United Kingdom office workers have been forced to accommodate significant changes to their working routines in recent years, with the rise of flexible and remote working models contributing to continued variability in what exactly constitutes a ‘normal’ work schedule. The same can be said for salaries across multiple industries, as employers look to remain competitive in the current jobs market and entice full time employees back to the office.
So where exactly do things currently stand, in real salary terms, for UK office workers? We extensively researched national statistics surrounding this topic to determine the average salary of 10 common office jobs, as well as the averages seen in 2018, to illustrate how compensation has evolved in offices across the UK in recent years.
Most of the salary data we’ve collected has come from Prospects.ac.uk – the UK’s biggest graduate careers website, with more than two million monthly site visitors. The job types we’ve chosen are from a broad enough cross-section across industries to be indicative of what salary your office job might command, even if it’s not specifically listed, so read on to get the full picture!
Average Chartered Accountant salary in the UK
Average Chartered Accountant salary in 2022
£35,600 (with graduates expecting an annual salary of £23,700 and senior CAs expecting up to £60K)
Current salaries for Chartered Accountant roles depend on the location and size of the company you work for, with cities and major financial hubs commanding higher salaries. Like many office jobs in the UK, London offers the highest paid CA jobs, with locations such as Derby and Oxford also providing notable compensation.
Chartered Accountant salaries in 2018
The average Chartered Accountant in 2018 earned a salary of £34,637. So, there’s been some growth in average Chartered Accountant salaries in the UK, but generally not enough to combat inflation.
Chartered accountancy is a growth profession, where employee earnings are highly commensurate with experience and the prestige of the company that you work for. There is, however, much competition for the top jobs, so workers aspiring for these lofty positions must be prepared for sacrifices. A study from Leap Scholar estimates 80,000 accounting jobs to be created in the next three decades. So the outlook for job security, at least – with the numerous job opportunities – is good for those considering this profession.
Average Consultant salary in the UK
There are many jobs that fall under the consultant title umbrella. A few of the most common ones that can serve to illustrate Consultant salary expectations in the UK are listed below:
Average Management Consultant salary in 2022
£40,000. For those in younger age groups, Junior Management Consultants can expect to earn average salaries in the £27,500 range. After having attained significant experience, senior position’s base salaries can reach up to £125,000, prior to bonuses.
Average IT Consultant salary in 2022
£36,000. With a range of £32K to £40K expected for experienced professionals. Graduate IT Consultants in the UK can expect to earn an average salary of £25,000. While senior positions average at £60,000, tending to top out at £80,000.
Average Recruitment Consultant salary in 2022
£25,000 base salary, excluding bonuses and commission. Entry-level positions are usually offered north or south of £17,500 and managing consultants with more than a decade of experience can command base salaries exceeding £40,000. Recruitment Consultancy remuneration is heavily predicated on commission, so, with average commissions included, regular Recruitment Consultants can earn up to £38K. Managers can earn salaries of £60K and upwards.
Similarly, as stated prior, salaries will vary depending on location and size of the operation, with major population centres and larger global firms offering higher take home compensation packages. Like most roles, London offers the highest base salaries and bonuses for Recruitment Consultants in the UK.
Consultant salaries in 2018
A Management Consultant back in 2018, working at KPMG to illustrate a market standard, could expect an average base remuneration of £32,000. While employment at a more prestigious global firm, like Deloitte, could net a starting Management Consultant a maximum base of £39,500.
Average UK Engineer salary
As with the consultant job title, Engineers come in many shapes and forms and are employed in a variety of industries. Most of the time, they find their roles split up between working in the field and working from an office.
Average Network Engineer salary in 2022
£45,000 for somewhat seasoned operators, with entry level positions tending to be offered in the £19,500 range. Once a level of seniority is reached, average salaries offered hover around £60K, but can exceed £70K.
