Frequently Asked Questions

We believe in radical transparency. Here you will find answers to common questions about how the data is collected, processed, and funded.

💸 How is this report funded?

This project is mostly self-funded, relying on the generous support of the community to keep it independent and accessible to everyone.

🔓 Can I use the data from this report?

Yes! We believe in open knowledge. This report is released under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license.

• You can: Share, copy, and adapt the material.
• You must: Give appropriate credit to Service Design Jobs and indicate if changes were made.
• You cannot: Use it for commercial purposes without permission.

If you are writing an article or internal presentation, go for it! A link back to the report is always appreciated.

📅 When was this data collected?

We run our annual survey throughout November of each year. For example, the data for the 2026 report was collected in November 2025.

📝 What questions were asked in the survey?

We believe in full transparency. You can view the complete list of questions asked in every year's survey, along with notes on how the questionnaire has evolved, in our Survey Questions Archive.

💰 How are currencies handled?

We use USD as a default global benchmark, but you can view the data in your own currency.

• Switch it: Use the currency dropdown at the top of any salary chapter to instantly convert figures to EUR, GBP, CAD, and 160+ other currencies.
• The method: We use real-time exchange rates to perform the conversion.
• The caveat: Exchange rates fluctuate. Always consider local purchasing power when looking at the numbers.

🌍 Why can't I directly compare country A to country B?

While you can filter and view data by individual countries, we deliberately do not offer a direct, side-by-side country-to-country comparison feature (e.g., "Germany vs. UK").

• Too many variables: Direct comparisons between countries are highly misleading. Factors like cost of living, purchasing power, local tax structures, social benefits, cultural norms around work, and economic stability vary too dramatically to draw meaningful conclusions from raw salary numbers alone.
• Focus on local context: Our goal is to empower you with local context. Filter by your country to understand your market, and compare it against the global average (where available) to gauge relative positioning, rather than trying to make flawed direct comparisons.

📉 Are taxes and cost of living included?

No. All figures represent Gross Annual Income (before tax). We do not adjust for Cost of Living (COL) indexes because individual lifestyles and local tax laws vary too wildly to model accurately on a global scale.

🕵️ Is my data safe?

Absolutely. We use a defense-in-depth strategy:

• Anonymity: We do not collect names or emails linked to the data rows.
• Air-Gapped Pipeline: The raw data lives in a private, secure environment. It is processed by a script that strips everything except approved, non-identifiable columns before it ever reaches the public website.
• Aggregation: We never show data for groups smaller than 5 respondents. If you are the only "Junior Service Designer in Iceland," your data will be rolled up into a broader category to protect your identity.

📊 How reliable is this data?

Think of this report as a compass, not a GPS. With over 700 respondents in the 2026 edition (and over 1,000 in previous years), it provides a strong signal of industry trends. However, it is a self-reported survey, not a government census. Use it to gauge direction and magnitude, but don't treat every median dollar value as an absolute law.

📄 Is there a PDF version?

No, and here is why. A static PDF locks you into our view of the data. By building this as a web report, we give you the power to:

• Filter by your specific country and seniority.
• Hover to see exact numbers.
• Explore the data that matters to you.

❓ I have a specific question not answered here.

We'd love to help. Email us at team@servicedesignjobs.com.