Understanding the Salary Structure in the U.S. Military

The United States military is an esteemed institution that relies on the dedication and commitment of its service members to safeguard the nation's interests at home and abroad. Beyond the sense of duty and honor that comes with military service, it is essential to consider the financial aspects, particularly the salary structure. This article aims to provide an overview of the salary ranges for different ranks in the U.S. military.

Enlisted Personnel: Enlisted personnel form the backbone of the military and start their careers at various ranks. The salary for enlisted personnel varies depending on rank and years of service. For example, an E-1 (Private, Seamen Recruit, Airman Basic) receives approximately $1,917.63 per month, while an E-9 (Sergeant Major, Master Chief Petty Officer) can earn between $6,055.50 and $9,402.30 per month.

Warrant Officers: Warrant officers hold specialized positions and possess technical expertise in their respective fields. Their salary ranges differ based on rank and experience. A W-1 can earn between $3,399 and $5,873 per month, while a W-4's salary details are not provided.

Officers (Commissioned): Commissioned officers are responsible for leading and managing military units. As they progress in rank, their salaries increase accordingly. An O-1 (Second Lieutenant, Ensign) can earn between $3,286.50 and $4,819.10 per month, while an O-10 (General, Admiral) salary details are not provided.

Factors Affecting Salary: Several factors influence military salaries, including years of service, location, and special pay allowances. Years of service can lead to pay increases through promotions and longevity raises. Geographic location impacts salaries due to variations in the cost of living. Additionally, special pay allowances may be provided for hazardous duty, combat, or certain job assignments.

Benefits and Allowances: In addition to the base salary, members of the U.S. military receive a range of benefits and allowances. These include healthcare coverage, housing allowances, subsistence allowances, retirement plans, and educational assistance programs such as the GI Bill. These benefits add value to the overall compensation package for military personnel.

Conclusion: The U.S. military salary structure is designed to reward service members for their dedication, skills, and years of service. Enlisted personnel, warrant officers, and commissioned officers each have distinct salary ranges that reflect their responsibilities and ranks. It is important to note that these figures are approximate and subject to change based on various factors. Nevertheless, the military provides not only a fulfilling career but also competitive compensation and valuable benefits to those who serve.

Here are some additional details on the salary ranges for different ranks in the U.S. military:

Enlisted personnel:

E-1 (Private, Seamen Recruit, Airman Basic): $1,917.63 per month.

E-2 (Private Second Class, Seaman Apprentice, Airman): $2,149.20 per month.

E-3 (Lance Corporal, Private First Class, Airmen First Class): $2,259.90 - $2,547.60 per month.

E-4 (Specialist, Corporal, Petty Officer Third Class): $2,503.50 - $3,874.80 per month.

E-5 (Sergeant, Petty Officer Second Class): $2,730.30 - $3,874.80 per month.

E-6 (Staff Sergeant, Technical Sergeant): $2,980.50 - $4,616.40 per month.

E-7 (Sergeant First Class, Chief Petty Officer, Gunnery Sergeant): $3,445.80 - $6,193.50 per month.

E-8 (First Sergeant, Senior Master Sergeant, Senior Chief Petty Officer): $4,957.20 - $7,069.80 per month.

E-9 (Sergeant Major, Master Chief Petty Officer): $6,055.50 - $9,402.30 per month.

Warrant Officers:

W-1: $3,399 - $5,873 per month.

W-2: $3,872.10 - $6,462.90 per month.

W-3: $4,376.40 - $7,676.40 per month.

W-4 (Coast Guard only): Salary details not provided.

Officers (commissioned):

O-1 (Second Lieutenant, Ensign): $3,286.50 - $4,819.10 per month.

O-2 (First Lieutenant, Lieutenant Junior Grade): $3,787.80 - $5,655 per month.

O-3 (Captain, Lieutenant): $4,861.80 - $7,340.40 per month.

O-4 (Major, Lieutenant Commander): $5,872.80 - $9,442.80 per month.

