Midlands property professionals’ pay highest since Crash, says report

Salaries for Midlands’ property professionals increased in 2018, to a ten year high, with RICS chartered status continuing to boost wages, according to the latest survey by RICS and Macdonald & Company.

In the 2018 Salary Survey, professionals’ – covering 42 professional strands of property – base salaries grew on average by 6% to £52,444; levels not seen since 2009 report, post financial crash.

The RICS & Macdonald Salary Survey assesses salary, rewards and attitudes from across the entire sector, taking results from almost 7,000 people of the 42 professionals strands of property, including rural practice, commercial property, facilities management, building surveying, construction, asset management, quantity surveying, industrial agency and residential.

Those who reported receiving a pay rise in the 2018 survey, received an average increase of 5.9% with remuneration packages also boosting professional base rates. Bonuses also increased to an average of £7,944 for Midlands’ professionals, with those working in Marketing and International Project Marketing seeing the greatest bonus pay-outs.

Once again this year, the survey highlights the benefits of being professionally qualified with UK RICS professionals earning 21% more than their counterparts. 14.2% of those who received a pay rise in the last year, across the UK, did so through gaining professional qualifications.

This year, on a national level, for those aged 26 and under the gender pay gap remains at 3.5%, which is encouraging for new entrants to the sector. Working in a diverse work place environment also ranked higher on respondent’s agendas this year.

The survey as a whole shows however, that on average Midlands’ male property professionals earn 22% more than their female counterparts, with those in higher positions seeing a greater disparity in wage difference. This has reduced from last year’s survey when males earned on average 30% more than their female counterparts.

As a sector, property continues to offer a diverse career for people making it an attractive sector to work in. Whilst pay continues to be professionals’ top priority a job offering a ‘range of interesting work’ and management style continues to rank highly when employees are assessing their job aspects. Attractive benefit packages also appealed with respondents citing contributory pensions, work phones, and paid subscription fees as taking precedent over flexitime, discounted lunches and profit share.

For the second year on the bounce over half (59%) of Midlands’ respondents believe their company will increase headcount in 2018 with companies focusing on entry level and graduate talent and increasing roles at the associate/staff level.

Looking ahead, on average, 31% of respondents in the Midlands expect an increase in economic activity in the coming year, with those working in Northern Ireland, South West, Wales and the Midlands being the most optimistic.

Barry Cullen, RICS diversity and inclusion director, said: “The latest results from this survey show the built environment continues to be an attractive sector to work in with professionals’ pay hitting highs not seen since the financial crisis. As headcount is once again expected to increase in 2018, more employers are placing greater focus on attracting and retaining talent, with attractive pay and benefit packages. However, organisations must embrace an offering beyond an attractive salary and benefits package if we are going to truly diversify the profession and meets the needs of our future.

“In 2018, the gender pay gap still remains evident and whilst it is significantly less for those under 26, more still needs to be done. People should be able to bring their whole self to work in an inclusive environment, celebrating their individual talent irrespective of differences. For the property profession to be a world leader in Diversity and Inclusion we need to place diversity at the heart of an organisation and ensure we retain our talent and build off the great advances we are seeing with our younger professionals.”