Salaries by region
Most salary surveys across any profession or sector of the economy tend to show earnings in London and the South East are higher than elsewhere in the UK. The 2015 IEMA practitioners’ survey, however, paints a more equitable picture of pay levels across the country, suggesting that the labour market for environment and sustainability professionals is not as heavily dominated by London and the South East as those for other professional services roles.
Figure 7 shows median basic annual salaries by UK region (excluding IEMA members who work overseas). The highest median earnings, at £40,000 a year, can be found in the Scotland North and the North East regions. Whether this will still be the case in Scotland North next year remains to be seen, with the energy and offshore oil sector in particular hit by falling global oil prices. The median salary for practitioners in the South East is £39,000; in Wales it is £35,000; and in Northern Ireland it stands at £31,318. These are the only exceptions to this relatively equal picture of regional earnings, both below the headline median salary of £38,000 for all respondents.
Figure 7 Salaries by region
