Certification and education levels have a dramatic impact on the salaries of lubrication professionals, according to a recent survey by Machinery Lubrication. In its annual poll of readers based in the United States, the magazine found that those holding a professional certification earned nearly $3,000 more per year in comparison to their non-certified colleagues.
Over the past three years, the number of professionals whose companies pay more if they attain a lubrication-related certification has doubled. The certifications that survey respondents most often cited as being paid more for achieving were the International Council for Machinery Lubrication’s Level I and II Machine Lubrication Technician and Level I, II and III Machine Lubricant Analyst.
Education also appears to provide a clear path to higher compensation rates, as survey participants with a college degree earned significantly higher paychecks than those with only a high-school diploma. On the other hand, tenure seems to have little, if any, effect on salaries, as those who have been on the job less than five years reported the highest salaries in the survey.
Overall, the average salary held steady at just more than $80,000 per year. However, salaries for lubrication technicians increased by 14 percent from 2017. More than three-fourths of respondents also reported receiving a raise, and the number who earned a bonus over the past 12 months jumped to its highest level in seven years.
The average age of lubrication professionals rose slightly to 50, which was an increase of two years compared to 2017. Although the percentage of women completing the survey doubled from a year ago, the gender division remained overwhelmingly male at 92 percent. The average salary for men was also nearly $15,000 more than the average women’s salary.
Lubrication professionals seem to be working fewer hours than in the past, as more than one-third work only 40 hours per week, an increase of more than 10 percent from just two years ago. Not surprisingly, less overtime resulted in less pay when compared to previous years.
Geography was another key factor, with survey respondents living in the Southeast and Northwest reporting higher incomes than those in the Midwest and Southwest. Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s survey.
