A person working in Science and Technical Services in Guatemala typically earns around 14,000 GTQ per month. Salaries range from 5,070 GTQ (lowest average) to 23,400 GTQ (highest average, actual maximum salary is higher).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Salaries vary drastically between different Science and Technical Services careers. If you are interested in the salary of a particular job, see below for salaries for specific job titles.
Job Title | Average Salary |
3D Lab Technologist | 9,890 GTQ |
Algorithm Developer | 12,400 GTQ |
Analytical Chemist | 19,100 GTQ |
Anthropologist | 13,500 GTQ |
Archeologist | 12,600 GTQ |
Assistant Breeder | 6,280 GTQ |
Astronomer | 21,900 GTQ |
Atmospheric and Space Scientist | 17,600 GTQ |
Behavior Analyst | 11,900 GTQ |
Behavior Intervention Specialist | 13,000 GTQ |
Biochemist | 20,900 GTQ |
Biofuels Processing Technician | 8,230 GTQ |
Biofuels Production Manager | 14,400 GTQ |
Biologist | 21,100 GTQ |
Biomedical Scientist | 21,800 GTQ |
Biophysicist | 20,900 GTQ |
Chemical Engineer | 9,690 GTQ |
Chemical Technologist | 9,510 GTQ |
Chemist | 19,600 GTQ |
Chief Technologist | 18,700 GTQ |
Climate Change Analyst | 13,000 GTQ |
Clinical Laboratory Scientist | 21,000 GTQ |
Computer Scientist | 15,400 GTQ |
Conservation Scientist | 16,700 GTQ |
Data Scientist | 16,500 GTQ |
DNA Analyst | 21,700 GTQ |
Ecologist | 15,300 GTQ |
Economic Development Specialist | 15,300 GTQ |
Flavourist | 6,840 GTQ |
Food Scientist | 13,900 GTQ |
Forensic Scientist | 17,600 GTQ |
Formulation Technologist | 8,500 GTQ |
Fraud Investigator | 9,910 GTQ |
Genomics Scientist | 21,400 GTQ |
Geographer | 11,800 GTQ |
Geographic Information Systems Technician | 7,470 GTQ |
Geological Data Technician | 7,230 GTQ |
Geological Technician | 8,810 GTQ |
Geologist | 17,100 GTQ |
Geomatics Scientist | 17,100 GTQ |
Geophysical Data Technician | 6,700 GTQ |
Geospatial Information Scientist and Technologist | 15,200 GTQ |
Hydrologist | 13,300 GTQ |
Industrial Ecologist | 14,100 GTQ |
Intelligence Analyst | 12,100 GTQ |
Knowledge Management Specialist | 10,300 GTQ |
Laboratory Manager | 14,700 GTQ |
Laboratory Researcher | 9,460 GTQ |
Laboratory Technician | 6,390 GTQ |
Life Sciences Analyst | 14,800 GTQ |
Life Scientist | 15,700 GTQ |
Marine Architect | 12,400 GTQ |
Marine Biologist | 15,500 GTQ |
Marine Superintendent | 8,960 GTQ |
Materials Analyst | 9,260 GTQ |
Materials Scientist | 16,300 GTQ |
Mathematician | 17,100 GTQ |
Medical Scientist | 22,500 GTQ |
Metallurgist | 15,200 GTQ |
Meteorologist | 15,100 GTQ |
Microbiologist | 21,900 GTQ |
Natural Language Processing Researcher | 13,300 GTQ |
Natural Resource Specialist | 12,000 GTQ |
Natural Sciences Manager | 19,600 GTQ |
Nuclear Engineer | 22,100 GTQ |
Physical Scientist | 17,800 GTQ |
Physicist | 20,000 GTQ |
Political Scientist | 16,500 GTQ |
Polygraph Examiner | 5,730 GTQ |
Polysomnographic Technologist | 9,690 GTQ |
Product Development Scientist | 17,500 GTQ |
Quantitative Research Analyst | 13,500 GTQ |
Quantitative Researcher | 14,800 GTQ |
Radiation Protection Specialist | 11,800 GTQ |
Refrigeration Technician | 4,950 GTQ |
Research Scientist | 15,100 GTQ |
Risk Safety Engineer | 9,060 GTQ |
Scientific Photographer | 9,260 GTQ |
Scientific Programmer | 13,000 GTQ |
Scientist | 14,400 GTQ |
Service Engineer | 9,230 GTQ |
Service Technician | 6,350 GTQ |
Social Science Research Assistant | 9,160 GTQ |
Social Scientist | 16,800 GTQ |
Sociologist | 16,000 GTQ |
Soil Scientist | 13,300 GTQ |
Statistical Analyst | 9,490 GTQ |
Statistical Assistant | 6,850 GTQ |
Statistician | 14,000 GTQ |
Survey Analyst | 9,440 GTQ |
Survey Researcher | 8,690 GTQ |
Surveying and Mapping Technician | 5,850 GTQ |
Team Leader | 12,400 GTQ |
Technical Manager | 14,100 GTQ |
Technical Officer | 6,450 GTQ |
Technical Service Director | 18,800 GTQ |
Technical Services Regulatory Affairs Specialist | 9,130 GTQ |
Technical Services Research and Development Manager | 21,600 GTQ |