O-5 (Lieutenant Colonel, Commander): $6,925.50 - $11,154.30 per month.

O-6 (Colonel, Captain): $8,647.50 - $14,690.80 per month.

O-7 (Brigadier General, Rear Admiral Lower Half): Salary details not provided.

O-8 (Major General, Rear Admiral Upper Half): Salary details not provided.

O-9 (Lieutenant General, Vice Admiral): Salary details not provided.

O-10 (General, Admiral): Salary details not provided.

Disclaimer: The salary figures provided in this article are approximate and based on information available up until September 2021. Actual salaries may vary based on factors such as time of service, location, and special pay allowances. It is advisable to consult the most recent official sources or contact military personnel offices for the latest salary information.

MHA officers to receive 3-10% pay increase

It was reported in ChannelNewsAsia that about 22,000 MHA officers will receive a 3-10% increase in their gross monthly salaries starting 1 January 2023.

MHA said on 31 October 2022 that officers on the Home Affairs Uniformed Services,  Home Affairs Services,  Home Team Specialist Scheme and Commercial Affairs Scheme will receive the salary adjustments. 

Earlier in June, the PSD had also announced a salary increase of 5-14% for about 23,000 civil servants. This took effect from 1 August 2022 and applied to the Civil Service generic schemes.

PSD also announced in September another pay raise of 5-12% for administrative officers, judicial officers and statutory appointment holders. Around 300 administrative officers and 30 judicial officers amd statutory appointment holders benefited from the pay increase. 

The salary adjustments were to keep pace with the market amd ensure that pay remains competitive. 

Starting Pay in Civil Service and Yearly Bonuses

Many young graduates who are seriously considering joining the civil service are likely curious to find out what is the starting pay or salary in one of the Ministries.

Reading in some forums, there are anonymous people who claim that they are receiving $4k starting salary.  In one of the forums, a female with first class honours claims that her starting pay when she joined was around $3400.

Just for a more accurate picture, im a female, almost 2 years in CS, NTU FCH, in a ministry not listed above.
2015 Sep - MX13 $34XX
2016 Sep - MX13 $36XX
2017 Apr - MX13 $37XX (after Apr increment), will likely be promoted to MX12 after i hit my 2 year mark.

The civil service has a salary range for the various grades.  A fresh graduate will enter at the grade known as MX13.  The common standard is for them to stay at this grade for 1-2 years before they are promoted to MX12.  To take care of merit increment for these people who have been in the job grade for a few years, the salary range of MX13 thus varies.  

Depending on whether one has completed NS obligations or not (Singapore males), the starting pay will then be adjusted accordingly.

Few years back, I posted on the starting pay for a fresh graduate.  The median salary was around $3400 for a fresh university graduate in Singapore.  The civil service often tries to pay a competitive salary so it will not be an anomaly for a fresh graduate to earn a starting pay around that region.

Back in 2011, I also published what was salary range for civil servants.  The starting salary range was $2800 for MX13 and that was 10 years back.  Right now, one can expect the starting salary to be much higher. So the starting salary for a fresh graduate will be minimally $3000 based on current estimates.

And how much bonuses does a civil servant get? Well, the pay structure is quite complicated.  But based on open source information, there are the following bonuses paid out:

1.   Mid-year bonus (Annual Variable Component) = Usually 0.5 month bonus
2.   Year-end bonus (Annual Variable Component) = A range from 0.25 to 0.75 months
3.   Year-end 13th month bonus (Non Pensionable Annual Allowance) = Standard of 1 month bonus
4.   Once off bonuses = Varies
5.  Performance bonus = ranges from 2-3 months depending on performance grade and job grade 

13th month bonus is guaranteed.  So everyone will definitely get 1 month bonus.  

Mid-year bonus and year-end bonus can vary quite a bit.  Have compiled the bonuses that was paid out by the civil service for the past few years.  Do note that the bonuses paid out at year end includes at least the 13th month bonus (standard minimum of 1 month of salary) and a AVC bonus that varies.  The AVC bonus is paid out in July (what is commonly called the mid-year bonus) and in December (together with the 13th month bonus, what is commonly called the year-end bonus).

