More UK Research Jobs, but Salaries Static

The UK research industry started recruiting again in earnest in the second half of 2003, and activity has increased dramatically in the first two months of 2004, but salaries for the most part have not yet responded. Details will be published in the year's first MRWho, due in the next few days.

The number of positions advertised is unlikely to stop growing - it has already risen from 1,045 with salary stated* in the first half of 2003 to 1,359 in the second half, all the more striking since the number actually fell in the second half of 2002.

Numbers of vacancies posted on MrWeb were comfortably ahead of any previous 6-month period. For example there were 415 ads with salaries stated for SREs. An increased number of advertisers only partly explains this.

Recruitment consultants confirm that 2004 is buoyant so far. Liz Norman of ENI says that 'recruitment activity started to pick up in the autumn, and since January has been the busiest it has been for around three years'. According to PriceJamieson's Bridget Barry, 'There is a definite buzz in Market Research in terms of levels of recruitment activity since last July and this seems to have stepped up a further gear since the start of 2004'.

The mean salary for most levels of vacancy advertised on MrWeb saw a slight fall between June and December '03. The main exception is clientside Research Managers, whose pay has maintained its new level after a steep climb over the previous year.

Among other features detailed in the MRWho report, there is a notable demand for candidates around SRE level - there always is, but at present it is particularly strong. Liz Norman says that 'there is a particularly critical shortage of candidates with around three years experience, looking for roles in research agencies and this is bound to drive salaries in the near future'. Top Directors' salaries are also on the increase in 2004, with a plethora of roles paying £70k+ and the site's highest ever advertised salary, £150-200k, on an ad posted yesterday.

The March MRWho will be published on Monday 8th - to subscribe (free) please email mrwho@mrweb.com stating your name, jobtitle, company, the country where you're based and the email address we should send it to. More details are available at www.mrweb.com/who

American and Australian salaries will be covered in the April edition, along with a UK regional breakdown.

* Note that as usual, the numbers given represent only ads where salary or salary range is stated, and not those where it is given as 'negotiable', 'excellent', 'aae' etc.. however this should not impact figures significantly as the % of ads stating no salary is unchanged at around 70%.

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