Of the 2,864 engineers taking part in this year's survey 39 per cent that said that they are professionally registered. This group earns on average 18 per cent more than their unregistered colleagues.
The mean average salary for professionally registered respondents was £51,930, while it was £43, 914 among respondents who are not professionally registered.
What's more, average salaries for professionally registered respondents were higher in every sector (see table).
The biggest difference was found among engineers coming from the Chem & Pharma/Medical sectors where professional registration accounts for an average difference of almost £12,000.
The smallest average gap was found in the Rail/Civil & Structural sectors where professionally registered respondents earn on average just under £5,000 more.
Impact of professional registration across all sectors*
| Sector | Professionally registered | Not registered |
| Academia | £47,636 | £40,916 |
| Aerospace | £50,501 | £44,777 |
| Automotive | £53,724 | £44,744 |
| Chemicals & Pharma/Medical | £57,484 | £45,981 |
| Defence & Security/Marine | £51,850 | £44,127 |
| Energy/Renewables/Nuclear | £54,431 | £46,484 |
| Food & Drink/Consumer Goods | £53,440 | £44,505 |
| Materials | £52,273 | £41,842 |
| None of these | £46,872 | £42,661 |
| Oil & Gas | £56,814 | £48,0956 |
| Rail/Civil & Structural | £47,676 | £42,906 |
| Telecomms & Utilities/Electronics | £47,753 | £41,298 |
*All data from The Engineer Salary Survey 2018
The survey also demonstrated that the benefits of professional registration are not limited to engineers at the higher levels of the career ladder, with professionally registered respondents at every level of seniority enjoying better pay than their unregistered colleagues.
These differences were most pronounced at Director level, where registered respondents earn on average £11,000 more, while the pay gap at the junior/graduate engineer level was just £2,000.
Commenting on the findings, Alasdair Coates, CEO of The Engineering Council (the body that regulates registration of UK engineers), said: “The Engineering Council notes the higher average salaries commanded across all sectors by professionally registered engineers in this survey. Professional registration is an internationally recognised assessment of your competence that demonstrates your commitment to employers and clients; these responses indicate the impact registration can have on earning potential. Registrants consistently tell us that achieving professional registration has increased their credibility, helped them gain promotion or win more business. These responses suggest that professional registration can also boost earnings, again demonstrating that it is an investment in your future.”
Impact of professional registration at different levels of seniority
| Professionally registered | Not professionally registered |
| Director or above | £75,387 | £64,506 |
| Junior engineer/Grad | £31,830 | £29,417 |
| Senior engineer/Manager | £50,927 | £44,786 |
The Engineer’s 2018 Salary Survey was conducted in partnership with technical recruitment consultancy CBSbutler.
Click here for the full results of the Salary Survey.
Click here for The Engineer’s Salary Calculator.
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