For decades, societal norms have taught us that it’s impolite to discuss how much money we earn at work. However, pay transparency – or the willingness to openly discuss wages and salaries in a rational, economic way – is key to addressing the gender pay gap. It’s also crucial to being able to successfully negotiate a starting salary or to renegotiate current compensation.

There are strategic elements required when seeking your best compensation rate. The most fundamental of these strategic elements? Knowing your industry’s current trends in wages, salary, and benefits.

Knowing the current market value for one’s skills, education, and experience is especially important for women entering or advancing in the printing industry. A Glass Door 2023 study found that 32 percent of women did not attempt to negotiate compensation; a salary negotiation guide published by St. Catherine’s School of Business cited a Ranstad study that put this statistic at a much higher rate of 60 percent.

If you’re looking for a job in the printing industry and want to build confidence that your points of negotiation are built on solid facts – or if you simply want to keep tabs on whether your compensation is tracking with industry trends – you need to seek out state of the industry reports. As part of its mission, Women in Print Alliance is committed to providing current resources to help you gain the knowledge to confidently interview and negotiate.

One such tool is PRINTING United Alliance’s 2022 Wages, Salaries, and Benefits Report, which measures the benefits, bonuses, and compensation offered by printing companies across the U.S. and Canada. The executive report published on our website is an excellent starting put to put you on firm footing as you advance in your printing career. It’s an annual survey, so it’s a good idea to make a yearly habit of perusing the date (perhaps in conjunction with your annual performance review) to ensure your industry intel stays up to date.