Positivity over engineering salary levels in the UK is tempered by a range of concerns over skills, diversity and Brexit in The Engineer’s 2017 Salary Survey
Salaries for UK engineers have increased by 6.6 per cent on average over the last 12 months, according to The Engineer’s 2017 Salary Survey, which was published in June 2017.
While the average salary for UK engineers stood at £45k in 2016, our 2017 report – which is based on responses from 2,743 engineers working across a range of sectors – shows an increase to £48k.
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Despite a general dissatisfaction among respondents with the levels of remuneration that are offered across industry (just 35 per cent are happy with their pay) engineering salaries would appear to compare favourably with most other sectors in the UK. The average salary in the financial services sector is currently £47,109, while bankers earn only slightly more on average (£50,080).
Despite painting a reasonably positive picture in terms of pay, this year’s survey also reflects some key areas of concern, not least industry’s continuing struggle to close the gender gap.
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Female engineers accounted for just seven per cent of respondents and, according to our findings, are paid on average 10k less than their male colleagues. Even more alarmingly, female respondents at every level of seniority are, on average, paid less than their male colleagues. Women at junior level earn on average £4k less than their male colleagues, whilst at director level the gap widens to 20k.
Other key findings of the Salary Survey:
- 45 per cent of respondents are considering a change of job
- 49 per cent would consider relocating overseas
- More than one-third of respondents are worried about impact of Brexit on job security
The Engineer’s 2017 salary survey is published in partnership with technical recruitment specialist CBS Butler.
As I don’t see any raise on the horizon I cut my heating bill already and got me an allotment for home-grown veggies and berries. It’s a great whole body workout, too.
I believe the problem for a lot of engineers in senior roles is the discrepancy in salary levels with those of Project Managers. In my experience many project managers are poorly qualified with limited experience in the application area of the project and yet they are paid considerably more than the senior engineer because they are in the “management stream”. And it’s not just a responsibility issue because many senior engineers will lead and actively manage the team. This discrepancy creates an “us and them” environment which is no good for anyone and certainly not good for a business.
The Engineer should include the tech sector in future surveys. This is a big sector now in the UK and is hiring a lot of engineers.