At times there are minimum caps to the AVC bonus so that a minimum quantum is paid out for lower wage civil servants.  For fresh graduates, this is probably not relevant since their AVC bonus will usually be higher than the minimum quantum set.

2011

Mid-year bonus = 0.5 months + $250 cash quantum

Year-end bonus+ 13 month = 1.75

Total for 2011 = 2.25 months + $250 cash quantum

2012

Mid-year bonus = 0.3 months

Year-end bonus + 13 month = 1.7

Total for 2012 = 2 months bonus

2013

Mid-year bonus = 0.4 months

Year-end bonus + 13 month = 2.1 months

Total for 2013 = 2.5 months

2014

Mid-year bonus - 0.5 months

Year-end bonus + 13 month = 1.8 months

Total for 2014 = 2.3 months

2015

Mid-year bonus = 0.5 months

Year end bonus + 13 month = 1.65 months

Total for 2015 = 2.15 months

2016

Mid-year bonus = 0.45 months

Year end bonus + 13 month = 1.5 months

Total for 2016 = 1.95 months

2017

Mid-year bonus = 0.5 months

Year end bonus + 13 month = 2 months

Total for 2017 = 2.5 months

2018

Mid-year bonus = 0.5 months + $300 ($500 for lower wage)

Year end bonus + 13 month = 2 months

Total for 2018 = 2.5 months + $300

2019 (Bad year due to economic downturn)

Mid-year bonus = 0.45 months

Year end bonus + 13 month = 1.1 months + once-off payment of $250 to $1,500

Total for 2019 = 1.55 months + once-off payment of $250 to $1,500

2020 (Worst year ever due to Covid 19)

Mid-year bonus = None paid out

Year end bonus + 13 month = 1 month + once-off payment of $1,200 (lump sum only for low wage civil servants)

Total for 2020 = 1 month 

Well, not to fret for fresh graduates.  There is still a performance bonus that is paid out every year too.  This usually ranges and an average performer at MX13 can expect around 2 months bonus.   Note that there are civil servants (high potential or scholars) that do get additional bonuses too.  Fresh graduates probably don't qualify for these.

Civil Service Bonus for 2020

Straits Times reported lately that civil servants will not be getting a year end bonus this year due to Covid 19.  There was also no mid-year bonus paid out.

Civil servants received a one off payment of 0.25 months which was capped at $750 as well as their 13th month bonus.  This year, senior civil servants also had a pay cut of 0.5 to 1 month according to their seniority.

Not all gloom and doom though.  Civil servants still enjoy a performance bonus that is outside of the mid-year and year-end bonus.  An average performer should get around 3 months worth of performance bonus according to anonymous feedback in various forums.  So taking that into account, civil servant's annual pay package for this year should be around 16 months of monthly salary.  That is assuming one is an average performer.

Interested in civil service payscale? Check out this link here https://sgfinancialfreedom.blogspot.com/2015/10/singapore-civil-service-pay-scale.html

MHA Bonus?

Starting Pay for Fresh University Graduate

So what is the starting pay for university graduates that are fresh out of university?

In 2017, the median salary for fresh graduates was $3,400. This is as compared to $3,300 in year 2016.

The top gross salary went (not surprisingly) to law degree holders from NUS and SMU, medicine from NUS, and those who did a double degree in business and computing from NTU. These earned  $5,000 per month.

Computer Science and dental surgery ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively at  $4,285 and $4,050.

The survey results are quite surprising I must admit.  But it shows that computing is probably in great demand for a variety of sectors in Singapore's economy.  With the rise of fields such as data analytics, machine intelligence and cybersecurity, these graduates are probably well - placed to take advantage of the digital economy.

The usual suspects of law, medicine and dentistry naturally command a high pay.

How Much CPF is Deducted from Salary

Ask around and you will be surprised that not many people actually know how much money is deducted from their salary for contribution to their CPF account.

