Salaries are way up, and culture is even more important in this year’s Placements and Salaries survey

Library Journal conducts its Placements and Salaries survey each year, to bring to light the story of the prior year’s graduating class of LIS master’s students as they conclude their studies, engage in job hunting, and begin their professional careers. 2021 brought some hope and relief from the worst aspects of 2020, which saw the onset of the pandemic. However, our society continues to bear the burden of COVID-19 and its repercussions. We thank all the graduates who were able to participate during these difficult times. We also send our heartfelt appreciation to the LIS professional and education community for continuing to provide essential information services in support of our users, communities, and students, despite all the challenges. We extend our condolences to everyone who has experienced illness or loss and hope that much better days await us all very soon.

The 2021 LIS graduates faced brighter prospects and a more favorable job market than their immediate predecessors. The “COVID Cohort” of 2020 had to launch careers amid shutdowns, rescinded job offers, and social distancing. The Class of 2021 was met with a re-emerging economy, a rebounding seller’s job market, and employers moving back towards normalcy, albeit supported by a somewhat creaky supply chain. Buoyed by the protection of available vaccines, plexiglass shielding, and ample personal protective equipment, employers sought the appropriate balance between returning to “business as usual” and retaining some telework that proved effective during the shutdowns.

Highlights from the findings include:

• In general, the results of most standard measures on the 2021 survey were more like those of 2019, rather than the anomalous year that 2020 proved to be. There were a few interesting exceptions noted below.
• Good news for 2021 graduates: salaries are (way) up, job satisfaction is up, and unemployment is down.
• COVID continued to affect these graduates’ degree programs, but in more subtle ways, particularly impacting relocation decisions, internship modalities, and the prevalence of remote work.
• In assessing prospective employers, job seekers ranked a positive, healthy workplace culture as being an even more important attribute than salary.

Thirty-four of the 55 U.S.-based American Library Association (ALA) accredited schools participated fully in this survey, two fewer than last year. (For complete methodology and limitations, see the online version of this article at libraryjournal.com.) These schools reported that LIS master’s degrees were bestowed on 4,931 graduates, a 9 percent increase over 2020. Twenty-seven percent of these graduates completed the survey, a 1 percent drop in response rate from last year, yet slightly higher than 2019.

The gender profile for this year’s graduates displayed the usual predominance of women (75 percent), while the proportion of men (18 percent) was unchanged from 2020. There was a small but noticeable increase in the number of graduates self-reporting as non-binary/gender nonconforming (5 percent, up from 3 percent last year), or declining to answer (2 percent now versus 0.9 percent in 2020). The self-reported total for nonbinary/gender nonconforming was much larger than the schools’ reported total (0.1 percent), while the schools’ figure for nondisclosed gender was larger than the students’ (3.5 percent versus 2 percent).

After last year’s glimmer of increased diversity, the 2021 respondents’ race/ethnicity composition returned to the common pattern. White graduates comprised 84 percent of the class, up slightly from the prior three years. Hispanic/Latinx graduates made up 7 percent of the class, down from 10 percent last year. Among other graduates self-reporting as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color), 4 percent were Black/African American (down from 8 percent last year), 4 percent were Asian, 3 percent identified as mixed race, and 1 percent as another race. Only 1 percent identified as Native American/Indigenous Persons, and no one selected Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.

The age composition of the 2021 class was much like the prior year but skewed slightly more towards middle age. More than half (53 percent) of respondents were between 26 to 35 years old, making 35 the average age, similar to 2020 (54 percent and age 35). Almost three-fourths of the current class were between 26 and 45 years old. Slightly fewer 2021 graduates were over 45 years old (14 percent), versus the prior year (16 percent). Just under half of this year’s graduates are pursuing their first professional career, continuing a trend seen for the fourth year in a row.

PLACEMENTS AND SALARIES

The average full-time annual starting salary for the class of 2021 was $60,911, a soaring increase of 7.9 percent over 2020’s pandemic-impacted salary level, and 3.8 percent above 2019, which was the previous high watermark. This is the first time the average salary level has topped $60,000 and represents an impressive 36.9 percent increase over the average starting salary earned by LIS graduates a decade earlier. This year’s increase also reflects the economy-wide trend toward rising salaries in 2021, as workplaces emerged from the 2020 lockdowns and began to return to normal. Eighty-six percent of employed 2021 graduates hold a full-time position; this measure is back to the high level of 2019, after a slight dip (84 percent) for the 2020 COVID cohort. As with recent years, almost all the full-time jobs are permanent (94 percent), not temporary (6 percent), positions.

