelance operators, and self-employed people” is cumbersome and doesn’t really “roll off the tongue”. While we often used “contractor” as a catch-all shorthand term, we were aware that this might not be the preferred term for everyone.

In 2023, we asked respondents who are not employees what term they prefer to describe the kind of work they do. The results from that year indicated that “contractor” was the most widely-used term, so that’s what we used as a shorthand term throughout 2023’s results and in the survey form for 2024.

We’ll continue to ask this question in future surveys to ensure that we’re using the most appropriate term.

63.8% of non-employee respondents term themselves “contractors”, while 18.1% prefer “freelancer” and 10.6% use “self-employed”. Of the 7 individuals who chose “other”, 3 indicated that they consider themselves full time employees working under a service agreement (temporary or otherwise), 2 specified “consultant”, one specified “agency worker”, and the final respondent entered “N/A”.

Preferred term¶
Term	No.	%
Contractor	60	63.8%
Freelancer	17	18.1%
Self-employed	10	10.6%
Other	7	7.4%

Type of contract work¶

What we asked

What kind of contract, freelance or self-employed work do you typically engage in? Check all that apply.

I work for multiple clients at the same time
I work for one client at a time
I work on short-term projects (days or weeks)
I work on medium-term projects (1 to 6 months)
I work on long-term projects (6 to 12 months or longer)
I offer a specific product or products
I offer a specific service or services
I work as a contractor or freelance to supplement my regular employment income
I work as a contractor or freelance as a stopgap while looking for permanent employment
I work as a contractor or freelance with a view to securing permanent employment with the same organization
Other (please specify)

Illustrating how varied contractor working situations are, out of the 94 total contractor respondents, there were 59 different combinations of client type, contract or project type, and product or service offering.

53.2% of contractor respondents indicated that they worked exclusively for a single client at a time. Another 27.7% indicated that they worked exclusively for multiple clients at a time. 5.3% worked at times for either a single client or multiple clients, and 13.8% did not indicate whether they worked for a single client or multiple.

36.2% of contractor respondents did not specify a typical contract length, while 30.9% reported working exclusively on long-term contracts (6-12 months or longer). Mixed contract lengths were reported by 23.4%, with 7.4% working only on medium-term contracts (1-6 months) and 2.1% working exclusively on short-term contracts (days or weeks).

The majority of contractor respondents (64.9%) did not specify offering either products or services. Of those that indicated that they did, 28.7% provided specific services, 5.3% offered both products and services, and only 1.1% reported offering products.

ClientsLengthProducts/services

Typical client configuration¶
Type	No.	%
Single client	50	53.2%
Multiple clients	26	27.7%
Both single and multiple clients	5	5.3%
Not specified	13	13.8%

Typical contract length¶
Length	No.	%
No contract length specified	34	36.2%
Long term only (6-12 months or longer)	29	30.9%
Mixed contract lengths	22	23.4%
Medium term only (1 - 6 months)	7	7.4%
Short term only (days or weeks)	2	2.1%

Products and/or services provided¶
Offering	No.	%
Offering neither	61	64.9%
Offering a service/services	27	28.7%
Offering both	5	5.3%
Offering a product/products	1	1.1%

Contract rates¶

What we asked

Comparing payment rates for contractors, freelancers and self-employed people is difficult due to the number of different ways that individuals in this group operate.

To simplify this as much as possible while still allowing comparisons, please estimate one or more of the following rate types, even if you normally use a different fee structure.

Don’t include any VAT, GST or sales tax. If you normally charge different rates, enter your most common rate, or an average if you feel that is more representative.

My hourly rate is:

currency
rate

My day rate is:

currency
rate

My monthly rate is:

currency
rate

Contractor respondents were paid in 15 different currencies. To make comparisons possible, all currencies were converted to USD using mid-market exchange rates, averaged for the whole of 2024.

