Procurement & Supply Salary Guide 2025

UK

Procurement and supply professionals report higher salaries and bonuses compared with last year, while MCIPS increases the likelihood of a pay rise.

Key findings

  • The average salary for a UK-based procurement and supply professional is £54,576.
  • On average, MCIPS in the UK earn 52% more than their non-MCIPS peers.
  • 72% of procurement and supply professionals have received a pay rise within the last 12 months.
  • 28% of procurement and supply professionals expect to move to a new employer within the next six to 12 months.
  • 58% of employers have struggled to find the right talent in the last 12 months.

Salaries

Salaries for UK procurement and supply professionals have increased above inflation since last year – bucking the global trend that has seen average salaries fall in most regions. In 2025, the average salary for a UK-based procurement and supply professional is £54,576 – while the average salary increase is 5.75%. In contrast, the UK’s annual inflation rate for 2024 was 2.5%.1

Procurement and supply professionals are earning over 45% more than the average full-time salary in the UK during 2024 (£37,430, according to the Office for National Statistics).2 This differential shows that the skills of procurement and supply professionals are highly valued by their organisations.

procurement and supply professionals earn over 45% more than the average UK full-time salary

In line with the global trend, UK procurement and supply professionals with MCIPS earn significantly more than their non-MCIPS peers. A professional with MCIPS earns £68,596 on average, compared with £45,262 for those without. This equates to a salary boost of £23,334.

52% more earnings on average – how much more MCIPS earn compared with their non-MCIPS peers – equivalent to a £23,334 boost in annual salary

Nationally, nearly three-quarters (72%) of procurement and supply professionals have received a pay rise within the past 12 months – a similar percentage to last year (73%). Employers are undoubtedly keen to retain their services given the ongoing shortage of procurement talent.

Variations by level

Year-on-year, the biggest percentage increase in salaries has been achieved by professionals in the ‘Leading’ category – up 15% from £59,200 in 2024 to £67,986 in 2025. The average ‘Delivering’ salary was slightly down from £34,514 to £34,426. For more on how the different levels are defined, see About the research.

Professionals at the Delivering job level are less likely to have received a pay rise than their peers at the Influencing, Leading and Managing levels. Nevertheless, those who have had a salary increase received a higher percentage increase, on average, than their more senior peers.

Professionals at the Delivering job level are less likely to have received a pay rise than their peers at the Influencing, Leading and Managing levels. Nevertheless, those who have had a salary increase received a higher percentage increase, on average, than their more senior peers.

Variations by region

Across the UK, there are some notable regional differences in terms of the average reported salary for procurement and supply roles. London has the highest average reported salary of £71,491, while Northern Ireland has the lowest average reported salary of £43,621.

Procurement and supply professionals in Scotland are most likely to have received a pay increase over the past year, with 81% of respondents reporting a rise. In contrast, professionals in the East Midlands are least likely to have seen a boost to their pay packet, with just over two-thirds (69%) getting an increase, down from 75% in 2024.

While Northern Ireland has the lowest reported salary, the region has recorded the highest average salary rise over the past year – an increase of 7.5%. This might help to narrow the salary gap between Northern Ireland and other regions. Wales recorded the lowest average salary increase of 4.4%.

Across the UK, there are some notable regional differences in terms of the average reported salary for procurement and supply roles. London has the highest average reported salary of £71,491, while Northern Ireland has the lowest average reported salary of £43,621.

Variations by sector

Average salaries also vary considerably by sector. For the private sector, the average reported salary is £56,207, with that figure falling to £54,862 for the charity and not-for-profit sector and £51,098 for the public sector. The average salary across all three sectors has increased, compared with last year.

Respondents in the public sector are most likely to have received a salary increase over the past 12 months (76% compared with 73% in 2024). A slightly smaller proportion of respondents in the private sector have had a pay rise (71% compared with 73% in 2024).

There has been a significant drop in the proportion of respondents in the charity and not-for-profit sector who report getting a pay rise, compared with last year. Around two-thirds of respondents who work for charities and not-for-profits (65%) report getting a pay increase in the past 12 months, down from 77% in 2024.

