In keeping with the global trends reported in this year’s survey, we see a continued pattern in the UK of procurement and supply professionals earning more with MCIPS and seeing salary as a main driving factor for changing jobs.
At an employer level in the UK, we see a struggle for talent closely aligned to the global average, while soft skills continue to be perceived as important to the profession.
Also mirrored in the UK is the global trend of organisations performing well in terms of equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I), but not prioritising it enough. Of the high proportions of respondents in the UK who report that their organisation is diverse and inclusive, just 39% say that ED&I is a top priority for their organisation.
Key distinguishing factors for the UK market include lower than average AI-preparedness and a lower proportion of people looking to move jobs in comparison to the global average.
Please note: Our survey sample for the UK this year mostly focuses on those with lower base salaries. Roughly 58% of this year’s sample respondents were those at delivering and managing competency levels, with managing level professionals accounting for 31% of the sample.
Salaries, bonuses and benefits
Salaries remain on an upward trajectory in the UK, but at a more muted level than in previous years. The average salary for procurement and supply roles in the UK this year is £53,501 and the average reported salary increase is 6.6%.
The average reported salary for procurement and supply roles in the UK differs by region. The region with the highest average reported salary is London (£69,161). The region with the lowest is Northern Ireland (£37,796).
The UK’s average reported salary increase also differs by region, with some regions reporting higher increases than others. The region with the highest increase is Northern Ireland (9.0%) and the region with the lowest increase is South East England (5.5%).
By region, we see a similar variance for the proportion of those who say they received salary increase in the last 12 months. The region with the highest proportion is Scotland (78%). The region with the lowest proportion is North East England (67%).
The average reported salary for procurement and supply roles also varies by gender. The average reported salary for men is £58,091, and the average reported salary for women is £48,971.
By sector, we see a similar variance in the average salaries recorded for the past 12 months. The average reported salary for the private sector is £55,270 and for the public sector it’s £49,936. For the charity/not-for-profit sector, the average reported salary is £53,114.
The share of those who received salary increases also varies by sector. In both the public and private sector, 73% of respondents said they received a salary increase in the last 12 months. In the charity/not-for-profit sector, the proportion is 77%.
At a national level, nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents in the UK said they had received a salary increase in the last 12 months.
The variation in those who received salary increases continues by industry. The industry with the highest proportion of those who received a salary increase in the last 12 months is Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (90%). The industry with the lowest proportion is the NHS/Health Service (62%). For clarity, we’ve split the breakdown of this industry data by the sectors that the industries appear in.
Those at leading competency level in the profession in the UK with MCIPS earn on average 20.5% more than those without it. This equates to a boost of roughly £11,000 on annual salary.
The proportion of respondents eligible for bonuses in the UK has fallen from 57% in 2023 to 52% this year. Our survey shows eligibility for bonuses increases with the seniority of an individual’s job role and their length of employment. Only 40% of those who’ve been working in the profession for less than two years were eligible for a bonus this year vs 52% of people who’ve been working in the profession for longer.
In the UK, respondents were asked to select how bonuses in their organisations are defined and how they’d like them defined. In each case, they could choose up to four options. Of those surveyed, 86% said that bonuses are defined by their organisation achieving company targets. However, only 49% believe that bonuses should be defined in this way.
Most respondents (79%) said they’d prefer for bonuses to be based on the achievement of personal targets.
The top three benefits offered by companies in the UK remain the same as last year – working from home (79%), flexible hours (60%) and provision of a work mobile phone (52%).
Skills
Soft skills remain the most important skills for the profession. Four of the five top skills reported as most important in the UK by procurement and supply professionals are soft skills. The top five skills identified are: communication (46%), supplier relationship management (43%), negotiation (39%), internal stakeholder management (38%) and influencing (28%), with negotiation being the only technical skill in the list.
By job level, we see some differences in perception between how those at influencing and leading level rank these skills and how those at managing and delivering level rank these skills.
Perception of the importance of soft skills varies by job level, with those at influencing and leading competency levels rating them differently to those at a managing or delivering competency levels. For example, those at delivering level (67%) and managing level (71%) rank communication as more important than those at leading level (56%) and influencing level (41%). But for each level, communication comes out on top. Overall, procurement and supply professionals should maintain a balance of soft and technical skills and be proficient in both.
From an employer, rather than an employee perspective, communication (55%) has been identified as the most in-demand skill, holding true across all sectors. However, employer preference and priority for other surveyed skills varies depending on sector and job level.
For roles in the private sector, employers say negotiation is the most important skill (42%). In the public sector, it’s internal stakeholder management (47%) and, in the charity/not-for-profit sector, tendering (46%).
Job moves
In the UK, 29% of respondents said they anticipate moving to a new role in the next six to 12 months, very slightly up from last year (27%).
Those aged 55+ are significantly less likely to be looking to move compared to other age groups (39% do not expect to move), with no significant differences observed by gender.
Those in the private sector (14% vs 14% in 2023) are more likely to be looking to move in the next six months, compared to 9% in the public sector (2023: 12%) and 6% in the charity/not-for-profit sector (2023: 12%).
Planned changes to working hours in the UK remain the same as in 2023, with no significant differences observed year on year. Those aged 55+ are more likely to reduce their working hours (13%) and retire (9%) than other age groups.
Despite the apparent stagnation in people looking to move roles and change working hours, some 63% are keen to advance their career by seeking a more senior procurement and supply role in the next 12 months (vs 59% in 2023). Overall, professionals at a delivery competency level and those in the private sector (at all levels) are significantly more likely to move.
Salary (79%) and job security (67%) are the main drivers for people in the UK looking to move to a different employer, though this differs by age and job level.
Meanwhile, 40% of respondents said they were not looking to move because they enjoy their current role, while 37% want to maintain their current work-life balance.
For 23% of respondents, work-life balance has improved in the past 12 months. However, 18% claim it has worsened. For the majority (58%), it has remained the same, significantly more than in 2023 (55%).