2025 PackStaff Career Survey: A Big First Step

We weren’t sure what to expect when we launched our first-ever Packaging Engineer Career Survey, but the response was better than we could have hoped for.

Hundreds of engineers across the country took time out of their busy schedules to tell us about their work: where they’re located, how much they earn, what red flags they watch for in a job description, what benefits actually matter, and what they wish hiring managers understood. That generosity is what made this survey such a success.

Why We Did It

At PackStaff, we spend every day talking to packaging engineers and the companies that hire them. We kept noticing the same thing: people are making major career decisions based on very limited information. Salary reports are outdated or vague. Hiring trends are anecdotal. And no one seems to be capturing how these jobs actually feel—what's frustrating, what's rewarding, and what professionals in the field are really looking for.

So we decided to ask.

What Happens Next

Because of the overwhelming participation, we’re making this survey an annual event. Every year, we’ll build on what we’ve learned, track trends, and share insights to help engineers make informed decisions—and help companies build stronger teams.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be sharing a series of blog posts digging into the data:

• How much packaging engineers really make (and how that changes with experience)

• What kinds of job setups are most common: remote, hybrid, or in-person

• Career progression trends and title breakdowns

• How are engineers really solving problems and sourcing information

• Benefits- who's getting them and how do they effect salary

  
  

Each post will take a specific slice of the survey and offer clear, actionable insight. If you're a hiring manager, this is your chance to see behind the curtain. If you're an engineer, this is your chance to see where you stand and where things are heading.

Thank You

To everyone who participated—thank you. Your responses are helping us build something more useful, more honest, and more aligned with what packaging engineers really want out of their careers.

If you missed this year’s survey but want to be part of the next one, stay tuned. We’ll be announcing the 2026 edition early next year, and we’d love to hear from you.

Until then, we’ll keep sharing what we’ve learned.

— The PackStaff Team