Respondents in the public sector are most likely to have received a salary increase over the past 12 months (76% compared with 73% in 2024). A slightly smaller proportion of respondents in the private sector have had a pay rise (71% compared with 73% in 2024).

Variations by industry

Procurement and supply professionals in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry are least likely to have received a pay rise over the past 12 months. This represents a significant change from last year. The proportion of professionals in the industry who have received a salary increase has fallen to 59% from 90%.

Arts, entertainment and recreation is the industry where procurement and supply professionals are most likely to have received a salary increase. It also recorded the highest salary increase by industry – an average of 10%.

The proportion of professionals in the industry who have received a salary increase has fallen to 59% from 90%.
The proportion of professionals in the industry who have received a salary increase has fallen to 59% from 90%.

Bonuses

Despite the rise in average salaries, the proportion of respondents eligible for bonuses in the UK is lower than in previous years. This year, 51% report being eligible for a bonus – down from 52% in 2024 and 57% in 2023.

Senior professionals are most likely to be eligible for a bonus, with 66% of those at Influencing level and 63% of those at Leading level saying they are entitled to a bonus. London-based professionals at Influencing level have significantly higher bonuses compared with their peers at other levels and in other regions of the UK.

Procurement and supply professionals in the private sector are far more likely to be entitled to a bonus than their peers in the public and charity/not-for-profit sectors. Professionals with MCIPS are also more likely to be entitled to a bonus than their non-MCIPS peers – 60% compared with 47%.

bonus eligibility by sector, private is 65%, public is 27% and charity/not-for-profit is 17%

For the vast majority of eligible respondents (87%), their bonus is defined by the organisation achieving its targets. In 58% of cases, it is defined by them achieving personal targets and for 25% it is defined through the team achieving targets.

Nevertheless, 78% of respondents would prefer for their bonus to be determined by achieving personal targets. Just 51% would prefer for it to be defined by their organisation achieving its targets.

Benefits

The top three benefits received by UK procurement and supply professionals are working from home (79%), flexible hours (60%) and life assurance/death-in-service benefits (49%). This is a similar picture to last year.

There is a sharp drop in the number of respondents desiring private medical insurance as a benefit compared with last year (down to 43% from 49%). This might reflect a belief that state healthcare will be more accessible following the change of government in July 2024. That said, more respondents still desire private medical insurance (43%) than those who receive it as a benefit (39%).

There has also been a fall in respondents seeking above-statutory pension contributions (down from 39% to 36%) and support for study/career development (down to 27% from 30%). Reduced desire for these benefits may reflect the fact that many employers already offer them.

The top three benefits received by UK procurement and supply professionals are working from home (79%), flexible hours (60%) and life assurance/death-in-service benefits (49%). This is a similar picture to last year.

Gender gap

There continues to be a pronounced gender pay gap when it comes to procurement and supply salaries. In fact, the gap has widened further since last year. The average reported salary for men is £59,099 (compared with £58,091 in 2024), and the average reported salary for women is £49,654 (compared with £48,971 in 2024).

It is not only in terms of base salaries that women earn less than men. Men are also significantly more likely to be entitled to a bonus (56% compared with 47% of women) and also receive a greater bonus as a percentage of their salary (11% compared with 8% for women).

Just 57% of UK respondents see procurement and supply as a gender-balanced profession, while even fewer (49%) believe it offers a career path for people from disadvantaged social backgrounds. Nevertheless, more than three-quarters (77%) believe that a career in procurement and supply can enable positive social change.

The average reported salary for men is £59,099 (compared with £58,091 in 2024), and the average reported salary for women is £49,654 (compared with £48,971 in 2024).

Career mobility

UK procurement and supply professionals are more likely to stay in their roles over the next 12 months, compared with peers in other regions. Less than a third (28%) expect to move to a new employer within the next six to 12 months, a similar figure to last year (29%). The fact that a similar percentage is looking to move this year, compared with 2024, shows a steady level of confidence in the procurement and supply jobs market within the UK.