Currency and exchange rate¶
Currency (code)	Rate	No.	%
United States Dollar (USD)	1.0	56	59.6%
Euro (EUR)	1.08	13	13.8%
British Pound Sterling (GBP)	1.28	7	7.4%
Australian Dollar (AUD)	0.6602	3	3.2%
Canadian Dollar (CAD)	0.7303	3	3.2%
Israeli New Shekel (NIS)	0.2703	2	2.1%
Polish Zloty (PLN)	0.2514	2	2.1%
Danish Krone (DKK)	0.1451	1	1.1%
New Taiwan Dollar (TWD)	0.0312	1	1.1%
Norwegian Krone (NOK)	0.0931	1	1.1%
Japanese Yen (JPY)	0.0066	1	1.1%
New Zealand Dollar (NZD)	0.6055	1	1.1%
South African Rand (ZAR)	0.0546	1	1.1%
Indian Rupee (INR)	0.012	1	1.1%
Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)	0.0033	1	1.1%

Median rates¶

In previous years, we asked contractor respondents to enter multiple rates, if appropriate, and a number did so. This year, although the form allowed multiple rates to be entered, no respondents entered more than one type of rate.

Hourly rates were the most commonly entered fee structure, used by 66% of contractor respondents. 27.7% entered a monthly rate, and the remaining 6.4% - 6 individuals - entered a day rate. Due to the low number of day rates, we’re unable to publish any median day rates.

Hourly rateMonthly rate

Median hourly rate by region¶
Region (No.)	25^th	50^th	75^th
Worldwide (62)	$45	$55	$75
North America (44)	$50	$60	$75
Europe (11)		$40

Median monthly rate by region¶
Region (No.)	25^th	50^th	75^th
Worldwide (26)		$4,200
Europe (13)		$3,780

Contractor satisfaction¶

What we asked

Considering only your contract or freelance earnings, rate your level of satisfaction:

Very unsatisfied
Unsatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Very satisfied

Considering your overall job situation - separate from your earnings - rate your level of satisfaction:

Very unsatisfied
Unsatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Very satisfied

More than half of contractor respondents (63.8%) reported feeling satisfied with their earnings (42.6% satisfied and 21.3% very satisfied), and 66% reported feeling satisfied with their overall contracting situation (42.6% satisfied and 19.1% very satisfied).

EarningsOverall

Earnings satisfaction¶
Satisfaction	No.	%
2. Satisfied	40	42.6%
1. Very satisfied	20	21.3%
3. Neutral	17	18.1%
4. Unsatisfied	13	13.8%
5. Very unsatisfied	4	4.3%

Figure: Earnings satisfaction - contractors

../../../_images/2024-earnings-satisfaction-contractors.svg

Overall satisfaction¶
Satisfaction	No.	%
2. Satisfied	40	42.6%
3. Neutral	22	23.4%
1. Very satisfied	18	19.1%
4. Unsatisfied	10	10.6%
5. Very unsatisfied	4	4.3%

Figure: Overall satisfaction - contractors

../../../_images/2024-overall-satisfaction-contractors.svg

Factors affecting contractor satisfaction¶

What we asked

How strongly do you agree with the following statements about your contract or freelance earnings?

My rates keep pace with inflation / cost-of-living
My rates match the expectations of my clients
I am comfortable managing the overhead (accounting, insurance, etc.) associated with contracting/freelancing

How strongly do you agree with the following statements about your contracts or projects?

My hours are reasonable
I have flexibility in my hours
My responsibilities are reasonable
My workload is manageable
I have opportunities for career advancement
I have opportunities for professional development
My work is sufficiently interesting/challenging
I’m satisfied with the systems and toolsets I use

How strongly do you agree with the following statements about your workplace(s) (remote, on-site or hybrid environment)?

I have flexibility in my work location
Our remote work environment functions well
Our on-site work environment functions well
Our hybrid work environment functions well

How strongly do you agree with the following statements about the people and organizations that you work with?

To my knowledge, rates are consistent across similar roles
To my knowledge, all genders are paid equally
My role is sufficiently valued/funded
I like and/or respect my managers and team leaders
I like and/or respect my co-workers
I like and/or respect my organization
I’m satisfied with our methodologies, systems and practices

Question background

While the format of this question has changed from previous years, it’s possible to see patterns in the responses. For example, many contractors are concerned with keeping up with inflation (32.6%), and career advancement opportunities (42.1% negative).

