Workers in the technology, engineering and marketing sectors in Northern Ireland have experienced the biggest hike in salaries over the last year, according to a new survey.
In a further sign that the labour market remains tight, average salaries for all workers jumped 5.6% in the year, just ahead of the UK average, recruitment company Hays said. However, for those in sectors where workers are in high demand, pay packets jumped by over a quarter on the year.
Electrical CAD (computer aided design) technicians and cyber security analysts were two jobs which jointly topped the table with a jump in average salaries of 26.7% each to £38,000 and £57,000 a year respectively. They were closely followed by marketing or CRM analysts which saw their salaries climb 25% to £35,000 and PR managers, also up 25% to an average of £40,000.
In a list of the top 20 roles which received the highest percentage increases, six were in engineering, four were in technology, three were in marketing and communications, three were in legal, two were in HR, one in production, supply chain & logistics and one in business support.
The picture was the same across the UK where technology and engineering roles dominated with seven of the top 20 highest salary increases accounted for with technology roles and five in engineering.
John Moore, Managing Director of Hays in Northern Ireland, said the race for talent may have eased slightly, but still remains strong.
“As demand for staff continues to increase, we have seen double digital salary growth across a range of industries,” he said. “This high demand paired with the squeeze for talent in certain sectors means that salary increases are likely to continue into the new year, though perhaps not at the same pace.
“Although salary is important and a competitive salary is clearly a good way to attract and maintain talent, we are increasingly seeing employees caring about other factors such as career progression, wellbeing, work life balance and hybrid working. People are motivated to work for organisations who prioritise social responsibility so we would encourage employers not to neglect these areas.”
Northern Ireland salary increases 2022
Industry |
Salary (average 2022) |
% Salary increase since 2021 |
||
1. |
Electrical CAD Technician |
Design Engineering (Manufacturing) |
£38,000 |
26.7% |
2. |
Cyber Security Analyst |
Technology (Cyber) |
£57,000 |
26.7% |
3. |
Marketing Analyst/CRM Analyst |
Marketing (Insight) |
£35,000 |
25% |
4. |
PR Manager |
PR &Internal Communications |
£40,000 |
25% |
5. |
Import/Export Administrator |
Business Support |
£24,000 |
20% |
6. |
Design Engineer/Manager |
Design Engineering (Manufacturing) |
£50,000 |
19% |
7. |
Automation Engineer |
Maintenance Engineering (Manufacturing) |
£50,000 |
19% |
8. |
Aerodynamics Engineer |
Design (Defence) |
£65,000 |
18.2% |
9. |
Head of Legal |
Public Sector – Legal |
£65,000 |
18.2% |
10. |
Lead Data Engineer |
Data & Advanced Analytics |
£65,000 |
18.2% |
11. |
Chief Data Officer/Head of Data |
Technology (Leadership) |
£100,000 |
17.6% |
12. |
Senior Legal Advisor |
Public Sector - Legal |
£54,000 |
17.4% |
13. |
Head of Talent/Resourcing |
HR (Recruitment and Resourcing) |
£55,000 |
17% |
14. |
Engineering Director |
Manufacturing (Defence) |
£90,000 |
16.9% |
15. |
Training/L&D Advisor |
HR (Learning and Development) |
£35,000 |
16.7% |
16. |
Head of Projects/Change |
Technology (Projects & Change) |
£70,000 |
16.7% |
17. |
Newly Qualified Solicitor (1 year’s PQE) |
Legal (In-house) |
£32,000 |
16.4% |
18. |
Maintenance Manager |
Maintenance Engineering (Manufacturing) |
£52,000 |
15.6% |
19. |
Head of CRM |
Marketing (Online & digital) |
£75,000 |
15.4% |
20. |
Production Planner |
Production, Supply Chain & Logistics |
£32,000 |
14.3% |
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