Average Mechanical Engineer salary in 2022
£30,000 for workers with some years of experience under their belt. Graduates can expect salaries around £24,000 and mid-level Lead Engineers earn an average of £42,500. More senior positions, such as Chief Engineers, earn salaries in the £52,500 range and can sometimes earn £60K plus.
Average Software Engineer salary in 2022
£37,500, and this usually tops out at an annual salary of £50K for experienced practitioners with the same job title. Graduates can expect to start on £18,000 and an average of £57,500 is attainable for senior and management level Software Engineers, with top remuneration packages sometimes exceeding £70K.
The salaries stated above for Engineers will depend on the size of the company and industry that the role exists in. Jobs in the resource and tech sectors usually command higher pay, with roles centred around oil and gas often in demand.
Engineer salaries in 2018
According to UK survey data in 2018, the annual average earnings amongst all Engineers at all stages of their careers, and across disciplines, was £47,896. In the highest paid sector of oil and gas, this rose to an average of £53,900.
Average Manager salary in the UK
Again, management positions cover a broad range of industries and speciality areas. We’ve chosen three of the most common office-based management positions to hopefully give a sufficient idea of the general salaries that can be expected as a Manager.
Average Office Manager salary in 2022
£40,000 is the mid-range offering, but this can top out at £50K. People who are just starting out as Office Managers can expect salaries between £18K and £30K, with £24,000 being the average for those newer to the profession.
Average Business Development Manager salary in 2022
£26,500 is the ballpark figure expected for graduate Business Development Managers (BDMs). Mid-level managers with a few years of experience can command salaries of around £45K and up to £60K. While senior-level BDMs can earn in the region of £80,000.
Average Project Manager salary in 2022
Starting salaries for Project Managers often hover around £27,500. After acquiring extensive experience and seniority, Project Managers can earn around £60K, with higher earners even reaching upwards of £80,000.
The average salaries presented are based on statistics derived from publicly available job data, and there will be variability depending on the size of company, industry, and location. For instance, Marketing Managers generally earn less than IT Managers.
Manager salaries in 2018
In 2018, Office Managers earned, on average, starting salaries of £22,156. Compared to the current average of £24,000 for newer managers, Office Managers have seen a fairly significant jump in their expected pay rates. This is especially encouraging after the recent dip in average incomes across the UK.
Average Director salary in the UK
Directors oversee a range of departments across industries. Attaining such a position will generally always entail decades of dedication to your profession, with much of the experience gained in upper management, often across multiple companies. Since these positions are particularly atypical to the average UK office worker’s experience, salaries fluctuate dramatically depending on the size of the company and industry it occupies. Below, we’ve chosen a range of director positions that should hopefully serve to broadly illustrate these positions’ expected salaries.
Average Sales Director salary in 2022
£86,000 without commission or additional compensation. A starting salary usually commences at £38K, but can exceed a base of £145K for some of the highest paid positions occupied by the most experienced individuals.
Average Finance Director salary in 2022
£105,000 and topping out at £120K, not including any bonuses. This will also depend on the skills and experience of the director.
Average Marketing Director salary in 2022
£98,700. The starting salary that a Marketing Director can expect is £63K on average, and remuneration can get over £170K for more seasoned Marketing Directors with superior track records. Taking a figure of £170K for the highest paid jobs would see the average weekly earnings of Marketing Directors sitting at roughly £3,250 prior to tax.
Average PR Director salary in 2022
£100,000 is the usual ceiling for directors in this category.
Sales Director salaries in 2018
On average, Sales Directors earned salaries of £61,890 in 2018. In the same year, this figure rose up to £99,390, not even including commissions (which could tack on a further £47,219 to total take-home compensation).
Compared to recent Sales Director salaries, this is a pretty significant jump in base wages to now, especially when considering the sluggish general market growth in wages across the UK during this same time period.
