Methodology and respondents
The 2015 practitioners’ survey was conducted via an online questionnaire between 18 December 2014 and 9 January 2015. Respondents were asked to provide details of their 2014 salaries and asked a range of questions about their job role, seniority, training and plans for the future. The survey excluded student members because it was designed to analyse pay and working conditions of IEMA members who are working rather than those still studying. A total of 13,920 members were asked to take part in the survey and 1,238 responded – a response rate of 9%.
The headline findings contained in the charts and tables in this special supplement show both mean, or average, and median salary, which is the midpoint in the range. Where only one figure is used, however, we have highlighted the median because this figure reduces the influence of outlying salaries at either end of the pay range. The basic salaries cited are exclusive of overtime, commission, bonuses or other elements of contingent pay that can boost earnings.
Respondents are representative of IEMA’s membership in terms of their membership type. Excluding retired and student members, more than half (57.4%) of IEMA’s members are associates (AIEMA), as are 59.4% of the survey sample. Slightly more full members (MIEMA) responded to the poll (15.6%) than members of the Institute as a whole (7.6%), while the survey sample slightly under-represents affiliate members
(18.6% of survey respondents compared with 28.2% of the membership).
Graduate members make up 5%–6% of both the survey sample and the membership, while less than 1% of respondents and members are fellows. Around half of respondents (50.9%) work in business or industry sectors of the economy, most commonly in manufacturing, engineering and construction. Almost one in three (31.2%) works for consultancies, with a further 12.1% in public sector roles, mostly in regulatory or central government bodies. A much smaller number works in academic or research roles (3.5%) or the voluntary sector (2.3%).
More than half (52.6%) of participants work for employers with more than 1,000 employees. A further quarter (25.3%) work for organisations with between 50 and 999 employees, while 12.7% work for small or micro firms, which have between 10 and 49 employees. Only 4.4% work as a sole trader. This year’s poll reveals a fall in the proportion of self-employed respondents, down to 7.4% from 9.3% in 2014. This is surprising given that an increase in self-employment has been a major characteristic of the UK labour market in recent years.
