A person working as a Drilling Engineer in Korea (North) typically earns around 173,000 KPW per month. Salaries range from 90,100 KPW (lowest) to 265,000 KPW (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Drilling Engineer salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Drilling Engineer salaries in Korea (North) range from 90,100 KPW per month (minimum salary) to 265,000 KPW per month (maximum salary).
The median salary is 166,000 KPW per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Drilling Engineer(s) are earning less than 166,000 KPW while the other half are earning more than 166,000 KPW. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Drilling Engineer(s) are earning less than 115,000 KPW while 75% of them are earning more than 115,000 KPW. Also from the diagram, 75% of Drilling Engineer(s) are earning less than 207,000 KPW while 25% are earning more than 207,000 KPW.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Drilling Engineer salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Drilling Engineer with less than two years of experience makes approximately 102,000 KPW per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 137,000 KPW per month, 34% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 178,000 KPW per month, 30% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Drilling Engineer(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 216,000 KPW per month, 21% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 236,000 KPW per month, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 248,000 KPW per month, 5% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 102,000 KPW | |
2 - 5 Years | +34% | 137,000 KPW |
5 - 10 Years | +30% | 178,000 KPW |
10 - 15 Years | +21% | 216,000 KPW |
15 - 20 Years | +9% | 236,000 KPW |
20+ Years | +5% | 248,000 KPW |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Drilling Engineer salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is Certificate or Diploma, the average salary of a Drilling Engineer is 122,000 KPW per month.
While someone with a Bachelor's Degree gets a salary of 185,000 KPW per month, 52% more than someone having a Certificate or Diploma degree.
A Master's Degree gets its holder an average salary of 261,000 KPW per month, 42% more than someone with a Bachelor's Degree.
Certificate or Diploma | 122,000 KPW | |
Bachelor's Degree | +52% | 185,000 KPW |
Master's Degree | +42% | 261,000 KPW |
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Korea (North) costs anywhere from 971,000 North Korean Won(s) to 2,910,000 North Korean Won(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support the thoery. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Drilling Engineer employees in Korea (North) earn 11% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 184,000 KPW | |
Female | -10% | 166,000 KPW |
Drilling Engineer(s) in Korea (North) are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 7% every 29 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 4% granted to employees every 29 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 5% | |
Energy | 1% | |
Information Technology | 6% | |
Healthcare | 2% | |
Travel | 7% | |
Construction | 3% | |
Education | 8% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Korea (North) for the year 2021. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
A Drilling Engineer is considered to be a low bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
90% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 10% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 1% to 3% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 10% | |
No Bonus | 90% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Drilling Engineer is 6% more than that of Engineering. Also, Engineering salaries are 16% less than those of All Jobs.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Acoustics Engineer | 172,000 KPW | ![]() |
