Small Survey Shows Average Maintenance Salary

The fifth annual international survey of salaries in the maintenance sector has been released by the Plant Maintenance Resource Center of Booragoon, Australia (www.plant-maintenance.com). It shows the average maintenance salary in Canada is US$56,000.

The survey was conducted on the centre’s website between January and March 2003. However, the results are based on just 158 valid responses, and only five from Canada. (Responses in previous years were significantly higher and the centre says it is unclear about the reasons for the drop in the response rate.)

The Plant Maintenance Resource Center was established in 1996 by Alexander Dunn, a maintenance professional and consultant based in Australia. It is now operated by his consulting firm, Assetivity Pty Ltd.

The key findings of the latest survey are:

Overall, salaries seem to have fallen slightly, in $US terms.

In $US terms, the best paid countries for maintenance workers are the U.S., Canada and Australia. Salary levels have risen in all of these countries in the past year.

Experience and education continue to have a significant impact on salaries in the maintenance sector.

Maintenance planners continue to be paid significantly less than maintenance foremen/supervisors.

Larger organizations appear to be paying better, at present, than smaller organizations. This is the reverse of the result from two years ago.

The best-paid positions are maintenance manager/superintendent, followed by maintenance foreman/ supervisor, maintenance crafts/tradeperson, plant/maintenance engineer, maintenance planner, and maintenance technician.

The best-paid industry sector for maintenance workers is defined as “Manufacturing: petroleum refining, chemicals and associated products.”

The top five job titles responding to the survey were maintenance manager/superintendent, plant/maintenance engineer, maintenance planner and maintenance foreman/supervisor.

The median salary range for the 2003 survey is US$45,001-$50,000, down from $50,001-$55,000 in last year’s survey. The mean salary for 2003 is US$53,623. Complete results are posted at www.plant-maintenance.com/ articles/salarysurvey03.pdf.