Optics salary levels reveal age inequalities

In the wake of new age discrimination laws that came into force last weekend, Optician can reveal that age-based pay inequality is prevalent in the optical professions.

The legislation states that age alone cannot determine salary level, yet the latest Optician salary survey revealed that 45-54 year-old professionals can be paid nearly £10,000 more than their 25-34 year-old colleagues who are in many cases working in a similar role.

Optician's salary survey, conducted at the end of last year, revealed that, on average, 45-54 year-old men earned £46,250, while those aged 25-34 earned £38,930.

However, factors other than age must be considered and may have determined results such as level of responsibility and whether respondents were dispensing opticians or optometrists.

But it also appears that age discrimination may not be limited to younger members of the work force as pay levels in the survey were seen to drop from £46,250 in the 45-54 year-old category to £37,250 in the 55-64 year-old group.