Engineers see pay rise 2% year-on-year

Engineering graduates take home £28,000 a year on average, 22% more than average graduate pay, according to the EEF study

Pay for professional engineers has increased by 2% year-on-year, while engineering graduates are earning 4% a year more compared to 2015, according to the latest pay benchmarking report from the EEF.

The annual report shows that engineering graduates can expect to earn £28,000 a year on average – up by 4% from £26,890 in 2015. This means that engineering graduates now earn more than £5,000 or 22% a year more than other UK graduates, according to HESA data.

The report shows that an engineer can expect to earn £32,699 a year, while a senior engineer can expect £41, 800. In contrast, the national average pay in the UK according to Office for National Statistics is £27,607 a year.

The 2016 data shows that professionals’ pay can differ by as much as 10% depending on the region. The highest earning region is the south east where professionals’ take home £40,000 a year on average. In comparison, the lowest earning region is the south west where the median basic pay for engineers is £36,000 a year.

The report also identifies how pay varies across types of engineering role and specific skills sets. It shows that, in the past year, senior research and development engineers have seen the biggest premium attached to their skills – enjoying a 28% hike in basic median pay, which now stands at £37,109 a year.

Tim Thomas, director of employment and skills policy at EEF, said: “Engineering skills are in high demand and short supply, which is why they continue to command a premium and why employers are prepared to pay it.

“Offering an attractive salary remains the first line of defence for firms fiercely competing to attract and retain skilled workers vital to their business. It’s a key factor behind our sector’s reputation for offering well-paid, sustainable careers, but it also reinforces the need for employers to be fully aware of industry pay rates so that they can benchmark and position themselves accordingly.”

The EEF’s Professionals’ Pay Benchmark Report is based on responses from more than 240 companies, covering salary data for almost 6,000 managers and engineers in Great Britain.