Two things jumped out at me about the 2009 IABC/Canada online salary survey*:

1. “Nationally speaking, men do appear to make more on average than women.” According to the survey, the mean (essentially the average) yearly salary / median (the middle-most value when the values are arranged in increasing or decreasing order) are:

• for men, $97,508 / $82,250
• for women, $75,937 / $72,000.

The data “provides a reflection of what some people in the communications/public relations profession are currently earning,” although there were various disclaimers about the data not being “nationally representative statistical samples” because of a modest response rate in some areas. Still, I found it interesting/appalling that there was such a gap.

2. There is also a big gap between what agencies charge and what independent communicators charge, making indies a bargain.
The mean / median hourly rates:

• for agencies, $165.50 /$150. The lowest category was $125 or less.
• for self-employed, $84.20 / $55.70. The lowest category was $25 or less (ahem: if that’s you, time to raise your rates!)

Writers who charge by the word still mostly charge what has been the typical rate for at least a decade: $1.

What do you think of these results? If you read the full report, what else jumped out at you?

*The survey was conducted by Leger Marketing between December 2009 and February 2010. The 998 respondents represent about 19 per cent of the total IABC membership in Canada; of these, 8 per cent were self-employed. Sorry, the report is no longer available.