Public Sector Marketers 3 Times More Likely To Suffer A Pay Freeze

By Adam Turner
29 Nov 2017

UK marketing professionals working in the private sector are three times more likely to receive an annual pay rise, compared to their public sector counterparts.

The annual Croner Reward Marketing Survey of pay and benefits in the Marketing Sector, gathered feedback from 284 organisations with 1,515 job roles, across 26 different sectors.

The survey found that 17% of public sector marketers had a pay freeze, which was well below comparable roles in the private sector and well behind the top sector - manufacturing at 61%. Other key findings include regional variations, with a 19% pay gap between marketing managers in London and the West Midlands.<p class A middle ranking marketing manager in the West Midlands, North East, South West, North West, South East and Eastern Counties is paid on average between £35,567 and £40,050 compared with £40,960 and £41,730 in Scotland and London.

Marketing Sector Pay: Expert Opinion

The difference in the public and private sector pay freeze for marketers is stark, with those in the private sector on average receiving a small increase, compared to a large freeze across the public sector. This could be due to a number of reasons with one being the cut in Government subsidies to local councils as well as caps on the rising of Council Tax.

Local councils across the UK are typically looking to cut their costs substantially and this is reflected in their ability to set annual pay increases.” Despite receiving a pay increase of 2.3% across the marketing sector, the UK inflation rate is higher still at 3%. The high inflation rate compared to pay increases shows that prices are rising quicker than salaries can catch up. Inflation is the average rate of increase in the price for goods and services, which means some rates could be much higher than the 3% average an expense which is usually passed down to the consumer.”

Marketing Reward Survey Summary

  • 17% of public sector marketers had a pay freeze. Those that had a rise on average received 2.4%.
  • 61% of marketers in manufacturing roles had a pay rise, which averaged 2.3%
  • Marketing managers in the manufacturing sector topped the pay list
  • The average pay awards for marketing professionals across all sectors in the coming 12 months is 2.3%.
  • 19% pay gap between marketing managers in London and the West Midlands

Pay & Benefits Support

Croner Reward is one of the most accurate and knowledgeable benchmarking resources in the UK, Which employers can utilise to set their pay and benefits packages to help them retain and recruit the best marketers. For more information on our expert pay and benefits services call 0808 145 3490.

About the Author

Image of Croner employee Adam Turner

Adam has been with Croner Reward for 3 years. He has over 15 years’ experience working with various organisations and sectors. He has a strong passion, breadth and depth for job evaluation and salary benchmarking. He has a strong customer focused work ethic, ensuring clients always get the best possible outcome for their organisations from their Reward Projects.

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