Respondents who indicated that the statement was not relevant to their situation were excluded from the analysis.

EarningsContractsWorkplacesTeams

Satisfaction statements - contractor earnings¶
Statements	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
My rates keep pace with inflation / cost-of-living	39.1%	28.3%	32.6%
My rates match the expectations of my clients	58.6%	28.7%	12.7%
I am comfortable managing the overhead (accounting, insurance, etc.) associated with contracting / freelancing	57.2%	22.6%	20.2%

Figure: Satisfaction factors - earnings - contractors

../../../_images/2024-satisfaction-factors-earnings-contractors.svg

Satisfaction statements - contracts and projects¶
Statements	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
My hours are reasonable	93.5%	5.4%	1.1%
I have flexibility in my hours	88.1%	4.3%	7.6%
My responsibilities are reasonable	90.3%	6.5%	3.2%
My workload is manageable	87.0%	9.7%	3.3%
I have opportunities for career advancement	35.2%	22.7%	42.1%
I have opportunities for professional development	48.9%	21.1%	30.0%
My work is sufficiently interesting / challenging	69.9%	17.2%	12.9%
I’m satisfied with the systems and toolsets I use	57.0%	21.5%	21.5%

Figure: Satisfaction factors - contracts and projects - contractors

../../../_images/2024-satisfaction-factors-contracts-contractors.svg

Satisfaction statements - workplaces¶
Statements	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
I have flexibility in my work location	83.5%	6.6%	9.9%
Our remote work environment functions well	90.8%	4.6%	4.6%
Our on-site work environment functions well	61.0%	29.3%	9.7%
Our hybrid work environment functions well	64.1%	28.2%	7.7%

Figure: Satisfaction factors - workplaces - contractors

../../../_images/2024-satisfaction-factors-workplaces-contractors.svg

Satisfaction statements - teams and organizations¶
Statements	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
To my knowledge, rates are consistent across similar roles	34.2%	40.8%	25.0%
To my knowledge, all genders are paid equally	40.4%	38.0%	21.6%
My role is sufficiently valued / funded	50.0%	24.4%	25.6%
I like and/or respect my managers and team leaders	83.1%	12.4%	4.5%
I like and/or respect my co-workers	86.6%	11.2%	2.2%
I like and/or respect my organization	74.2%	18.0%	7.8%
I’m satisfied with our methodologies, systems and practices	57.3%	27.0%	15.7%

Figure: Satisfaction factors - teams and organizations - contractors

../../../_images/2024-satisfaction-factors-teams-contractors.svg

Organization demographics¶

This section concerns employing organizations. Contractors were given the option of answering about the main organization they work for, or skipping this section if it was not relevant. Only 6 contractors chose not to answer.

In this section

Organization size
Organization type and industry
Pay transparency
Organization origin and location

Organization size¶

What we asked

What is the approximate size of your organization, in number of employees?

Less than 10
11 - 50
51 - 100
101 - 1000
1001 - 10,000
10,001 - 100,000
More than 100,000

As in previous years, medium-sized organizations make up the largest proportion of the results. 37.4% of respondents work for organizations with 101-1000 employees, and 28.9% work for organizations with 1001-10,000 employees. At the other end of the scale, only 1% of respondents work for organizations with 1-10 employees.

Organization size¶
Size	No.	%
4. 101-1,000 employees	288	37.4%
5. 1,001-10,000 employees	223	28.9%
6. 10,001-100,000 employees	99	12.8%
7. 100,000+ employees	53	6.9%
2. 11-50 employees	52	6.7%
3. 51-100 employees	48	6.2%
1. 1-10 employees	8	1.0%

Figure: Organization size

../../../_images/2024-organization-size.svg

Organization type and industry¶

What we asked

This organization is primarily:

A non-profit, community, political, educational or governmental organization, or an NGO
A business, corporation or other for-profit organization

Which industry (or industries) does your organization operate in? Select one or multiple, as appropriate.