The CPF salary ceiling in 2016 is $6000. This means that only the first $6000 you earn in a month attracts CPF contributions. For an employee below age 55, it will mean a total of 20% of $6000 is deducted from his gross salary for CPF. The amount deducted is therefore $1200.

Employers contribute 17% and that translates to $1020.

So the CPF deducted from one's gross salary is $1200 while the employer contributes $1020 (assuming one earns $6000 or more a month).

How many weeks in a year? (And why some people get 13th month bonuses)

Well, a simple question that many people have is how many weeks are there in a year. The simple answer is there are 52 weeks in a year.

Of course, we are not trying to be exact here since we know 52 multiplied by 7 only gives you 364 days instead of 365 days.

But is there a way to remember that there are 52 weeks quickly? Well, let me teach you a way that I remember this fact.

See, in the past, people were paid daily or weekly wages and so their monthly salary was based on 4 weeks. However, being paid in this manner means you only get paid for 48 weeks of work in one year. That means you have been shortchanged by one entire month of work (or 4 weeks of work) where you are not paid. And that is where the 13th month bonus kicks in. Of course, many companies do not give out such bonuses anymore but this idea is still prevalent in places like the civil service.

So through this little nugget, you can see that a quick way to remember is that 48 weeks plus the 13th month (4 weeks) equals to 52 weeks.

So there you have it. If anyone ever asks you again how many weeks are there in a year, you can work out the answer to 52 weeks!

Singapore Civil Service Pay Scale

Trying to compile the salary pay scale for the Singapore civil service.  Somehow, I only managed to find the figures for 2011.  There are probably updated figures for 2015 so I will post it in due time.  Do bookmark this post. Or if anyone has the latest figures, do drop a comment and let me know.


These are the figures for 2011 Civil Service Salary Range

Job grade: MX9 (Superscale)
Job title: Deputy Director, Director
Pay scale: S$10,580 – S$14,550 / S$14,551 – S$16,540

Job grade: MX10
Job title: Assistant Director, Deputy Director
Pay scale: S$6,350 – S$9,050 / S$9,051 – S$10,400

Job grade: MX11
Job title: Manager, Assistant Director
Pay scale: S$4,100 – S$6,160 / S$6,161 – S$7,190

Job grade: MX12
Job title: Assistant Manager, Manager
Pay scale: S$2,550 – S$5,130

Job grade: MX13
Job title: Management Executive
Pay scale: up to S$2,800 for fresh graduates

The salary ranges indicate the basic monthly wages that a civil servant may earn, and the figures exclude the potential value of civil service bonuses. Based on past newspaper reports, bonuses for an average civil servant could range from more than 2 months to 4 months inclusive of AWS (annual wage supplement), depending on the performance of the economy and individual performance.

In 2012, there was a pay revision of around 10% for MX12 and MX13, and 5% for MX10 and MX11.

In August 2014, it was announced that most civil servants would get a pay raise of around 5%.

In 2015 (Singapore's jubilee year), civil servants also received a once off SG50 bonus of $500.

Mid-Year Bonus as announced by PSD
2016 - 0.45 months
2015 - 0.5 months
2014 - 0.5 months

Career Progression (non-scholars)
Promotion is based on both performance as well as potential. During every annual appraisal, supervisors would grade their employees based on both performance as well as potential. Word on the street is that performance ranking is according to certain bands and one would usually need two "Bs" to get promoted.  Performance grade also determines the performance bonus one gets.  A higher performance grade gives you a higher performance bonus.

A fresh graduate usually enters in at MX13 pay scale.

Promotion from a MX13 to MX12 is usually after one year of service. A typical officer can then be expected to be promoted to MX11 after two years (though some might take a little longer).

There are usually no managerial responsibilities for a MX11 officer. Promotion to MX10 is slightly more difficult and is dependent on performance as well as potential.  A MX10 officer will usually have managerial responsibilities.

