Summary
- Banking/Capital Markets and Consumer Product industries stand out as top-paying sectors, compensating experience levels required well.
- More significant roles reward careers progressing over time. Median pay consistently increases with company size, experience and seniority level attained.
- Teams of 200+ designers and management roles have the highest medians aligned with most experience needed.
- Going abroad substantially boosts earnings. Non-local companies offer a sizable 67.1% higher median pay than local firms.
- Flexibility opens up high-paying opportunities. Roles with remote work arrangements offer 2.7x more than in-office roles.
- Senior roles demand longer hours but pay higher. Directors and VPs work most prolonged hours. Younger designers have more balanced lifestyles.
The following data are based on Singapore respondents and the Singapore dollar.
Type of company
Large enterprises and startups offer the highest overall pay aligned with experience levels.
Large enterprises have the highest median salary. Startups pay a lower but still median competitive wage with similar experience.
Agencies/consultancies provide opportunities earlier in careers. Non-corporate sectors pay on par with SMEs.
Non-profits offer the lowest median salary.
Industry
Banking & Capital Markets and Consumer Products tend to pay most competitively aligned with the experience levels needed.
Government roles provide earlier career opportunities for many less experienced designers.
Some sectors exhibited higher compensation but had limited sample sizes.
Life Sciences pays the highest median salary but sparse data points, followed by Retail, Wholesale & Distribution with the most experienced.
The Automotive industry offers the lowest pay (with limited data), followed by Healthcare.
Company size
Median pay tends to increase with a larger company size.
We see a 25.5% jump in median pay between the company size of 51 - 200 and 201 - 1000. Beyond that, the differences are less significant.
Younger designers tend to work in smaller teams; the larger the company, the more experienced the designers.
This may suggest a typical career path is to start in a smaller company before moving to a larger one.
Company headquarters
Non-local company offers a significantly better median salary.
Being physically away from HQ suggests they are global or non-local companies with regional or remote offices in Singapore.
Non-local companies offer 67.1% more pay than local companies.
However, the salary spread is the widest for non-local companies based on the minimum and maximum figures reported.
Local companies have the lowest starting pay.
Work hours
Senior roles may demand more hours but are compensated higher.
Highest-earning designers have the most experience but spend more time working after hours.
Directors and VPs work the most prolonged hours on average per seniority level.
Younger designers may have more balanced lifestyles.
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