Advertising, CRM, Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, Customer Support
Agriculture
Airlines, Aerospace, Defense, Maritime, Military
Automotive
Business Support, Professional Services, Planning, Project Management, Risk Management, Compliance, Process Automation, Consulting, Outsourcing
Construction, Building, Engineering, Machinery, Homes
Culture, Arts, Heritage
Data Analytics, Data Science, AI, Machine Learning, Semantic Technologies
Design, Printing, Packaging
Education, Training, Instructional Design, Learning
Entertainment, Leisure, Gaming, Gambling, Sports, E-Sports
Events, Event Management, Event Services, Venues, Audio/Video
Finance, Banking, Financial Services, Financial Technology, Payments, Accounting, Taxation, Cyptocurrency
Food, Beverages
Government
Healthcare, Medical, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology
Human Resources, Recruitment
Insurance
Legal Services
Manufacturing, Engineering, Precision Engineering, Hardware, Semiconductor
Media, Radio, TV, Journalism
Non-profit, Community
Parks, Recreation, Nature, Wildnerness, Outdoors, Conservation, Ecotourism
Retail, Consumer Products, Fashion
Real Estate
Science, Research
Security, Cybersecurity
Software, Software Development, Software Development Tools, Open Source
Telecommunications, Technology, Internet, Networking, IT Services, IT Infrastructure, Electronics, Domain Registration, Web Hosting, Ecommerce, Cloud Services, Blockchain
Translation, Localization
Transportation, Delivery, Logistics, GPS, Mapping, Supply Chain
Travel, Hospitality, Holidays
Utilities, Energy, Mining, Extraction
Other (please specify)

Respondents who selected software development or software development tools were asked to also select the industries that the software product or service created by the organization primarily caters to, if possible. For example, e-learning software would also be categorized as “Education, Training” and point of sale software for restaurants would also be “Food, Beverages”.

The majority of organizations represented in the results - 96.5% - were for-profit businesses or corporations rather than non-profit, community, political, educational, governmental, or NGOs (3.4%).

Organization type¶
Type	No.	%
Business, corporation or other for-profit organization	744	96.5%
Non-profit, community, political, educational, governmental, or NGO	27	3.5%

Software development (incorporating development tools and open source) was the most common industry, with 25.8% of organizations operating in this area. The equally broad telecommunications category - covering IT services and infrastructure, cloud services, and blockchain - was the next most common industry, with 20.4% of organizations operating in this area. Finance - including banking, financial services and technology, ecommerce and cryptocurrency - was the third most common industry, with 12.7% of organizations operating in this area.

Organization industry¶
Industry	No.	%
Software, Software Development, Software Development Tools, Open Source	132	25.8%
Telecommunications, Technology, Internet, Networking, IT Services, IT Infrastructure, Electronics, Domain Registration, Web Hosting, Ecommerce, Cloud Services, Blockchain	104	20.4%
Finance, Banking, Financial Services, Financial Technology, Payments, Accounting, Taxation, Cryptocurrency	65	12.7%
Security, Cybersecurity	33	6.5%
Manufacturing, Engineering, Precision Engineering, Hardware, Semiconductor	32	6.3%
Healthcare, Medical, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology	25	4.9%
Data Analytics, Data Science, AI, Machine Learning, Semantic Technologies	24	4.7%
Education, Training, Instructional Design, Learning	12	2.3%
Advertising, CRM, Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, Customer Support	11	2.2%
Utilities, Energy, Mining, Extraction	10	2.0%
Business Support, Professional Services, Planning, Project Management, Risk Management, Compliance, Process Automation, Consulting, Outsourcing	10	2.0%
Government	9	1.8%
Airlines, Aerospace, Defense, Maritime, Military	8	1.6%
Entertainment, Leisure, Gaming, Gambling, Sports, E-Sports	7	1.4%
Insurance	6	1.2%
Transportation, Delivery, Logistics, GPS, Mapping, Supply Chain	5	1.0%
Automotive	4	0.8%
Construction, Building, Engineering, Machinery, Homes	4	0.8%
Travel, Hospitality, Holidays	3	0.6%
Retail, Consumer Products, Fashion	1	0.2%
Events, Event Management, Event Services, Venues, Audio/Video	1	0.2%
Food, Beverages	1	0.2%
Human Resources, Recruitment	1	0.2%
Translation, Localization	1	0.2%
Non-profit, Community	1	0.2%