Most non-scholar civil servants can expect to end their careers at the MX10 or even MX9 pay scale.

Video below by Lim Swee Say on why Civil Servants need not be ashamed of drawing a high salary:

 

Check out other posts related to the civil service:

1. Civil Service Bonus for 2020

2. Civil Service Declaration of Indebtedness

Starting Salary for Poly Grad

The starting salary or pay for a poly graduate is up from $1850 to $1950.  That is a $100 increase.  The survey was conducted by the the five polytechnics in Singapore.  You can compare it with the starting pay last year.

For poly graduates who have completed national service, the median gross monthly starting salary was also up from $2,100 in 2011 to $2,253 in 2012.

Salary of Fresh Graduates

Survey results are out on the starting salary for fresh grads:

SMU

Leads the charts.  Class of 2011 earns average of $3,388.  Top 20 per cent of the cohort earned gross monthly salary of $5,039.  Graduates from Information Systems Management earned an average of $3,637 per month.

Those with GPA 3.40 to 3.59 earned an average of $4,294 per month.

NUS
Law graduates earned average of $5,037.  Medicine earned an average of $4,016

NTU
Computer engineering earned average of $3,577 while engineering grads earned $3,489 per month.



What do you think of the latest survey results?

Poly Graduates Gross Monthly Pay Rises

According to the latest graduate employment survey conducted by the 5 polytechnics, the median gross monthly salary of poly graduates have gone up by 2.8 per cent or $50 compared to 2010 figures.  That means poly graduates who completed their studies in 2011 and not liable for National Service could command a salary of S$1,850.  Those with National Service earned a median gross monthly salary of S$2,100 compared to S$2,000.

The overall employment rate was also relatively high at 94.7% though it was down from 2010 figures of 95.4%

Poly graduates who commanded the higher salaries studied Health Science and Built Environment, and Engineering & Maritime.

If you look at the starting pay for university graduates, the difference in starting pay between a university graduate and poly graduate is probably greater than $600.

Poll Results: Starting Pay When You First Started Work

I polled my readers on this blog on what was their starting pay when they first started work. This poll was really started after I wrote the article on Starting Pay for Graduates. Anyway, here are the results of the poll:

57% of respondents reported a starting salary of less than S$2000 when they first started work. 27% of respondents reported a starting salary of between S$2000 and S$3000. The remaining 16% reported a starting salary of more than S$3000 when they first started work.

So how do you measure up?

Starting Pay for Singapore Graduates

Well the news about the starting pay for fresh graduates is out. Based on a July 2011 survey by Hay Group, fresh graduates can expect to command a higher starting pay compared to their 2010 cohort.

Engineering jobs command the highest starting pay at S$2,745 per month for degree holders. This was followed by S$2,738 and S$2,728 for jobs in the legal profession and production respectively. The average starting pay for other jobs was around S$2,500. In 2010, the "hot" jobs were pretty similar and could be found in legal, engineering as well as R&D. The average starting pay for diploma holders was close to S$1,800.

And in a separate survey by JobsCentral, National University of Singapore (NUS) was the government employer of choice, beating Singapore Tourism Board to the top spot. STB had held the top spot for the past 3 years. The ratings were as follows:

1. NUS

2. DSTA

3. EDB

4. STB

5. A*STAR

For private companies, Apple retained the top spot. The survey results were based on 3000 over respondents from NUS, NTU and SMU.

When queried about the expected starting salary, most respondents actually picked a range of S$2,500 to S$3000. 33% expected a starting salary above $3,500 and 21.9% expected a starting salary of above $3,500.

I also remember reading the  Straits Times recently and was surprised to realise that there are NTU 2011 fresh grads out there that are earning $20K per month. I don't know what line they are in but $20K for a fresh grad sure sounds like a high figure to most people. I am assuming that they are probably in sales or perhaps working in some investment bank. It is good to know that local grads actually stand a chance of earning such a high salary. One would think that such high salaries were only possible if you study in a good university overseas.

