A survey conducted by recruitment firm Hays has found that more than half of architecture employers intend to award pay rises to their employees.
The organization surveyed almost 3,500 organizations and 3,800 skilled professionals across 28 specialist areas, of which 142 were architecture practices.
The survey found that 53 percent of architecture employers will increase salaries in their next review, which is 11 percent more than the previous year. 20 percent will increase salaries by more than 3 percent, while the remaining 33 percent will increase salaries by less than 3 percent.
This is compared with 67 percent of employers, across the various sectors, who will increase salaries in their next review.
Among the employees surveyed, 72 percent of the architecture professionals said a pay rise of 3 percent or more would better reflect their performance and 73 percent of surveyed individuals were either looking for, plan to look for, or are open to new employment opportunities in the next year, due to a lack of promotional opportunities, uncompetitive salaries and a lack of new challenges.
Hays Architecture senior regional director Simon Bristow said, “On the one hand, we have over half of architecture employers intending to increase salaries in the year ahead, which is a remarkable sign of the confidence employers exhibit today. On the other, professionalssay the value of these increases is far less than they deserve. This is creating a gap between what employers will offer and employees say they are worth.
“As our data shows, learning and developing new skills is now more important than a pay rise,” Bristow continued. The survey found that 65 percent of skilled professionals ranked learning and developing new skills as the most important priority, while a pay rise was most important for 58 percent of those surveyed.
“A lack of promotional opportunities is also the primary factor driving professionals into the jobs market today. This makes re-investing in career progression pathways and staff development a sensible strategy for the year ahead,” Bristow said.
“After a year in which many skilled professionals put career plans on hold, they are focusing once more on their long-term goals.”
The survey also found the pandemic has dramatically changed expectations of workplace arrangements with only 7 percent of skilled professionals expression a preference to return to the workplace full time.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