Pay transparency¶

What we asked

Is there an official pay transparency policy at your organization? Organizations with pay transparency are open about salaries and benefits for existing and prospective employees.

Yes - compensation is disclosed for all roles, levels, and job listings to all employees and candidates
Yes - but disclosure is limited to certain roles, levels, candidacy or employment status, or location
Yes - the policy forbids disclosure on compensation
No - there is no policy on compensation disclosure
I am not sure

Is pay transparency required by law in the location where your organization operates? Check in this Wikipedia article.

Yes
No
I’m not sure

Regardless of official policy, is there a culture of sharing salary information at your organization?

Yes - all or most of my co-workers openly share salary information
Partial - some of my co-workers share salary information
No - salary information is not openly shared
I’m not sure, or I do not participate

Regardless of the situation at your organization, how do you personally feel about pay transparency?

Strongly support
Support
Neutral
Oppose
Strongly oppose

Question background

Pay transparency was first included in the 2022 survey. Due to feedback from contractors in this first year, pay transparency questions were only shown to employee respondents in 2023. However, as some contractors work long-term contracts for single clients in the manner of regular employees, pay transparency may still be relevant.

In 2024, we moved the pay transparency questions from the employee salary section to the organization demographics section, as it’s organization-related. Contractors were given the option of filling out this section or skipping it, depending on whether they deemed it relevant to their situation or not. The question about the legal requirement for pay transparency in the organization’s location was also added.

Pay transparency legislation

A number of US states have made some level of pay transparency law - Maryland, Colorado, Connecticut, Nevada, Rhode Island, Washington, California and New York - and a number of others are considering doing so. The exact requirements, level of compliance and enforcement mechanisms vary from state to state, and as most laws have only been enacted recently, it will take some time for the effects to be felt. An overview is available here: Quick facts about state salary range transparency laws

Additionally, The European Parliament approved a new Pay Transparency Directive in March 2023. EU member states have three years to enact legislation based on the directive, and several - including Sweden, Belgium, Poland, and Ireland - have already taken steps. Part of the directive involves measuring and eliminating any gender-based pay discrepancies. More information is available here: Commission welcomes the political agreement on new EU rules for pay transparency

Pay transparency policy and legal requirements¶

47.6% of respondants - the majority - reported that their organization had no pay transparency policy. The next largest group, at 27.9%, were unsure if there was a policy or not. The final 24.5% were fairly evenly split between partial disclosure (9.5%), disclosure forbidden (8.3%), and full disclosure (6.7%).

The proportions of organizations in each category has not changed significantly over the three years we have asked this question.

We asked for the first time in 2024 if respondents were aware of the legal requirement for pay transparency in their organization’s location. 44.6% were unsure, 42.9% reported that there was no legal requirement, and 12.5% said that pay transparency was legally required.

PolicyLegal requirement

Pay transparency policy¶
Policy	No.	%
No policy	367	47.6%
Unsure	215	27.9%
Yes - partial disclosure	73	9.5%
Yes - disclosure is forbidden	64	8.3%
Yes - full disclosure	52	6.7%

Figure: Pay transparency policy

../../../_images/2024-pay-transparency-policy.svg

Pay transparency law¶
Required?	No.	%
Unsure	344	44.6%
No, not legally required	331	42.9%
Yes, legally required	96	12.5%

Figure: Pay transparency law

../../../_images/2024-pay-transparency-law.svg

Pay transparency culture¶

The majority of respondents reported that there was not a culture of sharing salary information at their organization. 66.3% said that salary information was not openly shared, and 19.3% said that only some co-workers shared salary information. Only 1.6% reported that all or most of their co-workers openly shared salary information.