Just the other day, I also wrote about Singapore's 40 Richest. Apparently, the richest people in Singapore have increased their networth again over the past one year as reported by Forbes Asia. I was trying to find out the common points they had and realised that property is perhaps it.

Have started my own little survey regarding starting pay. Feel free to take part in the survey. All submissions will remain anonymous.

Red Wine and Reflections for the Day

Opened a bottle of red wine yesterday to have with my food. And there was still quite a bit left over in the bottle so I am sipping some right now. Apparently, Robert Parker gave this vintage of wine 90 points. And that is perhaps the only reason why I bought the bottle of wine.

Today was quite a wretched day. I was suffering from some kind of flu but still went to office nonetheless. And time just seemed to whiz past while I was at work. Before I knew it, it was time to go back home. And I wasn't even sure what I had accomplished the entire day.

Flipped through the papers to catch up on election news and other trivia. Logged on to facebook to check on the latest status of all my friends and adding the random comment or "like" to the 1001 statuses.

Life is almost blissful and simple. And reading up on the latest new about the person who commented about heartlanders in Holland Village suddenly made me realise that I am very much one of those heartlanders. I live in a HDB flat, take the MRT to work, eat at hawker centres, and wear my flip flops to Holland Village. Drats, I have slowly transformed into a heartlander without knowing it. Of course, I don't speak vulgarities. But I guess I am one of those persons the higher rungs of society do not want to associate with. Thanks for the wake up call whoever you are. Just the other day, I drove up to get my car valet park and the guy manning the valet stall looked at me increduously and asked whether I was looking for the public carpark which was just ahead. Classic!!!!! My car small means cannot valet park issit??? It reminds me that there is still much to strive for in my life, career and personal growth (i.e. anger management and not comparing with others). Good thing I was in a hurry and did not give him a good dressing down (which I would not have done given how timid I really am).

Reminds me that I have not written about personal finance for some time which I probably should. But right now, personal finance matters seem so distant from my mind. I mean, I earn so much and spend so much. Is anyone really interested in that when Japan has suffered a terrible earthquake and is now facing like radioactive problems? I over heard a guy speaking to his Japanese colleague the other day how Japan should explore other forms of energy. My mind was going: Give your Jap friend a break! With people dying out there, it is just too easy for us to analyse the situation from afar and say what Japan should or should not be doing. That being said, I am definitely against Indonesia building a nuclear plant anywhere near us. If they want a nuclear plant, build it in Antartica please. If Japan is having problems dealing with this situation, everyone should re-think their nuclear strategy. Especially if you are situated so close to a fault line. But who cares? Noone cares about what I think.

I have also realised how stupid I am. It seems that everyone around me are all so clever. Actually, I used to think that I was above average in intelligence and looks. Then slowly over the years, I realised that everyone thinks the same way. Most people think that they are above average. Problem is: If everyone is above average, who is average and who is below average?

I have concluded that I am actually a below average Singaporean with a below average intelligence and below average looks living with a below average salary. But who cares? What is important is being happy. And I do not mind being below average. Okay, at least not for the salary part

How Much Did You Earn When You Were 35

At a point in my life where I am wondering how far ahead or behind I am compared to my entire cohort. Of course, I am not yet 35 but I will be there in no time and it makes me wonder sometimes whether my salary is at the range that it should be in terms of the skills and qualifications I have and how much more it can go up to by age 35. Because I am seriously guessing that at age 35, I will most probably not be jumping around in jobs anymore.

So how much should a graduate expect to be earning at age 35? How much did you earn when you were age 35?

Gross Monthly Salary Poll Results

I conducted a poll on this site to find out the gross monthly salary of readers.

56% earn less than $5000 per month.
30% earn between $5000 and $10,000 per month.
13% earn more than $10,000 per month.

Interesting results. It shows me that some of my readers are earning $10,000 per month but they still find my site interesting/relevant enough even though I earn less than them.

Perhaps I should get them to share how they managed to earn such a high monthly income and what jobs or industries they are in.