Average salary of a Financial Advisor UK
Average Financial Advisor salary in 2022
£37,500 for qualified professionals. Trainee Financial Advisors earn around £26K, while more senior positions earn around £60,000. Seasoned Wealth Managers overseeing portfolios of major retail and private banks can earn upwards of £100,000. It should be noted that these figures aren’t inclusive of tacked-on commissions and performance bonuses that can be awarded at each pay level.
Financial Advisor salaries in 2018
In 2018, the UK’s average salary for Financial Advisors was a base rate of £35,849 per annum, along with the all but guaranteed commissions calculated from the numbers of policies or mortgages sold.
Average Marketing salary in the UK
This is another broad category for professions in the UK, encompassing the digital, PR, advertising and creative spheres. Below is a sample of the average salaries for marketing related professions:
Average Advertising Copywriter salary in 2022
£37,500 can be expected for Advertising Copywriters with a few years of experience. Entry-level positions are usually offered at around £22,500 and senior roles can command salaries up to £90K.
Average Digital Marketer salary in 2022
£26,000. Entry-level positions such as those of Digital Marketing Assistants have salaries usually hovering around £20K, with more experienced Marketing Officers and Coordinators earning up to £30K. Advancing to the level of Senior Marketing Manager can result in salaries as high as £40,000.
Average Public Relations Officer salary in 2022
£21,000 for PR Officers starting out. With a few years’ experience under the belt, it tops out at roughly £24,000. On average, Senior PR Officers earn around £32,500. Account managers usually earn up to £40K, and PR professionals in senior management positions attract salaries up to £100K.
Marketing salaries in 2018
Peeking back to 2018, Marketing Coordinators just starting out their careers could expect an average salary of £21,744. Progressing to the title of Executive back then could net you an average of £23,101. Rising to the level of Marketing Manager saw an increase to £32,668 on average.
Average Receptionist salary in the UK
There has been a surge in demand for Receptionists across the UK as businesses place more emphasis on having physical workplaces, despite the increased demand for flexible work arrangements and the additional volume of remote workers. There hasn’t really been any diminishment in the value that having physical business premises can offer, especially as a trust factor. With this in mind, many businesses are currently placing value on (at the very least) having a receptionist employed as a first point of contact for visitors and callers.
Average Receptionist salary in 2022
Serving as the current middle-of-the-road expected salary for Receptionists in the UK, £24,500 is roughly how much receptionists can estimate to take home in 2022. Without a jump in job title and responsibilities, Receptionists can usually max out their earning potential at £26,500.
Similar to other professions, the particular industry you’re employed in (and the job’s location) will have a moderate impact on the expected salary range for Receptionists, with London providing the highest pay and best opportunities for attaining career progression.
Receptionist salaries in 2018
In 2018, the median salary for a Receptionist in the UK was £17,753, with the top-end positions hitting a maximum base of £25K in London. Comparing to the current market standard of £24,500 for somewhat experienced professionals, this is probably the most significant jump in wages we’ve seen across our analysis, further speaking to the high demand for Receptionists currently seen in the UK.
Average Administrator salary in the UK
Administrators can be found in virtually all industries across the UK, serving as a core component of any business looking to remain organised and efficient. Complete with a relatively low barrier to entry, salaries for these roles are often on the lower-end of the UK office worker compensation spectrum.
Average Administrator salary in 2022
£17,500. In the capital of London, the average can reach £22,000. As an Administrator accrues experience and more responsibilities, their salaries can rise to as much as £40K.
Administrator salaries in 2018
From Payscale’s 2018 data, the average Office Administrator earned £17,158. Their salaries didn’t have much growth potential, only rising up to £23,237 for the most experienced individual with this job title. Progressing to a full Office Manager, however, could have boosted this further, especially when taking into account profit share and bonuses which ranged between £15,489 and up to £32,371.
Average Civil Servant salary in the UK
There are a wide range of jobs that fall under the definition of Civil Service. We’ve included salary details for some of the more typically office-based ones below:
Average Policy Officer salary in 2022
£26,000. Senior Policy Advisors can earn a mid-range salary of £36,000. Once advanced to a managerial position, you can expect to earn around £45K.
