Summary
Are you getting paid fairly? And what's the salary growth potential? These were some of the questions that inspired us to launch the global Service Design Salary(+) Report. Now heading into its fifth edition already, the report has helped over 20,000 people make smarter career decisions. In this session, we're rolling up our sleeves and diving into the data of the upcoming 2025 edition of the report. You'll get a first and exclusive preview, hot off the press – the survey closed just 3 days ago!
Key Insights
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The Service Design Salary Report is based on over 1,000 respondents from 61 countries, but this represents only a fraction of the broader 50,000-strong service design community on LinkedIn.
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Median salaries vary significantly by country; for example, the US median salary is $161k USD, the UK is $83k, and the Netherlands is $73k.
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Despite rising median salaries in countries like the US and the Netherlands, overall satisfaction with compensation is trending downward.
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A persistent gender pay gap exists in service design salaries, with men consistently reporting higher incomes than women year over year.
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In-house service designers generally report higher salaries and greater satisfaction compared to those working in agencies or as freelancers.
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Seniority and years of experience correlate with higher salaries and satisfaction, with VP-level professionals earning nearly double compared to entry-level roles.
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Having 'service design' explicitly in a job title does not necessarily correspond to higher salaries globally.
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Most service designers report into design departments, but reporting lines can vary by country, including product and innovation departments.
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Remote work is prevalent, especially among independent freelancers, although overall remote percentages have slightly decreased since 2022.
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Salary negotiations are more common and expected at senior and VP levels, and national differences exist, with Finland leading in reported negotiation rates.
Notable Quotes
"We have over a thousand participants from 61 countries, but this is just a sliver and not a full representation of the community."
"The average salary in the Netherlands might be quite high compared to Europe or the US, but you have to dig deeper to see if seniority is skewing the data."
"The satisfaction score is going down even though average salary is going up — that’s something interesting we should dig into."
"Men in this report consistently report higher income than women, but don’t draw early conclusions — seniority levels and positions matter."
"People working in-house tend to be more satisfied with their income than those working on the agency side."
"Having service design in your job title is not necessarily an advantage, at least not globally."
"The more experienced you are, the more satisfied you tend to be with your salary, which might also correlate with actually earning more."
"We do not take cost of living, inflation, or taxes into account, so it’s your homework to contextualize the salary data."
"You have to apply multiple perspectives to the data so you don’t oversimplify or misinterpret the patterns."
"This report is really about finding clues to make smarter career decisions, not necessarily about giving you definitive answers."
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