September 13, 2022
Salaries and hourly wages of employees in U.S. independent corrugated converting operations rose an average of 7% from January 1, 2021, to January 1, 2022, according to AICC’s 2022 Salary, Hourly Wage, & Benefits Report. The biennial survey was conducted from March through May of this year and is the industry’s most comprehensive report of key employee salaries, wages, and benefits being paid by independent corrugator plants, sheet feeders, and sheet plants in the United States. The report is conducted by Ijamsville, Maryland-based Association Research Inc., an independent third-party research firm.
For the 2022 edition, data was submitted by 23 independent corrugator and/or sheet feeder plants and 43 sheet plants. These companies employed 7,664 workers across AICC’s six U.S. regions. All in all, 28 management and salaried positions were surveyed, along with 87 hourly positions.
Across all companies reporting, the average management employee has been in his or her position for 11.7 years and saw an average increase of 7.1% in compensation between January 1, 2021, and January 1, 2022. For other nonmanagement positions, the average full-time employee has been in their position for 5.9 years and received an average pay increase of 7% between January 1, 2021, and January 1, 2022. By comparison, in 2019, the prior survey year, salaries and wages rose only 3% (see “On the Rise,” BoxScore, September/October 2020, p. 60).
Breaking this information down further, sheet plant respondents reported higher increases than their counterparts in corrugator plants. Average increase for salaried management employees in sheet plants averaged 7.8%, while salaried management employees in corrugator plants saw their base salary increase 6.2%. Similarly, the hourly wage rate change in sheet plants averaged 8.9%, while corrugator plants’ wage rates increased 6%.
Complete data on salaries, hourly wages, and benefits can be found in AICC’s 2022 Salary, Hourly Wage, & Benefits Report. The report is provided at no charge to participants. Nonparticipants wishing to purchase a copy may go to www.AICCbox.org/store. The member price is $225. The nonmember price is $425. For more information, contact Maria Frustaci at 703-535-1382 or mfrustaci@AICCbox.org.
