AAPS officials, as well as scientists in the field, attribute the modest increase to concerns over health-care reform. While such fears may have abated somewhat with the Republican takeover of Congress, salaries continue to be held down by the recent burst of merger activity--and consequent downsizing of scientific staff--among United States drug companies, they say.
The survey found that the dampened mood also kept a lid on increases in average starting salaries for those beginning careers and prompted 32 percent of the respondents to report that they were considering changing jobs, a 4 percent rise from the previous year.
To compile the survey, AAPS queried 7,319 members and received 1,874 replies, a response rate of about 26 percent. Industry researchers constituted about 83 percent of respondents, the largest group. Of these, approximately 86 percent were employed in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Academic scientists represented roughly 14 percent and government scientists less than ...