Pay transparency culture¶
Practice	No.	%
No, information is not openly shared	511	66.3%
Partial - some co-workers openly share	149	19.3%
Unsure	99	12.8%
Yes, co-workers openly share	12	1.6%

Figure: Pay transparency culture

../../../_images/2024-pay-transparency-culture.svg

Support for pay transparency¶

76% of respondents were supportive of pay transparency, with 46.8% expressing strong support. Those in opposition were in the minority (4.5%).

Support for pay transparency¶
Level of support	No.	%
1. Strongly support	361	46.8%
2. Support	225	29.2%
3. Neutral	150	19.5%
4. Oppose	27	3.5%
5. Strongly oppose	8	1.0%

Figure: Pay transparency support

../../../_images/2024-pay-transparency-support.svg

Organization origin and location¶

What we asked

Is your organization multinational? A multinational organization is defined as one that has office locations and business operations in two or more countries.

Where is your organization based? This is the primary location, headquarters or main location - or for multinational organizations, the location where the organization originated. This is not your location - that will be covered in the next section.

Country:
State/Province/Region:
City/Town (optional):

83% of respondents reported that their employer organization was a multinational organization - one with office locations and business operations in two or more countries. These respondents were asked to specify the location where the organization originated.

A total of 63.8% of organizations originated in North America, with the bulk of those being US-based.

RegionsNorth AmericaEuropeOther regions

Organization location - Regions¶
Region	No.	%
North America	491	63.8%
Europe	197	25.6%
Oceania	32	4.2%
Asia	24	3.1%
Middle East	22	2.9%
South America	3	0.4%
Africa	1	0.1%

Organization location - North America¶
Country	No.	%
United States	445	57.8%
Canada	45	5.8%
Mexico	1	0.1%

Organization location - Europe¶
Country	No.	%
United Kingdom	45	5.8%
Germany	41	5.3%
France	23	3.0%
Netherlands	14	1.8%
Sweden, Switzerland	12	1.6%
Ukraine	7	0.9%
Finland	6	0.8%
Czechia, Denmark, Russia	4	0.5%
Croatia, Malta, Norway	3	0.4%
Austria, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Spain	2	0.3%
Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Serbia	1	0.1%

Organization location - Oceania¶
Country	No.	%
Australia	29	3.8%
New Zealand	3	0.4%

Organization location - Asia¶
Country	No.	%
India	11	1.4%
Japan	5	0.6%
Philippines	2	0.3%
China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan	1	0.1%

Organization location - Middle East¶
Country	No.	%
Israel	19	2.5%
United Arab Emirates	2	0.3%
Saudi Arabia	1	0.1%

Organization location - South America¶
Country	No.	%
Brazil	2	0.3%
Argentina	1	0.1%

Organization location - Africa¶
Country	No.	%
Nigeria	1	0.1%

Respondent demographics¶

Who makes up the Write the Docs community? The questions in this section on respondent age, gender identity, education, experience, and location provide context for the salary/rate and satisfaction data. All questions in this section had an “I’d rather not say” option, with the exception of geographical location (country and state or province only), without which the core objective of the survey cannot be achieved.

In this section

Age group
Gender identity
Experience
Education level
Location

Age group¶

What we asked

What is your age?

18-25
26-35
36-45
46-55
56-65
66+
I’d rather not say

The age group split in 2024 was similar to previous years, with the majority of respondents falling into the 26-35 and 36-45 age groups. 5 respondents (0.6%) chose not to provide an answer.

Respondent Age¶
Age group	No.	%
18-25 years	30	3.9%
26-35 years	255	32.7%
36-45 years	244	31.3%
46-55 years	156	20.0%
56-65 years	76	9.8%
66+ years	13	1.7%

Figure: Respondent age group

Gender identity¶

What we asked

What gender identity do you most identify with?

Woman
Man
Non-binary
Other (please specify)
I’d rather not say

As in previous surveys, the majority of respondents in 2024 were women - 57% - with men making up 37.2%. 3.9% of respondents were non-binary, transgender or other, and 1.7% chose to not provide an answer.

