Salaries at their highest level since January 2017

There’sgoodnewsifyou’relooking for a pay rise, as salaries across the UK saw an increase of 6.6 per cent in September, whencomparedwithdatafrom the same period in 2017.

Theaveragesalaryincreased from£32,337inSeptember2017, to £34,461 in September 2018. This hike in pay means that the average salary for Brits is the highest since January 2017.

A number of industries received a jump in the last month too. The marketing industrysawthehighestincrease in pay (Sept. 2018 Vs Sept 2017) withsalariesupby33.2percent. Thismakestheaveragesalaryin marketing now £43,560.

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, comments on the findings: “Pay is on the up, meaning many professionals may be finding themselves in a better financial position than they were this time last year. And the good news doesn’t stop there, this growth massively outpaces the national inflation rate, which currently sits at 2.5 per cent

“This jump in salaries could be a direct result of ongoing skillsshortages,whichareforcingbusinessestopulloutallthe stops to attract and secure talented new employees. What’s more, with unemployment at its lowest level since 1975, businesses are having to offer the most competitive packages if they wish to convince candidates to begin moving around the job market right now.”

Not only were salaries on the rise last month, but job vacancies also saw an increase in September, jumping by 5.1 per cent when comparing year-onyear data.

Someoftheaforementioned industries also saw a hike in vacancies, with legal (26.2 per cent),IT(18.2percent),accounting(10.4percent)andeducation (3.3 per cent) all seeing job opportunities on the rise when compared to September 2017.

Biggins added: “It’s also great to see that businesses remained confident throughout September, continuing to advertise their vacancies and offer competitive salaries. With the summer now officially over and colder days on the horizon, itcanbeeasytofallintoaslump.

“But there’s plenty of career opportunities available across the UK right now, with a number of key industries offering generous pay packets. If you’re looking to take the next excitingstepinyourcareerorto secure yourself a pay rise – now could be the perfect time!”