New US wage law may result in pay increase for postdocs
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029841
Nature : In the US, the average yearly salary for a postdoc is about $45 000, and many postdocs work much more than 40 hours per week. A new rule finalized by the US Department of Labor, which takes effect on 1 December, will make overtime pay mandatory for many postdoctoral researchers who make less than $47 476 per year. In the US, overtime pay is 1.5 times the normal hourly wage; that rate is triggered when a worker exceeds 40 hours at a single job in a week. Many institutions and funders of postdoc positions will likely opt to increase salaries above the minimum level. However, other positions may get eliminated to compensate. The overtime rule does not apply to postdoctoral positions for which the primary duty is teaching, which means that many humanities postdocs will not benefit.
