Feature: Recruitment and Pay in UK Research, 2006-9

MrWeb's first detailed job and salary stats for three years show an industry interrupted in the midst of growth: client side numbers falling but salaries staying strong; struggles for SREs; and rude awakenings for Directors - but not yet ADs.

At the entry level, there has been little change, good or bad, over the past 4 years. Entry level salaries saw a significant rise in the first half of the decade and agencies may have decided that was enough for now. A slight rise in the last 6 months may reflect the type of employer still recruiting graduates.

Research Execs have seen a rise of about £1,000 or 4% over the past four years - respectable in these times if not great, and continuing the trend from 2000-5 at a similar level; Senior Research Execs did at last have some joy between 2006 and 2008, having endured a miserable five years previously when salaries were all but stagnant: we hope the dip back to 29-thousand-and-something is just a temporary, recession-led thing as mean SRE salaries were close to 28k in 2000.

The group we define as 'Project Manager level' by contrast have fared well throughout the decade. Fast-rising researchers with three years' experience, and those with 4-6 years, can expect to see the pay cheques getting bigger at last. Many ads cross the divide between this level and AD now, with agency employers asking staff to step up and take more responsibility; and AD salaries have seen the most consistent rise over the past ten years - as yet, there is no sign of their falling back significantly.

The client side 'Research Manager' level is another that's seen a good rise this century, particularly in the last six years or so. It tends to fluctuate more than the agency side, reflecting the variety of industries out there, but overall, it's well up and has merely levelled off in the last year, rather than falling - in this case it's the number of positions that has tailed off more rapidly than on the agency side. The message is, if companies are still recruiting RMs at all, they're companies who recognise the value of research in a downturn, and they're looking to attract the best.

Top salaries - Director level and above - rocketed in 2007 and peaked late, in the second half of 2008. In part this reflects a lot of very senior moves, with pressure on top execs to perform or to prepare companies for the looming downturn - but it also reflects the 'phoney war' feeling of the first half of last year, when economic crisis was much talked about but often dismissed in our 'recession-proof' sector. Only in late 2008 and early 2009 did many companies begin at last to tighten belts. Sure enough, the mean is down £6k so far this year.
www.mrweb.com/hrchive/recruitment-pay.htm , for a detailed description and mean salary tables. The stats are released to accompany the relaunch this month of MrWeb's Hrchive, which includes online resources for those working in people and skills areas of MR, and includes feature articles, general and regional statistics and commentary, discussion areas, and question and answer sessions. To be kept informed about the relaunch, please email your name, job title and company to nick@mrweb.com including 'HRchive' in the title. Still to come: US salaries; comments on UK field, IT & DP, analyst and other roles.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.