Unemployment for 2021 graduates was 7 percent, slightly down from both 2020 (9 percent) and 2019 (8 percent), though still twice the national average of 3.5 percent in 2021. Although unemployment is lower, there are notable shifts this year in the activities of the unemployed. About two-thirds were actively seeking employment within the LIS field (65 percent), a substantial drop from the proportion of active job seekers in 2020 (76 percent). There was a large jump in the number of unemployed graduates taking time off for personal reasons (15 percent versus 10 percent in 2020, and only 4 percent in 2019). This may reflect the widely reported societal trend towards choosing to concentrate on other aspects of life other than work, or hesitance to return to an in-person workplace while COVID continues and many preventative measures are no longer required. Somewhat fewer graduates this year indicated they were pursuing additional education (14 percent versus 17 percent in 2020), while those doing internships held constant (3 percent now and last year). Happily, no current graduates have been furloughed (down from 3 percent last year).

Although fewer graduates are working part-time this year, those that do are holding down even more positions. Only 14 percent of this year’s employed graduates are working part-time, which is down from 2020 (16 percent), and aligned with 2019 (14 percent). However, only 58 percent of 2021’s part-timers are holding a single position, for an average of 1.5 positions, versus 64 percent and 1.4 positions for 2020 graduates. More than a third of this year’s part-timers are holding down two positions, while 8 percent are working three or more jobs. Both of these figures are up from 2020 (30 percent with two jobs, and 6 percent with three or more). In contrast, fewer 2021 graduates who are employed full-time are also holding down a second or third job (12 percent) than their 2020 counterparts (17 percent). For about half of these 2021 moonlighters, their additional position(s) are not related to libraries or education. Student debt load alone appears to be somewhat less of a factor in moonlighting this year; only 19 percent of this year’s graduates who are employed full time and are carrying $50,000 or more in student debt have a second job, versus 28 percent in 2020, perhaps owing to the pandemic pause on repayments or the temporary relaxation of the rules for seeking Public Service Loan Forgiveness, since the survey was conducted prior to the Biden administration’s decision to forgive an additional $10,000 in student debt.

Following the pattern begun in 2019, 71 percent of the 2021 graduates either work for an LIS institution or function in an LIS capacity, while 22 percent report employment outside of the LIS field. Over half of those working outside LIS are working in private industry (59 percent). These levels align more with the 2019 class, while fewer 2020 graduates worked outside LIS (18 percent) in that unconventional year.

Despite the differences in circumstances between this year and 2020, the workplace destinations for both years’ graduating classes were remarkably similar. The most frequent landing spots for both 2021 and 2020 graduates were public libraries (33 percent) and college/university libraries (19 percent). Private industry drew 17 percent of graduates for both years as well. K–12 schools attracted 9 percent of this year’s class; a bit lower than last year (10 percent). Less frequent 2021 destinations all scored within a percentage point of their 2020 levels: nonprofit organizations (4 percent), other academic units at colleges/universities (3 percent), archives and special collections (3 percent), special libraries (3 percent), government agencies (3 percent), government libraries (2 percent), vendors (1 percent), and library cooperatives/networks (1 percent). Only 1 percent of the 2021 class work as consultants.

The 2021 survey has revealed some positive changes in graduates’ satisfaction with their current placements. Seventy-six percent of the employed graduates (full and part-time) said they are satisfied with their positions, a clear uptick from both 2020 (65 percent) and 2019 (72 percent). The lowest levels of satisfaction were voiced by graduates working in non-librarian positions in library settings (only 38 percent satisfied). Some of this dissatisfaction can be explained by part-time status, as part-time workers are much less satisfied than full-time employees (59 percent versus 79 percent). Another factor is salary differential; non-librarians working in a library made 18 percent less than librarians.

CONTINUING EFFECTS OF COVID-19

One lasting impact of the pandemic on the U.S. workplace was proof that remote work or hybrid remote/in-person modalities could be successful. This had the potential to affect respondents during their coursework, job search, and subsequent employment. However, the impact was not always positive. Noted one respondent, “Zoom interviews were used by large, toxic institutions during COVID as a way to hide their dysfunction and the reality of the location.”

Thirty-six percent of the LIS schools said that COVID affected their ability to support their graduates’ job search. Most indicated that they had to convert to online delivery of support services. A few noted a negative impact on advising, student chapter activities, or student morale and mental health.

Employed 2021 graduates were a little more likely to have relocated for their job (19 percent) than last year’s class (16 percent), but relocation remained less common than in 2019 (26 percent). Current graduates were most likely move away for new positions in archives/special collections (40 percent) or academic institutions (37 percent). Among 2021 graduates, 22 percent applied to positions outside their local area without intending to relocate, because of a rise in remote work opportunities during the pandemic. This is slightly lower than the score for 2020 graduates (23 percent). 2021 graduates who work in private industry or nonprofit organizations were most likely to apply for remote work.

