Results of the RSC’s 2021 Pay and Reward survey

Nearly 4300 members of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) participated in the 2021 Pay and Reward survey. The results show that while the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit have impacted the work of the majority of chemists, often in negative ways, job security remains good across the sector. However, there are indications of persistent pay inequalities between demographic groups.

Pandemic disruption

85% of employed respondents (including those on a career break, in part-time work or semi-retired) said the pandemic has affected their working life, and for most chemists this has meant more work. An increase in workload was reported by 44% of respondents with those working in schools and further education colleges particularly likely to be affected, with 66% reporting an increase in workload. 28% of survey respondents say their working hours have increased.

Despite the disruption, 70% of respondents feel secure in their current job – an increase from 65% in 2019. 88% are with the same employer as 12 months ago, and 77% still work in the same role. Just 5% of UK-based respondents reported being placed on furlough or receiving government support to keep their job during the pandemic. By comparison, the 2021 New Scientist Jobs Stem survey, which questioned 2400 people working across all fields of science, found that 10% of its UK-based respondents had been placed on furlough. While not explicitly linked to the pandemic by the report, 67% of this year’s respondents say that their employer permits remote or home working, up from just 46% in 2019.

That said, 47% of chemists indicated a desire to change something about their employment status in the next 12 months, although nearly half of them intend to find a new role with their current employer. Concerningly, 65% of those who want to move employer say this is motivated at least in part by a poor working environment, poor management or bullying.