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 751 reviews)); "There has been some really great people that have worked in Durham but many have left." ((in 511 reviews)); "Pay was good and the year end bonus was nice." ((in 336 reviews)); "Working in maintenance the work can have pressure at times but overall has a good work/life balance." ((in 333 reviews)); "The culture was great and very inclusive" ((in 282 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 140 reviews)); "Merck discovered this ticket and Manager Y and his/her boss called to discuss with me." ((in 112 reviews)); "upper management seems confused; jobs get eliinated" ((in 82 reviews)); "Poor leadership and talent management" ((in 70 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

(6,155 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 6,155 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

Nov 8, 2013

15 year employee, various roles

Director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Merck once offered an experience like no other, great people and science. It was the "Google" of Pharma. It had one of the most enriching work cultures a person could find. I was lucky to get the job...

Cons

The company no longer relies on science or innovation. Today's Merck is about the bottom line and uses employee reductions as a way to manage the company. Not an innovative way to manage such a great company.

1.0

Oct 25, 2013

Superior Schering-Plough Culture destroyed by Merck Mediocrity

Associate director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

None left to list since the legacy old Merck way of do nothing, change nothing persists.

Cons

The Merck culture destroyed a great focused Schering-Plough culture that was grounded by real responsibility and pride in performance. The merger was a bad idea and destroyed one great company (Schering) and delayed the ongoing decline of a poor company (Merck) that has been under bad leadership for decades.

2.0

Oct 4, 2013

If you're an engineer who wants to do engineering, look elsewhere

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Some great people, some cognizance of what makes for good culture, decent work/life balance if you try for achieve that. if you are willing to be blindly positive and use enough buzzwords you might go far here.

Cons

with raises for the two years I have been here being less than inflation, you can expect to make less and less as you gain experience. raises based on promotion/increased responsibility have been effectively eliminated in the post merger compensation framework. I expect bonuses will be slashed, if they remain at all and the next few years will be marked by stagnation

Viewing 223 - 225 of 6,155 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

MSD

4.1★Compensation & Benefits

Sandoz

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

Grunenthal

4.3★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Merck

Associate Technician, Operations

Specialist - Assets & Rights Management

Customer Service Representative

Technician, Operations

Merck

Merck reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

15 year employee, various roles

Superior Schering-Plough Culture destroyed by Merck Mediocrity

If you're an engineer who wants to do engineering, look elsewhere

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

Jobs at Merck

Merck reviews FAQs