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CAREERS | 2020 HAYS SALARY SURVEY Some of these digital skills are percolating into the firm in part through the younger staff, who have picked up these skills during their education. Other and more established staff, meanwhile, are developing new skill sets, Williams says: We have formulated a different career path, with people slightly deviating from engineering and moving more into digital, but still with an engineering background. This is also reflected at Cundall, which has almost doubled its headcount over the past five years, to nearly 1,000 staff, and is planning to bring 30 to 40 new people into the business through its graduate and apprenticeship programmes this year. The two big areas of focus are sustainability and digital transformation, says Neeson: We are definitely keen to bring people with those skills into the business. Greater rigour surrounding the recruitment process is also reflected in firms pay awards. More than two-thirds (67%) of employers in building services raised salaries in the past 12 months, with a slightly higher proportion (68%) planning to do so again in the coming year. Across building services, however, Hays survey shows that salaries rose by 2.2%, which is lower than the 2.8% seen last year, albeit higher than the UK economy-wide average of 1.8%. Part of this moderation in pay awards reflects how post-recession salary catchup pressures have largely fed through the industry, says Gelder: The dip in salary increase is probably a result of aboveinflation pay witnessed in prior years. Williams sees fewer instances of competitors trying to poach staff with salary spikes, with this largely confined to specific skill sets in specific regions. Certain skill sets are becoming very attractive, he says. An example of this is the very hot Irish market, where it is particularly difficult to recruit engineers, adds Neeson: A lot is driven by technology companies flooding in and recruiting anybody who looks like an engineer. Deep-pocketed tech companies are also clearly attractive to those engineers who cited salary levels as the most important reason for moving job. Nearly a third (29%) of employees who moved roles in the past 12 months say they did so because their salary was too low, but other factors are important too such as career progression. A potential future headache for employers, however, is that fewer than half (46%) of the building services engineers surveyed rate their work-life balance as good down from 51% last year. More than a quarter of employers in building services (26%) dont offer flexible working options significantly higher than the UK average of 12%. Employers need to address ways to improve work-life balance and support requests for flexible working, says Gelder, because it is becoming business critical in terms of attracting and retaining staff. Its about the battle for talent, he adds. Its about performance and business improvement. Those businesses and organisations that wont, or are unable to, offer flexible working will become increasingly unattractive, not only for existing employees, but also for future ones. It is now a normal part of the working contract. CJ More than a quarter of employers in building services (26%) dont offer flexible working options, significantly higher than the UK average of 12% Consultants: Sustainability consultant Consultants: Revit/BIM technician Region Region East Midlands Typical Min Max salary 2020 salary 2020 salary 2020 43,750 35,000 45,000 East Midlands Typical Min Max salary 2020 salary 2020 salary 2020 35,000 30,000 40,000 East of England 52,000 42,000 60,000 East of England 34,500 30,000 40,000 London 56,000 45,000 65,000 London 48,500 40,000 65,000 North East England 42,500 36,500 44,000 North East England 35,500 28,000 36,000 North West England 47,000 40,000 50,000 North West England 40,000 32,000 45,000 Northern Ireland 37,750 32,000 42,000 Northern Ireland 28,000 24,000 34,000 Scotland 45,000 35,000 50,000 Scotland 32,000 25,000 40,000 South East England 45,000 42,000 47,000 South East England 45,000 43,000 55,000 South West 47,500 40,000 50,000 South West 40,500 35,000 45,000 Wales 44,000 38,500 44,500 Wales 38,000 30,000 40,000 West Midlands 45,000 39,000 48,000 West Midlands 35,000 28,000 40,000 Yorkshire and the Humber 45,000 40,000 47,500 Yorkshire and the Humber 36,500 28,000 38,000 National average 38,750 49,417 National average 31,083 43,167 45,875 37,375 % increase year on year: 2.5% % increase year on year: 0.9% Consultants: CAD technician Consultants: Professional quantity surveyor Region Region East Midlands Typical Min Max salary 2020 salary 2020 salary 2020 30,000 25,000 32,000 East Midlands Typical Min Max salary 2020 salary 2020 salary 2020 49,000 47,000 60,000 East of England 32,000 25,000 38,000 East of England 52,000 40,000 58,000 London 35,000 30,000 38,000 London 70,000 55,000 75,000 North East England 25,500 21,000 26,500 North East England 41,000 36,000 42,000 North West England 29,000 25,000 37,000 North West England 45,000 38,000 50,000 Northern Ireland 22,000 18,000 28,000 Northern Ireland 38,000 32,000 45,000 Scotland 28,000 22,000 30,000 Scotland 40,000 35,000 50,000 South East England 33,000 30,000 35,000 South East England 68,000 55,000 70,000 South West 30,000 25,000 35,000 South West 52,000 45,000 60,000 Wales 31,000 23,000 33,000 Wales 44,000 35,000 45,000 West Midlands 28,500 25,000 35,000 West Midlands 44,500 35,000 50,000 Yorkshire and the Humber 27,500 23,000 29,500 Yorkshire and the Humber 43,750 35,000 45,000 National average 24,333 33,083 National average 40,667 54,167 29,292 % increase year on year: 2.5% 48,938 % increase year on year: 1.9% 28 February 2020 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Feb20 pp25-28 2020 Salary survey.indd 28 24/01/2020 14:54