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IOSH Survey – Pay rises: a tale of two outcomes

Published on: 2 Aug 2024

Annual pay rises in the health and safety sector vary widely, from more than 5% for the top third, to no increase at all for almost the bottom third, an IOSH survey of more than 2,700 OSH practitioners’ pay and conditions has revealed.

IOSH Survey – Pay rises

When questioned about pay increases in the 12 months before the survey, the median increase for all employed respondents was 3%. However, that figure disguises the fact that 28.8% of respondents have had a pay freeze during a period of significant inflation in the UK. 

At the other end of the scale, 3.5% of respondents reported a pay increases of more than 10%, and 32.5% had received rises of 5% or more. That compares favourably with IOSH’s 2022 survey, when only 8.6% of respondents reported pay increases at 5% or more, although that was conducted at a point when UK inflation rates had been low for essentially a decade.

Averages up

The new IOSH survey allowed participants to state their annual pay to the nearest thousand pounds – converted, if paid in another currency – from £15,000 to £80,000. Above £80,000, the increments were in steps of £10,000 up to £100,000, and then steps of £25,000 up to £150,000.

The average salary for all full-time employed practitioners was £50,000, and half of all full-time respondents earned between £42,000 and £66,000. The average earnings for self-employed respondents was higher at £65,000 but this figure comes with the caution that very few respondents – only 69 or 2.5% – were freelance practitioners.

In terms of overall trends, the £50,000 median for full-time employed practitioners is 16% higher than the comparable figure of £43,000 recorded in 2022. Conversely, at the top end of the scale, a third fewer respondents reported earning above £150,000 compared with 2022 figures.

Almost half of respondents – 45% – said they received bonuses on top of their salaries last year, with bonuses averaging 5% across the whole sample.

Still not enough

Nicole Rinaldi, IOSH director of professional services, said: “While we recognise not all respondents are the same as those who completed the previous survey, it’s encouraging to see median salaries increasing, particularly during such a challenging financial time. OSH professionals provide significant value to businesses in so many ways and we are keen to see that this is recognised.”

However, while the trends are generally positive, individual respondents said that securing fair remuneration is still a challenge. One survey respondent – a manager for a UK charity who earns £44,000 a year – said: “I feel my salary is now just below what I feel I am worth based on my professional standing, qualifications, experience and my current role.

“However, this is only due to a significant cost-of-living salary increase in 2023 and a more significant increase as a result of informing my employer I was attending an interview for a position outside of the company. Had it not been for these two increases, my salary would now be approximately 15% less and significantly below my expectation.”

Read more about the survey results in depth here.

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