{"id":767760,"date":"2024-12-13T12:34:45","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T12:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=767760"},"modified":"2024-12-16T08:43:26","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T08:43:26","slug":"salary-survey-an-end-to-pay-rises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/salary-survey-an-end-to-pay-rises","title":{"rendered":"Salary survey: an end to pay rises?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It has been a year of small improvements \u2013 but tougher times are looming<\/b><\/p>\n

At first sight, the findings from the latest architectural salary survey, shared exclusively with the AJ by compiler 9B Careers<\/a>, seem rosy enough. With an average increase of 3.5 per cent, the profession\u2019s pay is growing faster than UK inflation (currently 2.3 per cent). The across-the-board rise reported by the 2,700 respondents who completed the annual bellwether survey was also larger than in 2023<\/a>, when salaries went up just 1.3 per cent on average.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Average percentage increase in salaries of architectural staff (in practice)<\/p>\n\t

Source:9B Careers<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Drilling down, a recently qualified architect can now expect to earn \u00a342,850 \u2013 4.2 per cent more than a year ago. But the latest increases don\u2019t look so upbeat seen in a longer-term context. That same architect, if their 2016 wages had kept up with inflation, should be earning \u00a350,300.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, an associate architect currently taking home \u00a356,950 is missing out on nearly \u00a315,000, compared with the inflation-tracked salary estimate.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Aga Szedzianis, an associate at DSDHA, wrote for the AJ earlier this month<\/a>: \u2018This is not mere salary stagnation. This is a rapid salary decrease.\u2019\u00a0 <\/span>What\u2019s more, experts are predicting there will be little, if any, growth in pay next year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The profession is facing triple headwinds of unpredictable workloads, squeezed fees and extra practice burdens \u2013 such as the new National Insurance contribution (NIC) regime for employers and, in particular, the fall in the threshold at which employers start paying NI on an employee\u2019s salary, down from \u00a39,100 to \u00a35,000. <\/span><\/p>\n

Alex Shall, a partner at accounting and advisory firm Praxis, believes there will be \u2018very little growth in architects\u2019 salaries\u2019 in the medium term. He says: \u2018Having spoken with some [architect] clients, the general view is that practices were already finding the idea of offering a cost-of-living rise in line with inflation very challenging.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Now, with an average increase of 2 per cent on the total cost of employing someone as a result of the NIC changes, it is likely that many employers will say there will no increase at all from April 2025, while others may limit the cost-of-living increase to 1 per cent as a way of\u2006 \u201csharing the pain\u201d.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Salary levels are intertwined with practice income and the spectre of \u2006knockdown fees<\/a> has risen again in recent weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul Chappell, recruiter 9B Career<\/a>\u2019s founder and organiser of the survey<\/a>, believes the fees issue, NIC increases (from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent) and recent redundancies will \u2018tilt salary negotiations in favour of the employer\u2019 and that it would \u2018be surprising\u2019 if salaries continued to grow at the same rate.<\/span><\/p>\n

David Green, former senior economist at the Bank of England and a director at Belsize Architects, agrees there has been \u2018relentless pressure on fees\u2019. In terms of workloads in 2025, he adds: \u2018While there should be increased expenditure from some potential clients, others, like local authorities, remain very stretched.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018It will take time before the reforms promised by government to unlock develop\u00adment become reality. Our expectation is that downward pressure on at least some salaries is not going to ease any time soon.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b>The squeezed top and the left-behind apprentices<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The survey showed salary increases at almost every level, except for the most senior roles and apprentices. The average expected annual wage for architects with more than 21 years of experience actually dropped \u2013 from \u00a374,103 in 2023 to \u00a372,969 in 2024. The pay for a woman in this category fell even more.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Average salary of those with more than 21 years experience<\/p>\n\t

Source:9B Career<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span>An explanation for the top-end squeeze? \u2018Some practices are experiencing real financial difficulty. It is unsurprising that the most senior people are choosing to act to secure what in some cases may be the survival of the practice,\u2019 Green suggests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

At the other end of the scale, apprentices also seem to be losing out. Though the pool of apprentice respondents was smaller, it seems their salaries have stalled (or even dipped), especially compared with those doing the same work but who qualified through the traditional route. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emily Foster, programme manager at the Thornton Education Trust<\/a> and recent graduate of the Level 6 architectural assistant apprenticeship, said: \u2018This data is worrying but, unfortunately, not surprising. While these figures aren\u2019t true for all practices and the sample size is small, it reflects a broader problem of apprentices being particularly vulnerable to exploitation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018This disproportionately affects those from lower socio-economic backgrounds who, ironically, chose the apprenticeship route so they would be more financially secure, while also gaining valuable experience.\u2019<\/p>\n

M<\/b><\/span>en paid more at senior levels and unfair bonus handouts<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

It has been noticeable \u2013 and welcome \u2013 how, over the nine years the survey has been running, the gender pay gap has steadily shrunk. There is now little difference between the salaries of men and women with up to 10 years of practice experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, there is a still a near-\u00a34,000 gender pay gap for those with 10-20 years\u2019 experience. This rises to \u00a310,000 at 21 years-plus \u2013 remarkably, a significant widening of the \u00a36,000 gap reported at this level in 2023. There is also a disparity between the bonuses received by female staff (41 per cent) and those of their male colleagues (48 per cent).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Average salaries for men versus women, comparing 2018, 2021 and 2024.<\/p>\n\t

Source:9B Careers<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span>This discrepancy has changed very little over the years, though the difference had shrunk to around 5 percentage points in 2020 (33 per cent and 38 per cent respectively).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The salary survey findings come in the wake of new research into the talent retention of women in the built environment by the Circle Partnership, in collaboration with Cellence Plus and Laing O\u2019Rourke. That study revealed women were discouraged by \u2018overtly competitive or ambitious behaviour, preferring to earn recognition through consistency, reliability, and quiet competence\u2019. It also found that women were \u2018more cautious and risk-averse when it comes to career and finance\u2019, which could be \u2018a key contributor to the ongoing gender pay gap\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sadly, there will be little opportunity to shrink this gap if, as feared, salaries don\u2019t change in the next 12 months \u2013 however well-documented and understood the issues are.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Percentage of men and women who have received bonus payments<\/p>\n\t

Source:9B Careers<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It has been a year of small improvements \u2013 but tougher times are looming At first sight, the findings from the latest architectural salary survey, shared exclusively with the AJ by compiler 9B Careers, seem rosy enough. With an average increase of 3.5 per cent, the profession\u2019s pay is growing faster than UK inflation (currently …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":915,"featured_media":767905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[681],"tags":[4048,2441,3579],"yoast_head":"\nSalary survey: an end to pay rises?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Salaries have edged up this year but, with faltering workloads, rock-bottom fees and rising taxes on employers, experts fear they are unlikely to go any higher. 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