UK MR Job Market: Top End Salaries Stand Out

Recruitment stats for the UK market research sector show an industry treading water since the partial recovery from 2009. Job ad numbers in the first half of 2011 were remarkably similar to those for H1 2010, and so were mean salaries - except for a rise in highly-paid senior roles.

Mean salaries for advertised RE and SRE positions on MrWeb were little changed at £24,600 and £29,200 respectively, and numbers of vacant positions were very similar. Mean salaries for agency side Project Manager and AD roles were also relatively steady at £37,300 and £51,400 respectively - these have climbed rapidly in the last decade.

The mean for client side Research Manager-level roles was up slightly from £43,300 to £45,100, but the biggest jump came for the broad 'Director Plus' category. As this encompasses everything from plain [sic] Board Director up to Global CEO, the means need careful interpretation, but the trend is worth watching, and the rise from £72,600 in H1 2010 to £77,400 in H1 2011 is very notable. Closer analysis suggests this reflects a combination of enhanced salaries at the top end of the category, and a higher preponderance of such roles within it. In short, more very senior roles are being advertised, and salaries for them are still rising.

A more detailed analysis of stats from the c.7,000 qualifying job ads will be published later in the month. MrWeb's jobs section is the world's biggest such index and the only one where each individual ad is assessed and coded, providing both the above stats and a finely-targeted selection of ads for jobseekers.

See www.mrweb.com/jobs for the search or www.mrweb.com/notify to register.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.