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) , Associate Principal Scientist (92) , Senior Specialist (92) , 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 741 reviews)); "There has been some really great people that have worked in Durham but many have left." ((in 509 reviews)); "Working in maintenance the work can have pressure at times but overall has a good work/life balance." ((in 326 reviews)); "Ambient friendly with good pay" ((in 322 reviews)); "The culture was great and very inclusive" ((in 274 reviews))

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

"Poor management; lack of trust between management and reps" ((in 220 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 115 reviews)); "upper management seems confused; jobs get eliinated" ((in 84 reviews)); "Poor leadership and talent management" ((in 74 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

(6,154 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 6,154 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

2.0

May 4, 2016

Sales

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits package and decent compensation.

Cons

If I'd known 12 years ago the inexorable decline this industry was going to take I would've moved to Silicon Valley and joined Google or Apple instead. The sales force is increasingly unhappy and concerned: fewer promotion opportunities, stagnant wages, and shrinking access to customers. It's not looking good. People are constantly wondering if they'll get laid off. A lot of colleagues have left. The career opportunities for growth are disappearing and the threat of layoffs is always looming. On top of that the number of legal policies seems to endlessly increase.

2.0

Apr 28, 2016

Terrible company culture. bad treatment to contractors

Clinical trial coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very big pharmaceutical company. Many success. A lot of money so nice and fancy seminars... Good name to have on your resume.

Cons

So powerful that they treat contractors poorly. Our managers can't do anything regarding bad treatment or crazy workload. Merck is too powerful client. Lack of English during everyday work. Very poor process which make the work tiresome and tedious and complicated. Merck employees treat us as stupid contractors. some of them made me cry several times. overall terrible company culture which rely on pointing the mistakes and make you feel not competent. If you stay to long you will loose your confidence.

3.0

Apr 21, 2016

Good company bad industry

Executive customer representative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Fair salary good benefits. Generally has first in class meds. Too many layers of management. Many tonnes upper management doesn't understand the realities of the job.

Cons

Lots of lay offs. Good job dependant on manager. Merck is a law firm that dabbles in pharmaceuticals. Very highly regulated ( industry problem).

Viewing 187 - 189 of 6,154 Reviews

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Associate Technician, Operations

Merck

Merck reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Sales

Terrible company culture. bad treatment to contractors

Good company bad industry

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