Assembly Engineering Technician | 142,000 KPW | ![]() |
Assistant Chief Engineer | 188,000 KPW | ![]() |
Associate Engineer | 161,000 KPW | ![]() |
Autocad Operator | 115,000 KPW | ![]() |
Automation Engineer | 191,000 KPW | ![]() |
Avionic System Support Engineer | 169,000 KPW | ![]() |
Biochemical Engineer | 157,000 KPW | ![]() |
BMS Engineer | 166,000 KPW | ![]() |
Bridge and Lock Tender | 93,500 KPW | ![]() |
Broadcast Engineer | 169,000 KPW | ![]() |
CAD Design Engineer | 179,000 KPW | ![]() |
CAD Designer | 110,000 KPW | ![]() |
CAE Engineer | 182,000 KPW | ![]() |
Ceramics Engineer | 156,000 KPW | ![]() |
Civil Engineer | 179,000 KPW | ![]() |
Commissioning Engineer | 165,000 KPW | ![]() |
Communications Engineer | 189,000 KPW | ![]() |
Condition Monitoring Engineer | 146,000 KPW | ![]() |
Contract Associate Engineer | 160,000 KPW | ![]() |
Control Systems Engineer | 173,000 KPW | ![]() |
Controls Engineer | 173,000 KPW | ![]() |
Controls Software Engineer | 157,000 KPW | ![]() |
Corrosion Engineer | 168,000 KPW | ![]() |
Design Engineer | 180,000 KPW | ![]() |
Drafter | 107,000 KPW | ![]() |
Drafting Manager | 198,000 KPW | ![]() |
Drilling Engineer | 173,000 KPW | ![]() |
Electrical Draughtsman | 91,800 KPW | ![]() |
Electrical Engineer | 198,000 KPW | ![]() |
Electrical Engineering Manager | 263,000 KPW | ![]() |
Electromechanical Engineering Technologist | 187,000 KPW | ![]() |
Electromechanical Equipment Assembler | 92,300 KPW | ![]() |
Energy Engineer | 182,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engine Assembler | 76,500 KPW | ![]() |
Engineer | 196,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Account Manager | 198,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Chief Designer | 197,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Consultant | 237,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Key Account Manager | 258,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Lab Technician | 164,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Planning Manager | 251,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Production Manager | 315,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Project Analyst | 210,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Project Coordinator | 199,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Project Director | 356,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Project Manager | 257,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Research and Development Manager | 274,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Safety Coordinator | 134,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Sales Manager | 249,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Technician | 143,000 KPW | ![]() |
Engineering Technologist | 139,000 KPW | ![]() |
Environmental Engineer | 166,000 KPW | ![]() |
Equipment Engineer | 157,000 KPW | ![]() |
Equipment Engineering Manager | 230,000 KPW | ![]() |
Estimator | 148,000 KPW | ![]() |
Fabrication Specialist | 130,000 KPW | ![]() |
Fabricator | 84,600 KPW | ![]() |
Facade Engineer | 166,000 KPW | ![]() |
Fiber Analyst | 101,000 KPW | ![]() |
Field Engineer | 184,000 KPW | ![]() |
Field Engineering Manager | 302,000 KPW | ![]() |
Fire Engineer | 178,000 KPW | ![]() |
Fitter and Turner | 57,500 KPW | ![]() |
Forestry Strategic Planner | 216,000 KPW | ![]() |
Generation Engineer | 180,000 KPW | ![]() |
Genetic Engineer | 194,000 KPW | ![]() |
Geological Engineer | 177,000 KPW | ![]() |
Geotechnical Engineer | 193,000 KPW | ![]() |
Heavy Equipment Mechanic | 94,200 KPW | ![]() |
Highway Engineer | 183,000 KPW | ![]() |
HSE Professional | 158,000 KPW | ![]() |
HVAC Engineer | 198,000 KPW | ![]() |
HVAC Supervisor | 160,000 KPW | ![]() |
Industrial Engineer | 164,000 KPW | ![]() |
Industrial Engineering Technologist | 172,000 KPW | ![]() |
