MCIPS provides a significant salary boost for European procurement and MCIPS provides a significant salary boost for European procurement and supply professionals in a challenging market while the average salary increase is 5.9%.
Key findings
- The average salary for a procurement and supply professional in Europe is €71,917.
- Respondents with MCIPS earn €92,624, compared with €65,903 for non-MCIPS.
- 47% plan to move to a new employer within the next six to 12 months.
- 50% believe that negotiation skills are the most important skills for procurement and supply professionals.
- 62% of employers have struggled to find the right talent in the past 12 months.
Salaries
In Europe, salaries for procurement and supply professionals have fallen since last year, possibly reflecting sluggish economic growth in the Eurozone. The average salary is €71,917, down from €78,612. In 2024, the Eurozone’s GDP growth was just 0.9%, according to Eurostat.1
Three out of five respondents (61%) have received a salary increase in the last 12 months. The average salary increase is 5.9% – above inflation. The EU’s annual inflation rate stood at 2.4% in December 2024.2
In line with global trends, MCIPS provides a significant salary boost to European procurement and supply professionals. On average, respondents with MCIPS earn €92,624 compared with €65,903 for non-MCIPS. Furthermore, while non-MCIPS respondents have seen average salaries fall compared with last year, the average salaries of MCIPS have increased by 11.3%.
Bonuses
A high percentage of respondents in Europe (71%) report being eligible for a bonus – the highest of any region. Furthermore, there is only a small gender gap, with 72% of men entitled to a bonus, and 70% of women.
The average bonus as a percentage of salary in Europe is 12.4%. Over three-quarters (77%) of respondents in the private sector are eligible for bonuses. Bonuses are most likely to be awarded for achieving organisational targets (85%) and achieving personal targets (66%).
MCIPS are more likely than non-MCIPS to be entitled to a bonus – 75% compared with 69%. Furthermore, their bonus equates to 15.6% of their annual salary – significantly higher than 10.7% for non-MCIPS.
Benefits
The top three benefits received by procurement and supply professionals in Europe are working from home (79%), flexible working hours (60%) and private medical insurance (53%). These are also the three benefits that respondents would most like to receive.
Career mobility
Nearly half of respondents (47%) plan to move to a new employer within the next six to 12 months – up from 44% in 2024.
The two most important factors when considering a new job are salary (84%) and career progression opportunities (67%). Content of the work also ranks highly (65%), with procurement and supply professionals keen to do work that interests them. The most important factor that encourages a European procurement and supply professional to stay with their current employer is that they enjoy the job they have now (35%).
Talent shortage
In Europe, employers continue to wrestle with a shortage of procurement talent. Three out of five (62%) employers have struggled to find the right talent in the past 12 months. A lack of available candidates is the biggest challenge (52%), followed by a lack of candidates with sector skills and experience (50%) and candidate salary expectations (48%).
A lack of soft skills/business skills also ranks highly (48%). This is a concern given how strongly procurement and supply professionals emphasise the importance of soft skills such as communication and internal stakeholder management.
Skills
Half of respondents (50%) believe that negotiation skills are the most important skills for procurement and supply professionals. Supplier relationship management skills (43%) and internal stakeholder management skills (39%) also rank highly. Internal stakeholder management skills top the list for those at the Influencing and Leading levels.
Employers in Europe agree that negotiation skills are key for procurement and supply professionals, with 47% seeing them as very important. Nevertheless, a similar percentage (46%) highly value critical thinking skills/curiosity.
Respondents believe that communication (54%), integrity and trust (45%) and collaboration (42%) are the most important skills and characteristics for procurement and supply leaders over the next 10 years.
Perceptions of procurement
While procurement continues to be valued in Europe, there is a slight decline in perceptions compared with last year. Over half (58%) of respondents agree that procurement is very much valued within their organisation, down from 61% in 2024. Around two-thirds (65%) believe that the perception of procurement has improved over the past 12 months, versus 71% last year.
Only 59% of respondents in Europe see procurement and supply as a gender-balanced profession – which can be explained by the large gender gap in terms of salaries. While male respondents earn €78,240 on average, female respondents earn an average of €62,323. Nevertheless, nearly three-quarters of respondents (72%) believe a career in procurement and supply can enable positive social change.