SALARIES OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

SPECIALIZATIONS VS OTHER PROFESSIONS

A RESEARCH PAPER

PRESENTED TO ENGR. SARAH M. FAUSTINO

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

BULACAN STATE UNIVERSITY

MALOLOS, BULACAN

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE

CVE 307: CE LAWS AND ETHICS

BY:

DE LEON, GIAN HARVEY VILLAFUERTE

NOVEMBER 2025
INTRODUCTION

CIVIL ENGINEERING IN THE PHILIPPINES IS A MULTIFACETED AND DYNAMIC

PROFESSION THAT PLAYS A PIVOTAL ROLE IN SHAPING THE COUNTRY’S BUILT

ENVIRONMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE. IT ENCOMPASSES SEVERAL SUB-

DISCIPLINES SUCH AS STRUCTURAL, GEOTECHNICAL, TRANSPORTATION,

ENVIRONMENTAL, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, AND WATER RESOURCES

ENGINEERING, AS WELL AS ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH ROLES WITHIN HIGHER

EDUCATION. THESE SPECIALIZATIONS ARE NOT MERELY DIFFERENT JOB TITLES,

THEY REPRESENT DISTINCT SKILL SETS, PROJECT TYPES, REGULATORY

REQUIREMENTS, AND CAREER PATHS.

IN THE PHILIPPINE CONTEXT, CIVIL ENGINEERS ARE ENTRUSTED WITH A

BROAD SCOPE OF SERVICES, FROM MASTER-PLANNING ROADS AND BRIDGES TO

DESIGNING WATER-SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE SYSTEMS TO SUPERVISING LARGE-

SCALE INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS SUCH AS AIRPORTS, PORTS, TUNNELS, AND

URBAN DEVELOPMENTS. GIVEN THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF

INFRASTRUCTURE TO NATIONAL GROWTH AND RESILIENCE (ESPECIALLY IN A

COUNTRY VULNERABLE TO EARTHQUAKES, TYPHOONS AND OTHER NATURAL

HAZARDS), THE DEMAND FOR CAPABLE CIVIL ENGINEERS HAS GROWN STEADILY.

AT THE SAME TIME, THE CIVIL ENGINEERING PROFESSION IN THE

PHILIPPINES FACES COMPLEX REALITIES. ENTRY-LEVEL SALARIES AND CAREER

PROGRESSION CAN VARY WIDELY DEPENDING ON THE EMPLOYER, LOCATION

(METRO MANILA VERSUS REGIONAL PROVINCES), SECTOR (PUBLIC VS PRIVATE),

AND THE ENGINEER’S SPECIALIZATION OR LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES.

MOREOVER, THE ROLE OF A CIVIL ENGINEER OFTEN INCLUDES NOT JUST

TECHNICAL DESIGN, BUT PROJECT MANAGEMENT, REGULATORY COMPLIANCE,

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT, QUALITY AND SAFETY SUPERVISION,

AND STAKEHOLDER COORDINATION.

PAY LANDSCAPE FOR CIVIL ENGINEERING SPECIALIZATIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES

BETWEEN 2020 AND 2025. UNDERSTANDING HOW SALARIES VARY ACROSS

STRUCTURAL, GEOTECHNICAL, TRANSPORTATION, ENVIRONMENTAL,

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, WATER RESOURCES, AND ACADEMIC ROLES

PROVIDES BOTH INSIGHT AND BENCHMARKS FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE

PRACTITIONERS. FURTHER, PLACING THESE CIVIL-ENGINEERING EARNINGS

ALONGSIDE SELECTED NON-ENGINEERING PROFESSIONS (SUCH AS DOCTORS,

NURSES, SOFTWARE ENGINEERS, TEACHERS, ACCOUNTANTS AND LAWYERS)

HELPS CONTEXTUALIZE WHERE ENGINEERING STANDS IN THE BROADER LABOUR

MARKET.

THIS STUDY USES AGGREGATED SALARY DATA FROM MAJOR JOB-MARKET

SOURCES AND EMPLOYMENT WEBSITES TO MAP OUT CURRENT PAY LEVELS BY

SPECIALIZATION, HIGHLIGHT EARNING DIFFERENCES, AND DRAW CONCLUSIONS

ABOUT THE RELATIVE ATTRACTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT ENGINEERING PATHS IN

THE PHILIPPINE LABOUR CONTEXT.

THE AVERAGE MONTHLY SALARIES OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

SPECIALIZATIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES (UP TO 2025) ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: ₱34,054 PER MONTH

• GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING: ₱38,096 PER MONTH

• TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING: ₱76,705 PER MONTH (₱920,466 PER YEAR)

• ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING: ₱34,635 PER MONTH

• CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT: ₱48,396 PER MONTH

• WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING: ₱38,284 PER MONTH

• ACADEME (CIVIL ENGINEERING PROFESSOR): ₱62,283 PER MONTH (₱747,400

TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS EARN THE HIGHEST AMONG THESE

SPECIALIZATIONS, LIKELY DUE TO THE TECHNICAL COMPLEXITY AND

INFRASTRUCTURE DEMANDS OF THEIR PROJECTS. CIVIL ENGINEERING

PROFESSORS ALSO EARN RELATIVELY HIGH SALARIES, REFLECTING THE

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL REQUIRED AND ALIGNMENT WITH GOVERNMENT PAY

SCALES. CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS FOLLOW CLOSELY DUE TO THEIR

LEADERSHIP ROLES. STRUCTURAL, GEOTECHNICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND

WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERS TYPICALLY EARN BETWEEN ₱34,000 AND ₱38,000

PER MONTH, CLOSE TO THE NATIONAL MEDIAN FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS.