Respondent gender identity¶
Identity	No.	%
Woman	444	57.0%
Man	290	37.2%
Non-binary or other	32	4.2%
Not specified	13	1.7%

Figure: Respondent gender identity

../../../_images/2024-gender-identity.svg

Experience¶

What we asked

How many years of experience do you have in documentation?

Less than 1 year
1 year or more but less than 2 years
2 years or more but less than 5 years
5 years or more but less than 10 years
10 years or more but less than 15 years
15 years or more but less than 20 years
20 years or more but less than 25 years
25 years or more but less than 30 years
30 years or more (please specify)
I’d rather not say

The experience level spread of respondents echoed previous years - most falling into the 5-10 years range (28.2%), 10-15 years range (15.8%) and 2-5 years range (20.0%). New documentarians - those with less than 2 years of experience - made up 8.3% of respondents, and the most experienced documentarians - those with more than 20 years of experience - made up 17.7%. The five most experienced respondents had 40, 41 or 42 years in the game. 0.3% chose not to provide an answer.

Experience in documentation¶
Experience	No.	%
1. 0-1 years	12	1.5%
2. 1-2 years	28	3.6%
3. 2-5 years	138	17.7%
4. 5-10 years	220	28.2%
5. 10-15 years	145	18.6%
6. 15-20 years	74	9.5%
7. 20-25 years	63	8.1%
8. 25-30 years	62	8.0%
9. 30+ years	35	4.5%

Figure: Years of experience in documentation

../../../_images/2024-years-experience.svg

Education level¶

What we asked

What is the highest level of education that you have completed? If your education level isn’t listed, choose the option that’s the closest equivalent to the level you have completed. We’re asking for the highest level completed, so if you are still working towards a qualification, please select the highest level you have actually finished.

High school
Technical or vocational qualification
College or university graduate qualification (certificate, diploma, associate degree, bachelor’s degree)
Multiple graduate qualifications
Post-graduate degree (master’s degree, post-graduate diploma or certificate, doctorate, PhD)
Multiple post-graduate qualifications
None of the above
I’d rather not say

As in previous years, most respondents are university- or college-educated: 94.2% held at least one graduate qualification, and 39.9% also held one or more post-graduate qualifications.

Highest education level completed¶
Level	No.	%
Graduate	403	51.7%
Post-graduate	270	34.7%
Multiple post-graduate	41	5.3%
High school	22	2.8%
Multiple graduate	20	2.6%
Technical or vocational	17	2.2%
Not specified	4	0.5%
None of the listed options	2	0.3%

Figure: Education level

../../../_images/2024-education-level.svg

Location¶

What we asked

While most questions in this section are optional, general geographical location is not - this is because without it, we cannot calculate median salaries, which is one of the main objectives of the survey. For privacy reasons, finer-grained geographical location is optional.

Please enter your country, state or province, and town or city, or the nearest large city that you feel comfortable specifying. If the autofill does not include a state or province for your location, please enter N/A.

Country
State/Province/Region
City/Town (optional)

Around half of all respondents (55.3%) were based in North America, the bulk of those (80% of this region, or 44.3% overall) in the United States. In total, 55 countries were represented.

Chile and Malta appeared in the results for the first time this year, with one respondent each.

North AmericaEuropeOther Regions

Respondent location - North America¶
Country	No.	%
United States	345	44.3%
Canada	82	10.5%
Mexico	3	0.4%
Puerto Rico	1	0.1%

Respondent location - Europe¶
Country	No.	%
United Kingdom	47	6.0%
Germany	32	4.1%
France	20	2.6%
Sweden, Ukraine	9	1.2%
Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Spain	8	1.0%
Romania	7	0.9%
Czechia	6	0.8%
Croatia, Ireland	5	0.6%
Hungary	4	0.5%
Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Russia	3	0.4%
Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Switzerland	2	0.3%
Georgia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovenia, Turkey	1	0.1%