Questions about work modalities were posed on the 2020 and 2021 surveys. While some 2021 graduates are working remotely or hybrid, these modalities are less prevalent now than they were last year. Of 2021 graduates employed full-time, 73 percent were working fully in-person, while 21 percent were employed in a hybrid mode. Only 6 percent were working exclusively remotely. Fully remote work was most common for those working in private industry (40 percent). Last year, 58 percent were working solely in person, 27 percent were hybrid, and 15 percent were fully remote.

Current graduates working full time via either a hybrid or fully remote modality were asked about their expectations of any change in modality in 2022. The great majority anticipate no change (80 percent), while 11 percent were unsure. Only 5 percent expect to change to a hybrid model, while 4 percent believe they will change to fully in-person. Going to a fully remote mode (1 percent) was considered extremely unlikely.

REBOUNDING SALARIES

After 2020’s 4 percent dip in the overall average salary level, 2021 graduates’ salary levels were apparently buoyed by the reopening economy, as the overall average bounced up 7.9 percent, to hit $60,911. This was almost 4 percent higher than 2019’s average. This year’s median salary was $54,953 , up 7.8 percent from 2020, and 3.7 percent over 2019. It should be noted, however, that the 2021 inflation rate was itself 7 percent, compared with 1.4 percent in 2020, based on data from the Consumer Price Index.

Although hourly wage levels lag well behind the annual salaries s earned by graduates, they are at least rising. Only 14 percent of current graduates employed full-time are paid an hourly wage, averaging $20.35 per hour, which is 82 cents an hour more than last year, and up more than 3 percent over 2019. The current hourly rate translates into an annual salary of $42,328, a 4 percent increase over last year.

Gender pay disparities persist for the class of 2021; the average salary for women graduates was $59,042, which is 15.5 percent lower than the average paid to men ($69,845). This gender salary differential was larger than in 2020 (12.5 percent) but was more favorable to women than 2019’s 20 percent imbalance. Another sign of disparity is that, although average salary levels went up for both men and women, the increase for men (up by 10.2 percent versus 2020) was much larger than the increase for women (6.5 percent). Interestingly, the smallest pay disparity favoring men over women was for remote workers (7.2 percent). Women did earn higher average salaries than men in two placement regions, the Southeast (12.1 percent higher), and Mountain (10.2 percent higher). The average salary for nonbinary graduates is lower than for either men or women, at $53,360, and 13 percent below the overall average.

The type of organization is a prime factor in the salary level earned by an LIS graduate. This year, consulting was singled out of other mentions as a new category, which drew the highest average salary ($95,682), pushing private industry ($87,549) out of the top spot. Graduates employed by nonprofits ($60,659) enjoyed the next largest paydays. 2021 brought interesting shifts in the rank order of libraries, with government libraries ($55,378) and academic libraries ($55,360) now paying slightly more than school libraries ($55,028). Archives/special collections ($49,762) still trail special libraries ($53,924), but now pay more on average than public libraries ($48,429). The 2021 salary levels for all organizational types were up an average of about $4,000, with school and public library salary increases on the low end.

PROFESSIONAL PATHWAYS

More than half of the employed 2021 graduates stayed with the employer or position they held before or during their master’s program (57 percent). This was a substantial drop from last year, when two-thirds of working 2020 graduates stayed put. Over half the 2021 graduates who remained with their current employer saw positive change from earning their master’s degree, such as salary raises (30 percent), promotions (23 percent), or elevation from support staff to professional status (15 percent).

An alternative path after obtaining their LIS master’s degree is to earn another advanced degree. The class of 2021 included 30 percent who indicated they would either probably or definitely take on another advanced degree program in the future, while only 15 percent definitely ruled it out. Fifty-five percent said they would probably not pursue another degree. Twenty-three percent already held an advanced degree before starting their LIS master’s program, while 6 percent were in a dual-enrollment degree program while earning their LIS masters. These responses closely align with those of the 2020 graduates.

Although more than half of the employed 2021 graduates described themselves as a “librarian working for a library” (53 percent), use of this term declined for the fifth year in a row. Respondents who are “non-librarians working for a library” also declined sharply (14 percent, versus about 20 percent in recent years). An increase occurred in graduates calling themselves “non-librarians not working for a library” (27 percent, up from 19 percent). “Librarians not working for a library” remained the least frequent response (6 percent); these graduates mention using library-oriented skills such as metadata, research, records/archive management, and cataloging, while working mostly for nonprofit organizations or in private industry.