The average advertised salary for an employee in the UK is £35,058 a year, as at February 2019, according to research by job search engine Adzuna.
Its monthly UK job market report, which utilises online vacancy data from over 1,000 sources, confirmed that the average advertised salary for UK employees has increased by 4.2% since February 2018, when it was £33,646. Furthermore, salaries have improved by 1% since January 2019, when the average yearly wage was £34,726. Adzuna’s research calculates that this is a 2.1% increase year-on-year in real terms, equating to an additional £706 in annual pay packets.
Andrew Hunter, co-founder at Adzuna, said: “Advertised salaries have never been higher. Competition for roles has never been lower. This means now is a great time for skilled [employees] to go all in and push for higher pay.”
The average advertised salary for employees working in the south west has improved by 8.9% between February 2018 and February 2019, resulting in an average wage of £33,319 a year. Regions with the highest advertised pay include London (£42,841), where it has increased by 5.4% since February 2018, and Northern Ireland (£34,576), where employees have seen a 4.4% year-on-year pay increase. The north east of England has also noted a 4.5% increase in salaries over the past year, with a current average of £30,141.
Wales is the only region to record a dip; average advertised salaried have decreased by 2% between February 2018 and February 2019, creating an average yearly wage of £31,450.
Hunter added: “The talent war is hottest in the south, where roles are opening up quickly and pay is on the rise. The south west leads the way with advertised wages climbing nearly 9% over the last 12 months. But the salary boon isn’t available to everyone with a few areas at risk of being left behind.
“Further north, in cities like Hull and Sunderland, jobseekers still significantly outweigh job openings. This is suppressing pay improvements in these areas, magnifying the north-south divide in the jobs market. [Employees] suffering may wish to consider moving cities to chase the best pay, or upskilling to set themselves apart from the competition.”