Respondent location - Asia¶
Country	No.	%
India	42	5.4%
Japan, Philippines	2	0.3%
China, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand	1	0.1%

Respondent location - Oceania¶
Country	No.	%
Australia	43	5.5%
New Zealand	4	0.5%

Respondent location - Middle East¶
Country	No.	%
Israel	27	3.5%
Labanon, United Arab Emirates	1	0.1%

Respondent location - South America¶
Country	No.	%
Brazil, Colombia	2	0.3%
Argentina, Chile	1	0.1%

Respondent location - Africa¶
Country	No.	%
South Africa	2	0.3%
Nigeria, Rwanda	1	0.1%

Respondent location regional breakdowns¶

Cities with at least 10 respondents are shown.

USACanadaAustralia

Respondent location - US state¶
State	No.	%
California	52	6.7%
San Francisco	24
Washington	26	3.3%
Seattle	20
Texas	21	2.7%
New York	19	2.4%
New York	11
North Carolina	19	2.4%
Ohio	18	2.3%
Oregon	18	2.3%
Portland	14
Pennsylvania	16	2.1%
Colorado, Massachusetts	12	1.5%
Minnesota	11	1.4%
Illinois, Michigan, Virginia, Utah	10	1.3%
Florida, Wisconsin	8	1.0%
District of Columbia, Georgia	7	0.9%
Arizona	6	0.8%
Tennessee	5	0.6%
Missouri, New Jersey, Vermont	4	0.5%
Indiana, Maryland, Michigan	3	0.4%
Kentucky, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma	2	0.3%
Alabama, Idaho, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, South Carolina	1	0.1%

Respondent location - Canadian province¶
Province	No.	%
Ontario	34	4.4%
Toronto	18
British Columbia	16	2.1%
Vancouver	10
Quebec	13	1.7%
Montreal	10
Alberta	6	0.8%
Nova Scotia	4	0.5%
New Brunswick, Saskatchewan	2	0.3%
Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador	1	0.1%

Respondent location - Australian state¶
State	No.	%
Victoria	18	2.3%
Melbourne	16
New South Wales	11	1.4%
Queensland	10	1.3%
Western Australia	3	0.4%
South Australia	1	0.1%

Survey feedback¶

Following on from last year, we again included some questions about the survey itself.

What we asked

Have you participated in a WTD Salary Survey before?

How strongly do you agree with the following statements about this survey? [Strongly agree] [Agree] [Neutral] [Disagree] [Strongly disagree]

The questions are relevant
The survey form and website are usable
The length of the survey is appropriate

Half of respondents were repeat participants, with 50.1% having taken part in a previous survey.

Overall, most respondents were positive about the survey, with “Strongly agree” and “Agree” being the top options selected for each of the feedback rating scales. 2.7% felt that the length of the survey was not appropriate, and 0.6% felt the questions were not relevant. 3% expressed doubts about the usability of the survey form and website, undoubtedly caused by known issues with the performance and layout on mobile devices.

LengthRelevanceUsability

Survey feedback - length¶
Length is appropriate	No.	%
1. Strongly agree	429	55.1%
2. Agree	285	36.6%
3. Neutral	44	5.6%
4. Disagree	18	2.3%
5. Strongly disagree	3	0.4%

Figure: Agreement - survey length is appropriate

../../../_images/2024-feedback-survey-length.svg

Survey feedback - relevance¶
Questions are relevant	No.	%
1. Strongly agree	456	58.5%
2. Agree	297	38.1%
3. Neutral	21	2.7%
4. Disagree	4	0.5%
5. Strongly disagree	1	0.1%

Figure: Agreement - survey questions are relevant

../../../_images/2024-feedback-relevance.svg

Survey feedback - usability¶
Form/website is usable	No.	%
1. Strongly agree	447	57.4%
2. Agree	273	35.0%
3. Neutral	36	4.6%
4. Disagree	20	2.6%
5. Strongly disagree	3	0.4%

Figure: Agreement - survey form/website are usable

../../../_images/2024-feedback-usability.svg