Technical Services Research Coordinator | 11,100 GTQ |
Technician | 6,070 GTQ |
Water Ecologist | 17,400 GTQ |
Wildlife Biologist | 15,200 GTQ |
Science and Technical Services salaries in Guatemala range from 5,070 GTQ per month (minimum average salary) to 23,400 GTQ per month (maximum average salary, actual maximum is higher).
The median salary is 14,000 GTQ per month, which means that half (50%) of people working in Science and Technical Services are earning less than 14,000 GTQ while the other half are earning more than 14,000 GTQ. 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 people working in Science and Technical Services are earning less than 8,590 GTQ while 75% of them are earning more than 8,590 GTQ. Also from the diagram, 75% of people working in Science and Technical Services are earning less than 18,700 GTQ while 25% are earning more than 18,700 GTQ.
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 the wage.
Generally speaking, employees having experience from two to five years earn on average 32% more than freshers and juniors across all industries and disciplines.
Professionals with experience of more than five years tend to earn on average 36% more than those with five years or less of work experience.
As you hit the ten years mark, the salary increases by 21% and an additional 14% for those who have crossed the 15 years mark.
Those figures are presented as guidelines only. The numbers become more significant if you consider one job title at a time.
It is well known that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We compared the salaries of professionals at the same level but with different college degrees levels across many jobs, below are our findings.
Workers with a certificate or diploma earn on average 17% more than their peers who only reached the high school level.
Employees who earned a Bachelor's Degree earn 24% more than those who only managed to attain a cerificate or diploma.
Professionals who attained a Master's Degree are awarded salaries that are 29% more than those with a Bachelor's Degree.
Finally, PhD holders earn 23% more than Master's Degree holders on average while doing the same job.
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Guatemala costs anywhere from 52,400 Quetzal(s) to 157,000 Quetzal(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 this tactic. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
The decision really depends on your situation and experience among many other factors. Putting all variables aside, if you can afford the costs of higher education then 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 employees in Guatemala who work in Science and Technical Services earn 6% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 14,400 GTQ | |
Female | -6% | 13,600 GTQ |
Science and Technical Services professionals in Guatemala are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 9% every 17 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 7% granted to employees every 19 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 | 8% | |
Energy | 7% | |
Information Technology | 6% | |
Healthcare | 5% | |
Travel | 4% | |
Construction | 3% | |
Education | 2% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Guatemala for the year 2020. 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.
Science and Technical Services is considered to be a moderate bonus-based field 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.
50% of surveyed staff in Science and Technical Services reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 50% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 50% | |
No Bonus | 50% |
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 Science and Technical Services is 34% more than that of All Jobs.
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Guatemala earn 11% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 10,000 GTQ | |
Public Sector | +11% | 11,100 GTQ |