Diane Callan is the executive director of the International Ombudsman Institute
(IOI). The IOI works directly with 220 offices, she says.
Callan says that in the U.S., a majority of ombudsmen work in the corporate
arena. That includes hospitals and long-term care facilities, for instance.
The Ombudsman Association primarily represents corporate ombudsmen in the
U.S. It reports that about 60 percent of its members are employed in the corporate
world. Another 20 percent work for universities and the other 20 percent work
in government or nonprofit groups.
Salaries can vary depending on your experience and whether you work in
the public or private sector. For example, a former judge working as ombudsman
for the state would earn significantly more than a registered nurse working
as ombudsman for a long-term care facility.
"It's a very exciting time in the ombudsman community with our world becoming
so much more diversified and countries moving strongly toward democracy. The
ombudsman's role is as it was, but it's bigger and better," says Callan.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) includes Ombudsman in the category
Arbitrators, Mediators and Conciliators. There were 7,800 workers in the category
in 2016, and the average annual salary was $59,770, according to BLS.