Instrument Engineer | 176,000 KPW | ![]() |
Instrumentation and Control Engineer | 171,000 KPW | ![]() |
Instrumentation Engineer | 184,000 KPW | ![]() |
Instrumentation Manager | 176,000 KPW | ![]() |
Irrigation Engineer | 168,000 KPW | ![]() |
Licensed Aircraft Engineer | 197,000 KPW | ![]() |
Locomotive Engineer | 168,000 KPW | ![]() |
Maintenance Engineer | 164,000 KPW | ![]() |
Maintenance Fitter | 61,100 KPW | ![]() |
Maintenance Manager | 180,000 KPW | ![]() |
Manufacturing Engineer | 171,000 KPW | ![]() |
Marine Engineer | 181,000 KPW | ![]() |
Materials Engineer | 178,000 KPW | ![]() |
Materials Researcher | 166,000 KPW | ![]() |
Materials Technician | 128,000 KPW | ![]() |
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer | 197,000 KPW | ![]() |
Mechanical Design Engineer | 190,000 KPW | ![]() |
Mechanical Designer | 156,000 KPW | ![]() |
Mechanical Engineer | 196,000 KPW | ![]() |
Mechanical Engineering Manager | 237,000 KPW | ![]() |
Mechanical Inspector | 174,000 KPW | ![]() |
Mechatronics Engineer | 195,000 KPW | ![]() |
Mining Engineer | 173,000 KPW | ![]() |
Oil and Petrochemical Engineer | 189,000 KPW | ![]() |
Optical Engineer | 178,000 KPW | ![]() |
Optical Instrument Assembler | 94,200 KPW | ![]() |
PCB Assembler | 65,500 KPW | ![]() |
Photonics Engineer | 191,000 KPW | ![]() |
Photonics Technician | 158,000 KPW | ![]() |
Pipeline Engineer | 166,000 KPW | ![]() |
Piping Designer | 99,500 KPW | ![]() |
Piping Engineer | 170,000 KPW | ![]() |
Planning Engineer | 188,000 KPW | ![]() |
Pressure Vessel Inspector | 83,100 KPW | ![]() |
Principal Cost Engineer | 184,000 KPW | ![]() |
Principal Engineer | 180,000 KPW | ![]() |
Principal Support Engineer | 182,000 KPW | ![]() |
Process Engineer | 174,000 KPW | ![]() |
Process Operator | 101,000 KPW | ![]() |
Product Development Engineer | 185,000 KPW | ![]() |
Product Development Technician | 132,000 KPW | ![]() |
Product Engineer | 187,000 KPW | ![]() |
Product Safety Engineer | 167,000 KPW | ![]() |
Production Engineer | 185,000 KPW | ![]() |
Project Engineer | 193,000 KPW | ![]() |
Proposal Manager | 237,000 KPW | ![]() |
Purchasing Engineer | 167,000 KPW | ![]() |
Quality Assurance Engineer | 183,000 KPW | ![]() |
Rail Engineer | 170,000 KPW | ![]() |
Robotics Engineer | 199,000 KPW | ![]() |
Robotics Technician | 146,000 KPW | ![]() |
Safety Engineer | 171,000 KPW | ![]() |
Safety Inspector | 132,000 KPW | ![]() |
Safety Manager | 202,000 KPW | ![]() |
Safety Officer | 93,000 KPW | ![]() |
Sales Engineer | 198,000 KPW | ![]() |
Scheduling Engineer | 162,000 KPW | ![]() |
Service Engineer | 181,000 KPW | ![]() |
Solar Engineer | 192,000 KPW | ![]() |
Staff Engineer | 175,000 KPW | ![]() |
Static Equipment Engineer | 173,000 KPW | ![]() |
Stationary Engineer | 165,000 KPW | ![]() |
Stress Engineer | 161,000 KPW | ![]() |
Structural Analysis Engineer | 172,000 KPW | ![]() |
Structural Designer | 156,000 KPW | ![]() |
Structural Engineer | 175,000 KPW | ![]() |
Structural Technician | 116,000 KPW | ![]() |
Supply Chain Specialist | 171,000 KPW | ![]() |
Surveyor | 128,000 KPW | ![]() |
Technical Affairs Officer | 88,500 KPW | ![]() |
Technical Assistant | 92,000 KPW | ![]() |
Technical Engineer | 156,000 KPW | ![]() |
Technical Support Engineer | 146,000 KPW | ![]() |
Tender Engineer | 164,000 KPW | ![]() |
Test Development Engineer | 168,000 KPW | ![]() |
Transportation Engineer | 165,000 KPW | ![]() |
Validation Engineer | 164,000 KPW | ![]() |
Verification Engineer | 161,000 KPW | ![]() |
Wastewater Engineer | 183,000 KPW | ![]() |
Wind Energy Engineer | 187,000 KPW | ![]() |
Wind Energy Operations Manager | 224,000 KPW | ![]() |
Work Planner | 122,000 KPW | ![]() |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Korea (North) earn 7% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 186,000 KPW | |
Public Sector | +7% | 200,000 KPW |