FOR CONTEXT, HERE ARE THE AVERAGE SALARIES (2020–2025) OF SELECTED

NON-ENGINEERING PROFESSIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES:

• MEDICAL DOCTOR (PHYSICIAN): ₱125,653 PER MONTH (₱1,507,832 PER YEAR)

• REGISTERED NURSE: ₱32,662 PER MONTH

• PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER: ₱18,487 PER MONTH

• ACCOUNTANT: ₱30,190 PER MONTH

• SOFTWARE ENGINEER: ₱39,491 PER MONTH

• LAWYER: ₱50,046 PER MONTH

• ARCHITECT: ₱26,445 PER MONTH

MEDICAL DOCTORS REMAIN THE HIGHEST EARNERS, AVERAGING ABOUT

₱125,000 PER MONTH, REFLECTING THEIR EXTENDED EDUCATION AND HIGH

DEMAND. LAWYERS AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERS FOLLOW, EARNING ₱50,000 AND

₱39,000 PER MONTH RESPECTIVELY, COMPARABLE TO OR HIGHER THAN MANY

CIVIL ENGINEERING SPECIALIZATIONS. IN CONTRAST, TEACHERS EARN

SIGNIFICANTLY LESS (₱18,000 PER MONTH), WHILE NURSES AND ACCOUNTANTS

EARN SIMILAR AMOUNTS TO LOWER-PAID ENGINEERING ROLES.

AMONG CIVIL ENGINEERING SPECIALIZATIONS, TRANSPORTATION

ENGINEERING STANDS OUT WITH THE HIGHEST AVERAGE MONTHLY SALARY

(~₱76,700), FOLLOWED BY ACADEMIA (~₱62,000) AND CONSTRUCTION

MANAGEMENT (~₱48,000). THESE ROLES TEND TO REQUIRE ADVANCED EXPERTISE

OR LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES. THE OTHER SUBFIELDS, STRUCTURAL,

GEOTECHNICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING, EARN

BETWEEN ₱34,000 AND ₱38,000 PER MONTH, ALIGNING CLOSELY WITH THE

GENERAL CIVIL ENGINEER MEDIAN OF ₱30,000–₱40,000.

IN COMPARISON, LAWYERS (~₱50,000) AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERS (~₱39,000)

EARN SIMILAR OR SLIGHTLY HIGHER SALARIES, WHILE PHYSICIANS (~₱125,000)

FAR EXCEED ALL ENGINEERING AND NON-ENGINEERING PROFESSIONS IN THIS

SET. ON THE LOWER END, TEACHERS (~₱18,000) EARN SUBSTANTIALLY LESS, AND

NURSES (~₱33,000) AND ACCOUNTANTS (~₱30,000) FALL CLOSE TO THE LOWER

ENGINEERING RANGE.

THESE DIFFERENCES REFLECT VARIATIONS IN EDUCATIONAL

REQUIREMENTS, MARKET DEMAND, AND PAY STRUCTURES (PARTICULARLY IN

GOVERNMENT VS. PRIVATE SECTORS). ENGINEERING REMAINS A SOLID MID-TO-

HIGH INCOME FIELD IN THE PHILIPPINES, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE IN

MANAGEMENT OR SPECIALIZED TECHNICAL ROLES.

FROM 2020 TO 2025, CIVIL ENGINEERING SPECIALIZATIONS IN THE

PHILIPPINES EARN BETWEEN ₱34,000 AND ₱62,000 PER MONTH, DEPENDING ON THE

FIELD. TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS ARE

AMONG THE HIGHEST-PAID, WHILE STRUCTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL

ENGINEERS ARE CLOSER TO THE MEDIAN RANGE. COMPARED WITH OTHER

PROFESSIONS, CIVIL ENGINEERS GENERALLY EARN MORE THAN TEACHERS AND

NURSES, BUT LESS THAN DOCTORS, AND IN SOME CASES, LAWYERS OR SENIOR IT

PROFESSIONALS.

THESE FINDINGS, DRAWN FROM AGGREGATED SALARY REPORTS AND

MARKET DATA, PROVIDE A SNAPSHOT OF THE CURRENT PAY LANDSCAPE FOR

CIVIL ENGINEERING AND RELATED CAREERS IN THE PHILIPPINES.

GLASSDOOR. (2025). CIVIL ENGINEER SALARIES IN THE PHILIPPINES. GLASSDOOR.

INDEED. (2025). OCCUPATION SALARY REPORTS IN THE PHILIPPINES (VARIOUS JOB

TITLES). INDEED.

SALARYEXPERT (ERI). (2025). TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER SALARY IN THE

PHILIPPINES. SALARYEXPERT.

SALARYEXPERT (ERI). (2025). MEDICAL DOCTOR SALARY IN THE PHILIPPINES.

SALARYEXPERT.

WORLDSALARIES. (2025). AVERAGE PROFESSOR – CIVIL ENGINEERING SALARY IN THE

PHILIPPINES FOR 2025. WORLDSALARIES.

PINOY BUILDERS. (2022). PLANNING TO BE A CIVIL ENGINEER? HERE’S WHAT YOU

NEED TO KNOW. PINOY BUILDERS.