A 1998 salary and employment status survey carried out by the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS; http://www.aaps.org) of Arlington, Virginia, outlines the demographic and economic characteristics of the association's membership.

The survey is based on a questionnaire filled in by 1,538 of its members. The majority were men (73%) and the average age of respondents was 42. Most (84%) were employed in industry, 12% in academia and fewer than 2% in government jobs.

In 1998, average salaries were $89,100 in industry (up 3% from the previous year), $81,900 in academia (down 1%) and $79,500 for those in government jobs (up 5%). Overall, the best paid had degrees in pharmacy administration (average salary of $119,900), clinical pharmacology ($117,300), clinical pharmacy ($109,200) and pharmacology ($106,000). At the lower end of the scale came those with degrees in chemistry ($71,400), inorganic chemistry ($70,900) and microbiology ($70,700). The highest salaries in industry were paid for managerial positions, such as general management ($127,000, down 6% on 1997 figures) and R&D management ($117,500, up 3%), followed by clinical researchers ($102,100, up 7%) and those in regulatory affairs ($98,400, up 5%).

For people embarking on their career in 1998, the average starting salary was $53,300, a drop of 13% from the previous year.