Average Civil Service Administrator salary in 2022
£18,500. But will depend on the role. Attaining the position of an Executive Officer after some years of service will result in an average salary of £27,230. As this is a government job, there are structured progression pathways in place that can guarantee salary growth to coincide with years of tenure – more than other industries. Following an average line of progression can result in salaries over £40K, with Senior Civil Servants regularly reaching over £70K and even up to around £81,440 after many years of service.
Average Local Government Officer salary in 2022
£18,750 for a starting salary. After attaining many years of experience, Local Government Officers can expect to earn an average of between £30,000 and £38,000, with senior managers and department heads earning even more.
Civil Servant salaries in 2018
The average median 2018 pre-tax salary for Civil Servants in the UK was £26,610, which dropped to a net take-home of £21,288. This figure is indicative of an average of all Civil Servant roles, making it difficult to compare against the specific 2022 salaries outlined above for more granular roles.
Average salary UK after tax – How do office workers fare against the rest of the UK?
From the Office for National Statistics, the 2021 median average salary for full-time workers in the UK was £31,285, which was a slight decrease from the median of £31,487 in 2020. For comparison purposes with the whole of the UK’s workforce, taking the median data point is generally accepted as more productive to compare your salary against. It is preferable because the center point of all salaries, and not as susceptible to data skewing by the 10% of the UK’s population who earn north of £62,000 – which would occur when considering the mean average UK salary of all workers.
When comparing this average figure of £31,285 for all UK workers to the averages seen in the above sampling of office jobs, we can see that the majority of these professions are more than competitive against the national salary average, especially when the broad UK average is compared against experienced mid-level and higher office professions. The only office-based professions selected whose salaries noticeably fall short are those of Receptionists and Office Administrators. So, hopefully, as the witnessed demand for Receptionists continues to increase, those in these professions can further close the earnings gap.
For comparisons further back, we’ve listed the UK’s median income data stretching back to 2005. The figures presented come from Statista, who are a leading global provider of official market and consumer data.
Average UK salary figures from 2005 to 2021
2005: £22,888
2006: £23,367
2007: £24,043
2008: £25,165
2009: £25,806
2010: £25,882
2011: £26,095
2012: £26,472
2013: £27,011
2014: £27,215
2015: £27,615
2016: £28,195
2017: £28,759
2018: £29,559
2019: £30,378
2020: £31,487
2021: £31,285
There has been a definite slowing in the rate of wage growth in recent years up to 2020, when compared to the steeper jumps that we see between 2005 and 2009. Growth noticeably dips after 2009 and rises more gently up to a median peak of £31,487 in 2020, after which there is a decline in 2021 to £31,285. This decline obviously came on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic and the slowing of the UK economy that occurred as a result.
However, for the purposes of our analysis and how it pertains to office jobs in particular, it can be determined that, currently, office jobs by and large are still attractive and competitive full-time work options. This is especially true when considering the data we’ve collected on office job salaries in 2022 and how they compare to recent UK national averages.
Insights gained from this data
When comparing against the historical salary data averages, and especially in more recent times, it’s apparent that the majority of the office jobs listed above tend to exceed the average salary expectations for the UK’s working population.
After accruing a moderate number of years’ experience advancing beyond graduate and entry-level positions, these office-based professions become even more attractive as the majority of middle tenure salary figures eclipse the averages for the rest of the UK’s workforce.
This all goes to show that, is the current UK jobs market, office roles still provide very competitive salary packages. It should also be noted that, due to current demand for skilled workers willing to accept in-person roles, many businesses are offering substantial sign-on bonuses to attract top talent.
Looking for more articles?
You can visit the links below to find more statistics and UK commercial property market insights:
Top Ten Industries in the UK
The Step-by-Step Ultimate Office Move Checklist for 2022