Does Merck pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Merck employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Merck. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Merck?

83% of Merck employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Merck 3.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Merck?

Associate Director (234) , Director (190) , Intern (171) , Senior Scientist (163) , Sales Representative (117) , Scientist (94) , Senior Specialist (92) , Associate Principal Scientist (91) , Project Manager (88) , Manager (86) , Pharmaceuticals Sales Representative (59) , Associate Specialist (58) , Specialist (55) , Operations Manager (51) , Internship (49)

What are the pros of working at Merck according to real employee reviews?

"Benefits are good (middle of road for pharma) Great when compared to other industries" ((in 709 reviews)); "There has been some really great people that have worked in Durham but many have left." ((in 519 reviews)); "Pay was good and the year end bonus was nice." ((in 338 reviews)); "Working in maintenance the work can have pressure at times but overall has a good work/life balance." ((in 326 reviews)); "The culture was great and very inclusive" ((in 284 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Merck according to real employee reviews?

"Poor management; lack of trust between management and reps" ((in 221 reviews)); "Frequent layoffs and reorgs." ((in 144 reviews)); "Merck discovered this ticket and Manager Y and his/her boss called to discuss with me." ((in 114 reviews)); "upper management seems confused; jobs get eliinated" ((in 85 reviews)); "poor leadership and too much micromanagement" ((in 77 reviews))

What are employees saying about Merck layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Merck layoffs and their outlook for job security at Merck in 2026.

Merck reviews

4.1

83% would recommend to a friend

(6,152 total reviews)

Rob Davis

82% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Compensation and benefits

3.9

Culture & values

3.9

Work/Life balance

3.7

Career opportunities

3.5

Senior management

Merck has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 6,152 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Merck employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Farmacéutica y biotecnología industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

6K reviews

3.0

Jan 9, 2024

Merck

Product manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Big company without good drugs in the pipeline

Cons

Seems like a different company without Ken Fraiser. Culture is very clickish IT does things the Merck way Not great pay Layoffs attitude about being a big pharma, but no greatness Layoffs on the hush so they dont get bad press EIC plan in Austin - didnt come through for those employees

3.0

Jul 7, 2023

Solid to the point of turgid.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Lovely people who care about the science and medicines created. There is a genuine push for a more diverse workforce and benefits are decent.

Cons

Senior leadership are stuck in a mindset from 20 yrs ago and are unable/unwilling to change. Decisions are still very top down and empowerment for people is always hard fought. There is little consideration for flexible working and you still seem to have to be seen physically to validate your contribution. I don't consider it a progressive environment to work and it's anti innovation in IT despite most of the teams desperately calling for modernization

1.0

Jan 28, 2023

Great place but I felt isolated a lot, manager isn't nice though

Scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

People are nice and around to help if its work-related but I feel isolated in this company. It's a matter of luck if you are assigned a positive manager.

Cons

My assigned scientific and people's manager are condescending and rude. I tried my best to comprehend the matter but they still feel I'm not meeting their expectations. I've interacted with other scientific managers and people's manager and they don't care if my question is repeated or not. There are areas where I lack fundamental knowledge because of working as a lab technician and research assistant and teaching assistant for so many years which I stated during my interview.

Viewing 136 - 138 of 6,152 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

MSD

4.1★Compensation & Benefits

Novartis

4.1★Compensation & Benefits

Johnson & Johnson

4.1★Compensation & Benefits

GSK

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Merck

Associate Technician, Operations

Technician, Operations

Associate Technician, Operations

Merck

Merck reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Merck

Solid to the point of turgid.

Great place but I felt isolated a lot, manager isn't nice though

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at Merck

Merck reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Merck reviews FAQs

Jobs at Merck