The average salary for all UK procurement and supply chain professionals is £41,661, according to a survey.
The CIPS/Hays Salary Guide and Procurement Insights Report 2015, which will be unveiled at an event in Cambridge today, found the average pay award for procurement professionals in the past year was 2.5 per cent, compared to a national average of 1.7 per cent across the economy as a whole.
Average pay for a procurement director was just over £89,000, compared to around £27,000 for a buyer, £35,000 for a senior buyer, £42,000 for a category manager and £64,000 for a head of procurement.
The survey found 61 per cent of respondents received a pay increase in the last 12 months, with the highest increases seen among more junior levels, which could be due to a shortage of graduate trainees entering buyer roles and organisations needing to do more to retain them.
The report said: “Unsurprisingly, salary and bonuses increase with seniority and are higher in the private sector, and in London and the South East.
“Average salaries and bonuses are lowest in the public sector, but here we also see more employees offered flexible working conditions, which may be seen to offset lower pay to some extent.”
The study added women on average earned less than men at all levels except tactical, where there was no difference, with the pay gap greatest at advanced professional level, where there was an average disparity of £10,300.
The survey, of more than 3,000 professionals, found those with MCIPS earned on average 23 per cent more than those who did not hold the accreditation.
David Noble, group CEO, CIPS, said the appeal of working in procurement was “not about salary alone”. “The survey shows that the attraction of working in different sectors is also highly appealing, as are location, career progression, training and development, the job itself and company reputation – all key drivers for talented people in the profession and in business,” he said.
“Being valued on a personal level as well as working for a trustworthy employer can mean more than a generous benefits package or a bonus.”
Nicky Taberner, director of Hays Procurement, said: “Despite the increased appetite of professionals to move jobs, employers in a number of sectors are struggling to find enough skills and experienced individuals to fill the posts available.
“Having an effective strategy in place to attract and retain employees within the procurement function is critical to an organisation’s success.”
To request a copy of the report, please click here.
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