Employers are always looking for greater business support and these roles are in high demand, but it can be challenging to find suitable candidates, especially if the correct wages aren’t being offered.
I’m based in the Preston office of Reed and the total number of business support jobs in the city alone equate to roughly 15-20 per day – the market is certainly still buoyant. But, businesses must ensure they are offering the best salaries, and indeed benefits, if they want to ensure they are filling available positions with high-calibre business support candidates.
The Reed Business Support Salary Guide 2020 highlights some of the key trends in the UK business support industry over the last 12 months and looks to give insight into what patterns may be emerging in 2021.
Using data gathered from 2.7 million jobs posted last year on reed.co.uk the business support salary survey provides a comprehensive picture for some of the most prominent jobs in the industry.
Our salary guide looks at the business support industry across 12 regions of the UK and contains wage information on roles such as office managers, personal assistants, administrator, receptionists and executive assistants, plus many more.
Overall salaries in the industry are continuing to grow, with an average salary growth of 5.4% across the UK this year.
East Anglia has seen pay for the role of administrator increase by 8.6%, and in the East Midlands customer service managers have seen a salary increase of 8.8%. London continues to offer the best salaries in the UK, yet wage increase seems slightly marginal in comparison to other UK regions.
In the North East executive assistant salaries are up 10.7%, while office managers saw an 8.9% decrease. The North West of the country has seen an average growth of 5.3% and Northern Ireland a fantastic 6.7%, 1.3% above the overall UK average.
Personal assistants in Scotland are now being paid on average 7.6% more than they were last year, and data administrator roles are up 6.6% in the South West. Office managers in Wales see wages increase this year by 8.6%, however executive assistants in the West Midlands saw a slight salary drop by 2.1%. And finally, purchasing assistants in Yorkshire and the Humber saw an average salary increase of 6.5%.
Salary is still a deciding factor for jobseekers working in business support who want more disposable income for their lifestyle; however, in most cases, flexible working, development opportunities, and a financially healthy company are higher on the list of priorities for the younger generation.
