Sentiments: negotiations and pay

Men negotiate pay more often than women: 61% of men reported negotiating their last salary, compared to 51% of women, a 10-percentage-point gap. Whether that gap in who asks contributes to the fairness gap below is a question this survey cannot answer directly: the fairness ratings that follow are not broken down by gender.

Compensation perceptions

Pay fairness for role and level averages 4.57 out of 7. More respondents lean towards agreement than disagreement: 57.1% rate their pay as fair for their role and level (ratings 5–7), against 24.6% who disagree (ratings 1–3), with the remainder sitting neutral.

Market rate awareness

Designers' awareness of market rate sits slightly higher, averaging 4.71 out of 7, with 62.5% agreeing they know roughly where their pay sits relative to the market (ratings 5–7). That is a firmer consensus than for fairness itself.

Staying informed on market rate

But access to resources for staying informed on market rate drops to 3.86 out of 7, the lowest sentiment score in this section. More respondents disagree (39.9%, ratings 1–3) than agree (36%, ratings 5–7) that they have good resources here. Designers broadly sense where they stand on pay; fewer have the tools to keep that sense current.

Negotiation confidence

Negotiation confidence averages 4.51 out of 7, with 52% agreeing they feel confident negotiating (ratings 5–7) against 29% who disagree (ratings 1–3).

Plenty negotiate anyway, discomfort and all.

Compensated fairly for effort

Compensated fairly for effort averages 4.58 out of 7, close to the 4.57 average for role and level. 55.1% agree they are paid fairly for their effort (ratings 5–7), against 25.6% who disagree (ratings 1–3), a similar split to the fairness-for-role question, suggesting the two perceptions move together.

Sentiment findings reflect aggregate responses across 10 markets; 69.4% of respondents are Singapore-based.