Salary Poll Results

I ran a poll on this site asking readers to reveal their monthly gross salary. I gathered a total of 30 votes.

Here are the results:

a. 56% earn less than $5000

b. 30% earn between $5000 and $10000

c. 13% earn more than $10000

The poll is now closed. If respondents are willing, they can click on the Ongoing Hot Discussions tab above and look for the Salary Discussion post to reveal their occupation, working experience and gross monthly salary. Thanks!

Salary Discussion

How much does a normal or average Singaporean earn? Based on median income, that is supposed to be $2,400 per month and raised to over $3000 by 2020 (Government's projection). I am not sure whether that is the actual case and have created a poll. Hopefully, more people will take part in the poll and "reveal" their salary.

I guess it will also useful for people who are thinking of switching jobs and are too afraid to ask others what their pay is like. Based on a recent survey published in Straits Times, people looking for jobs tend to view salary and career progression as fairly important factors when considering a job. In addition, they are looking for "work-life balance".

Here are some "statistics"of gross monthly salary that I know of based on conversations with friends and family:

1. Trained Teacher ($4000 plus, degree holder)

2. Stat Board (fresh grad, $3000)

3. Ministries (fresh grad, $3000 ++)

4. Secretary for SME (fresh grad, <$2,500)

5. Engineer (fresh grad, $3000)

6. Teaching Assistant, NUS (fresh grad $2,500)

7. Recruitment consultant (with commissions, $4000-$5000 after 1-2 years)

8. DXO in Mindef ($3200, fresh grad)

9. Tuition Teacher ($1000 to $10000+, depending on level taught and no. of students)

10. Bancassurance in bank ($4000 with experience)

11. Insurance agents ($2000-$15000, depending on commissions)

12. Property agents ($2000 - $20,000 , depending on sales)

13. Pastor ($3000)

14. Taxi Driver ($3,500)

15. Admin staff in MNC ($2,600 fresh grad)

16. Secret agents ($5000, fresh grad)

17. A*Star (fresh grad, $3500)

18. Sales Engineer ($4000)

19. Big 4 accounting firm (fresh grad, <$3000)

The figures above are "hear-say" figures and might not be entirely accurate. These are based on my conversations with people and what they accidentally reveal over the years when they complain about pay or are discussing about changing jobs.

Of course, there are a whole slew of other factors like performance bonus and yearly increment. But I guess the "wisdom" about all these matters are really out there in the market and only known by those who are working in that particular industry.

Perhaps people will feel free to share anonymously on their income and the qualifications they hold (including no. of years worked).

What is Your Per Hour Rate?

I used to be obsessed in the past with calculating my per hour wages. This was simply calculated by taking one's gross salary divided by no. of hours worked in a month.

Per hour wage = Gross salary / No. of hours worked in a month.

Of course, the person who had the highest per hour wage had the biggest boasting rights. Afterall, he or she is "valued" more highly by society based on an hour's work compared to the normal worker.

In the past, I used to work close to 9 hours per day. That worked out to 45 hours per week and 180 hours per month. Based on my pay, that worked out to roughly $27 per hour. The only way to increase my hourly pay was to work less. That meant going to work later or leaving office earlier. Of course that did not go down well with my work ethics and I refused to do that. But when confronted with the cold hard facts, I realised that there was no other way to increase my pay per hour unless I got a pay raise or promotion. I was limited by the fixed pay concept.

Right now, I realised that one can actually earn a much higher hourly wage if you are doing your own business. Not all hours are created equal. Some people can earn an hourly wage of $50 to $80 dollars per hour. Others can even charge as high as $300 per hour!

I looked through the classifieds the other day and realised that some workmen or carpenters were charging easily $50 for changing faulty cabinets and stuff. That means that in one day, all they have to do is to fix 4 cabinets and they could easily earn $4000 per month! And if you have seen them change cabinet doors before, you know that it is a pretty simple task that could be completed in less than an hour.

What is your hourly wage? Are you limited by a fixed pay and thus unable to increase your pay?