Industries where workers feel the most underpaid

Salaries can be a taboo subject in the workplace, which is why companies like Glassdoor can level the playing field. Glassdoor allows people to anonymously review their workplace on topics ranging from an organization’s work culture to how well it pays its people. We’ve analyzed more than three million Glassdoor reviews of 500 large employers in 25 industries to uncover which sectors have the most frustrated workers when it comes to their compensation.

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BLUEPRINT RATING

Our ratings are based on specific use cases for each card. We compared this card to others in the same category and developed our rankings based on this criteria, along with our editorial input. Note that although we chose this card as the best in its category, the right card for you will depend on your own financial circumstances.

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Key findings

• Employees in education, healthcare and government are the most frustrated about pay, according to our research.
• Meanwhile, employees in the pharma and biotechnology, food and beverage and utilities industries are the least frustrated about pay.
• Employees in the education industry register the most complaints about pay, but also give their organizations the highest overall ratings.
• Out of 500 companies reviewed, employees of Google, In-N-Out Burger, Meta, Novartis and Amazon are the least likely to complain about pay.

Industries where employees are most frustrated about pay

It may not come as a surprise that those in education, government and healthcare work are the most frustrated about their industry’s pay. This is likely one reason why education and health services have a higher-than average vacancy rate of roughly 6%, compared to about 5% across all industries, according to data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Industries where employees are least frustrated about pay

Fair pay tends to equal good ratings for companies. Industries with the fewest complaints about pay are generally those where skilled employees can expect to be highly compensated.

For example, the BLS put the median annual wage for people in computer and information technology occupations at $100,530 in May 2022. By contrast, the median wage across all occupations was less than half that — just $46,310, according to the bureau.

Industries where employees are most satisfied with their organizations

Interestingly, the amount employees are paid doesn’t necessarily correlate to how satisfied they are with their organizations. A prime example of this is the education sector, which includes roughly 60% more mentions of poor pay than average but also boasts the highest overall workplace ratings.

Companies with the fewest worker complaints about pay

Well-known names such as Google, Meta, In-N-Out Burger, Novartis and Amazon are least likely to have complaints about pay. Here are the top 10 companies with fairest pay, according to our analysis.

“Paying a higher-than-normal wage is one way to make our associates feel great about working at In-N-Out — it definitely helps us create an upbeat and customer-focused atmosphere,” said Denny Warnick, chief operating officer for In-N-Out. “We also enjoy relatively low turnover, which leads to a more experienced team working in our restaurants.”

Tips for maximizing your financial situation

Understand competitive pay in your industry

We’ve all heard the standard tips for making sure you’re paid fairly at work. Researching compensation on sites such as Glassdoor can help you determine what counts as competitive pay in your industry. However, the information shared on Glassdoor may not be accurate for your job, which is why it’s important to thoroughly investigate salary ranges for your profession.

The BLS maintains an updated database of wages for more than 800 different occupations. It also includes compensation information by state and metropolitan area, as well as the characteristics of the work that you do.

Otherwise, eight states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island and Washington have enacted laws requiring employees to make a salary range available for job openings. This can help prospective employees understand the type of compensation they can expect within an organization. (Note, laws vary by state as to when the range must be made available — in the job posting or upon request, for example.)

Even if you’re not located in one of these eight states, looking up job postings for similar career fields can help you gain perspective into the salary you can expect in your own state.

Finally, your best advocate for compensation is always going to be yourself. Entering into a discussion about pay may initially feel uncomfortable, but it’s every bit as important as being well informed about your benefits. Don’t settle for lower pay now with the hope of a raise in the future. Negotiate the best salary you can before starting, especially because what you make in this role can impact what you can negotiate for future positions down the road.

Budget carefully

Being well-paid for the work that you do is important, but so is making sure that you’re not overspending. Especially when you move up in your career field, it can be easy to let lifestyle creep sap away the money that you earn.

This is one reason why budgeting is so key. Not only can you end up digging yourself into debt through overspending, failing to budget properly can also affect your long-term financial health. Depending on your goals, budgeting can look like using apps to track your expenses, slowing down on your gift-giving or socking away additional funds for retirement.

Use a rewards credit card whenever possible

Relying on cash or a debit card may have worked for you in the past, but using these methods for purchases leaves money on the table. It can also leave you vulnerable to fraud or theft – two common problems against which credit cards have robust protections.

Protect yourself and earn more while doing it by utilizing rewards credit cards whenever possible. Depending on the cards that you use, you’ll be able to take home cash back, points or airline miles on all your purchases. This includes common expenses such as gas, groceries and dining.

Be aware that not all credit cards are created equal; for example, some may offer better rewards on travel, for example, while others may give you elevated earnings for streaming services. It’s important to do your research before opening a new card to be sure to find the best rewards credit card to suit your needs.

Methodology

From November 20 - 28, 2023, we conducted a keyword analysis of more than three million Glassdoor reviews of 500 large employers in 25 industries. To establish negative sentiment about compensation, we counted mentions of “pay,” “salary,” “compensation,” and “money,” in the cons section of employee reviews for each employer. And, to establish the frequency of negative mentions, we divided the total mentions of those four keywords by the number of reviews of a given employer. This established our “mentions per review” metric.