We hear opinions all the time on UK salaries – what the minimum and living, wages should be, who should be taxed and by how much.
But what is the true picture of UK salaries? DCS Multiserve, specialists in factory cleaning, has compiled some research into UK salaries, providing unique insight into the job titles with the highest and lowest salaries, the regions with the highest and lowest salaries and who is most likely to receive less than the National Minimum Wage.
Salaries and job titles
Recently the Independent revealed some of the highest paid jobs of last year. The results?
The top five best paid titles are:
- Chief executives and senior officials, earning on average £85.3K per year.
- Pilots and flight engineers, earning on average £85K per year.
- Air traffic controllers, earning on average £80K per year.
- Transport Associate professionals, earning on average £75.5K per year.
- Marketing and sales professionals, earning on average £70K per year.
Providing an alternative – what about the worst paid jobs? Business Insider UK reported:
- Waiting staff, earning on average £266.40 per week, or £13,852.80 per year.
- Theme Park Attendants, earning on average £273.30 per week, or £14,211.60 per year.
- Bar staff, earning on average £274.00 per week, or £14,248 per year.
- Hairdressers and barbers, earning on average £274.10 per week, or £14,253.20 per year.
- Dry cleaner, earning on average £275.40 per week, or £14,320.80 per year.
Salaries and regions
The average salary of UK regions is detailed below, ordered from highest to lowest. Information is taken from centreforcities.org.
Scotland
- Weekly: £544.02
- Annual: £ 28,289.30
Greater South East
- Weekly: £531.89
- Annual: £27,658.25
South West
- Weekly: £500.38
- Annual: £26,019.93
East Midlands
- Weekly: £478.86
- Annual: £24,900.72
West Midlands
- Weekly: £474.125
- Annual: £24,654.5
North East
- Weekly: £461.90
- Annual: £24,013.60
North West
- Weekly: £458.18
- Annual: £23,825.24
Wales
- Weekly: £13
- Annual: £23,614.93
Yorkshire
- Weekly: £453.37
- Annual: £23,575.07
Northern Ireland
- Weekly: £448.10
- Annual: £23,301.20
Insights
Based on this data, the average UK salary is £24,985.27. The region that earns closest to the average is the East Midlands at an annual salary of £24,900.72.
Scotland is the region with the highest average salary in the UK, at £28,289.30 per annum. This is in contrast to Northern Ireland, the region with the lowest average salary in the UK at £23,301.20.
The difference in average salary between the highest- and lowest- earning regions is £4,988.10.
National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage
National Minimum Wage is the minimum amount of money that workers are entitled to be paid.
The current National Minimum Wage (NMW) per hour is as follows:
- Apprentices NMW is £3.40
- Under 18s NMW is £4
- 18-20 NMW is £5.55
- 21-24 NMW is £6.95
National (NLW) per hour
- 25 and over NLW is £7.20
Part-time workers are more likely to not to be paid the NMW or NLW
According to the Office of National Statistics, in October 2016, 362,000 jobs paid less than the NMW or NLW to employees 16 or over – 1.3% of UK jobs. (Data taken from April of that year).
2.4% of part-time jobs pay under NMW and NLW, contrasted to 0.9% of full-time jobs.
Women are more likely to be paid less than the NMW or NLW
- 7% of all jobs worked by women pay less than the minimum wage (unlike just 1% of jobs worked by men). 230,000 jobs contrasted with 132,000.
- 1% of full-time jobs worked by women pay under the minimum wage (unlike just 0.7% of full-time jobs worked by men). 90,000 jobs contrasted with 88,000.
- 4% of part-time jobs worked by women pay under the minimum wage (unlike just 2.3% of part-time jobs worked by men). 140,000 jobs contrasted with 44,000.
18-20 year olds are most likely to be paid less than the NMW or NLW
- 1% of jobs for 18-20 year olds pay under the NMW or NLW
- 4% of jobs for 21-24 year olds pay underthe NMW or NLW
- 3% pf jobs for people 25 and over pay underthe NMW or NLW
If you’re from the West Midlands or Yorkshire and Humber, you are most likely to be paid less than the NMW or NLW
- 7% of jobs in the West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber pay less than the minimum wage – 40,000 and 38,000 jobs respectively.
- London (0.9%) and Scotland (1%) top the least-likely regions to pay less than the minimum wage, equating to 35,000 and 25,000 jobs respectively.