Randstad Technologies have recently released the findings of the 2014 Salary Survey, showing the differences, or lack thereof, in technical salaries across the UK. With a tradition of higher salaries in the capital, and lower salaries offered regionally, how does the South East fare on the pay scale?
Architecture
There are very small differences in architecture salaries between London and the South East, with salarytrack.co.uk reporting that the average for both locations is £80,000. While London offers higher rates for those with more experience, with highs of £120,000 for Head of Architecture compared to £90,000 in the South East, the capital falls short in terms of Enterprise Architect, offering £60,000 compared to a higher annual rate of £68,000 outside of the city.
Software
Differences in software salaries are negligible, especially when looking at entry level roles such as Tester, with a starting wage of £23,000 in the South East, and £27,000 in London. Slightly greater differences can be seen in more experienced roles like C# Developer positions, with Randstad’s research indicating £28,000 starting salaries in the South East and £38,000 in the capital. Despite this difference, pay for software roles in the South East is much higher than the national average with Computer Weekly claiming that difficulties in filling positions in both locations have seen local companies increasing salaries to attract those with greater skills.
Infrastructure
The findings of the survey suggest that infrastructure salaries in the South East vary from £14,000 for entry level helpdesk roles to around £75,000 for Infrastructure Architects, indicating that those working within this sector in the South East can expect to earn, on average, around £10,000 less than their London counterparts. However, the figures for the South East are on par with nationwide data, with payscale.co.uk reporting that the UK average for IT Managers is £40,000 – just slightly above the £39,000 detailed in the Randstad report. However, those with 20+ years experience can expect to earn around 22 percent more than the national average.
Project Management
Netsalarycalculator.co.uk claims that starting salaries for project management roles in the UK should be between £28,000 and £36,000. While this is true for London, figures for the South East appear to fall short, especially in terms of Business Analyst, Web Project Manager, PMO Manager, and Project Coordinator positions. However, the rural landscape of the South East is believed to be responsible for lowering the region’s average. In the cities, such as Brighton, project management figures tend to be much higher, and in keeping with the netsalarycalculator.co.uk recommendations.
Process and Change Management
Figures for process and change management roles in the South East start at around £28,000 for Change Analyst, topping out at around £77,000 for Transformational Manager – small differences compared to £33,000 and £85,000 respectively for London. Salaries for the South East tend to be on par on a global scale, with salarycomparison.com claiming that the average wage for a Change Management Consultant in the United States is roughly the equivalent of £52,000 – just slightly higher than £49,000 in the South East.
Senior Appointments
CTOs in the South East typically earn between £70,000 and £102,000 – a little less than those in London who earn, on average, between £81,000 and £113,000. This is due to the higher number of international corporations and financial institutions in the capital. The good news for senior staff is that salaries in the South East are typically greater than the national average of £75,000, and data suggests that figures are continuing to climb.
ERP
One of the most interesting findings from the Randstad survey is that SAP Consultants earn, on average, more than their London-based counterparts, with starting salaries between £56,000 and £64,000 compared to £52,000 and £60,000 in the capital. Negligible differences have been found amongst other roles within ERP. According to database solutions provider maa-it.co.uk, the average ORACLE consultant in the UK earns an average of £60,000, which the results show mid-level and senior ERP specialists to earn in the South East.
Network Security
Once again, there are only very small differences between the salaries in London and in the South East when it comes to network security, with figures indicating that salaries range from £23,000 for security administration roles in the South East (£27,000 in London) to £87,000 for Security Architects (£96,000 in London). Computer Weekly reports that network security salaries across the country have increased since 2010, with searchsecurity.co.uk showing boosts in many areas of technical security.
One of the clearest findings of Randstad Technologies’ 2014 salary survey is that there are only very small differences between the technical salaries in the South East and in London, indicating that any differences are, in fact, related to the higher cost of living in the capital rather than any other factor. The biggest differences tend to be within the more skilled roles, primarily due to the larger presence of major corporations operating headquarters within London.
