When covid first hit I was working with a lot of laboratory scientists in R&D. I can promise you that even the most gifted scientists weren't making a substanti

When covid first hit I was working with a lot of laboratory scientists in R&D. I can promise you that even the most gifted scientists weren't making a substantial monetary premium, except for the handful who were individually responsible for breakthroughs that led to commercially successful pharmaceutical products. The market for laboratory scientists is fairly saturated and the wages are much lower than you might expect, given the relative importance of the work to society.