Is Merck a good company to work for?

Merck has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 8,199 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 82% of employees would recommend working at Merck to a friend and 72% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Merck have been left by employees working as Co-Op , Intern and Internship .

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 been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Merck?

82% of Merck employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Merck 4.0 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 (237) , Director (193) , Intern (171) , Senior Scientist (165) , Sales Representative (117) , Scientist (94) , Associate Principal Scientist (93) , Senior Specialist (92) , Project Manager (88) , Manager (86) , Pharmaceuticals Sales Representative (59) , Specialist (59) , Associate Specialist (58) , Operations Manager (51) , Business Analyst (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 740 reviews)); "There has been some really great people that have worked in Durham but many have left." ((in 520 reviews)); "Ambient friendly with good pay" ((in 337 reviews)); "Working in maintenance the work can have pressure at times but overall has a good work/life balance." ((in 330 reviews)); "The culture was great and very inclusive" ((in 277 reviews))

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

"Poor management; lack of trust between management and reps" ((in 228 reviews)); "Frequent layoffs and reorgs." ((in 145 reviews)); "Merck discovered this ticket and Manager Y and his/her boss called to discuss with me." ((in 110 reviews)); "upper management seems confused; jobs get eliinated" ((in 82 reviews)); "Poor leadership and talent management" ((in 76 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.

What are the top reviewed Merck locations?

West Point , Rahway , Kenilworth , Durham , Philadelphia , North Wales , Boston , Elkton , Lansdale , Whitehouse Station , Summit , New York , Newark , South San Francisco , Los Angeles , Cambridge , Millsboro , Wilson , Whitehouse , Branchburg , Jersey City , Charlotte , Madison , Raleigh , Chicago , New Brunswick , Elkhorn , Washington , Houston , San Francisco

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Merck

Merck reviews

4.1

82% would recommend to a friend

(6,178 total reviews)

Rob Davis

82% approve of CEO

72% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Compensation and benefits

4.0

Work/Life balance

3.9

Culture & values

3.7

Career opportunities

3.5

Senior management

Merck has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 6,178 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 Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology 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

5.0

Feb 27, 2019

Excellent company,

Global sourcing manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

People oriented company, they care of the employee, Great companies to work,

Cons

- Depending on the manager lack of flexibility to work remotely - Super hierarchy, always the tile comes first then the name... do not know why, i.e let me introduce our AVP in sale, our EVP in that, make the life a little bit difficult... - Not that open to challenge their own process, very bureaucratic

4.0

Feb 26, 2019

Overall good

Sales executive

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay and benefits. Decent work life balance.

Cons

No room for growth anymore. Company has lay-offs every year now.

5.0

Feb 15, 2019

Patient AND research focused company

Associate principal scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Being a scientist at Merck means you work on developing life-changing (and saving) medicines for patients through R&D innovation. Fantastic employee benefits and culture

Cons

Its a large company so it may be easy to get lost in the weeds of your own work if you don't make an effort take a step back and look around. Sometimes there is a lot of pressure to meet deadlines, advance your career, etc. but those things are always painful in the moment.

Viewing 766 - 768 of 6,178 Reviews

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Jobs at Merck

Associate Director – CMC Data Steward – DSCS Digital

Senior Specialist – CMC Data Steward – DSCS Digital

Scientist, Pharmacology

Scientist, Pharmacokinetics

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Excellent company,

Overall good

Patient AND research focused company

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