When considering a new job, the most important factors for UK procurement and supply professionals are salary (78%), reassurance about job security (66%) and career progression opportunities (64%). These were also the top three factors in 2024.

The opportunity for greater responsibility and a bigger pay packet is not necessarily motivating people to move jobs. Just 58% are keen to seek a more senior procurement role – either with their current employer or another organisation – in the next 12 months, down from 63% in 2024.

The two biggest factors that deter people from seeking a new or more senior role are wanting to retain their current work-life balance and enjoying their job (both 39%). Job security is also important (24%). All these factors also ranked highly in 2024.

Work-life balance has improved for 24% of respondents over the past 12 months, with just 16% claiming that it has worsened. For the majority (61%), it has stayed the same.

When considering a new job, the most important factors for UK procurement and supply professionals are salary (78%), reassurance about job security (66%) and career progression opportunities (64%).
The two biggest factors that deter people from seeking a new or more senior role are wanting to retain their current work-life balance and enjoying their job (both 39%). Job security is also important (24%).

Talent shortage

The talent shortage in procurement and supply appears to be easing slightly, probably in response to the tighter jobs market in the UK. In April 2025, research by KPMG and the Recruitment & Employment Federation reported that candidate availability had risen at the sharpest pace since December 2020. This was in response to global uncertainty and rising employment costs.3

Overall, 58% of those responsible for hiring procurement and supply professionals have struggled to find the right talent in the past 12 months (compared with 61% in 2024 and 72% in 2023). Employers’ greatest hiring-related challenges are the lack of available candidates (59%), lack of sector skills and experience (53%) and lack of technical skills/evidence of formal procurement training (49%).

There are some interesting sector trends in terms of how employer challenges have evolved over the last year. In the private sector, finding candidates who are an organisational fit is cited as a challenge by 51% of employers, significantly up from 36% last year. Another challenge is candidate salary expectations – a challenge for 53%, up from 45% in 2024.

For public-sector and charity/not-for-profit employers, a lack of technical skills/formal procurement training has increased in importance. It is cited as a challenge by 61% of public-sector employers, up from 48% in 2024, and by 63% of charity/not-for-profit employers, up from 23%. These findings suggest there is heightened demand for candidates with strong technical expertise in procurement and supply.

Organisational fit is an issue for 42% of public-sector employers, up from 20% last year. The challenge of finding candidates who are an organisational fit is cited by 58% of charity/not-for-profit employers this year, compared with 15% in 2024.

The primary action that employers are taking to address their skills shortage is growing their own talent – for example, through apprenticeships and graduate schemes. This action is cited by over half (54%) of employers. A further 36% are making increased use of recruitment agencies.

Despite the challenges involved with recruitment, 58% of employers expect to increase the size of their procurement team over the next 12 months. Employers in the public and charity/not-for-profit sectors are more likely than those in the private sector to have plans to increase headcount.

The primary action that employers are taking to address their skills shortage is growing their own talent

Skills

Continuing the trend from last year, procurement and supply professionals continue to emphasise the importance of interpersonal or ‘soft’ skills. When asked to rank the skills and competencies they deemed very important for someone working in procurement, communication skills come top, cited by 50%. The other skills to make the top five are supplier relationship management (44%), internal stakeholder management (41%), negotiation (39%) and critical thinking/curiosity (28%). These skills are also prioritised by employers.

Those at Influencing level place the greatest value on influencing skills (58%) and communication skills (48%). At the other end of the pay scale, those at Delivering level put the most emphasis on communication skills (59%) and supplier relationship management skills (52%).

Respondents believe the most important skills and characteristics required of procurement and supply leaders over the next 10 years will be integrity and trust (55%), communication skills (53%) and collaboration skills (44%). Nevertheless, it is likely that leaders will need to develop new skills since 80% of respondents expect to see considerable changes in the way organisations work.

top five skills for UK procurement and supply professionals

Perceptions of procurement

The survey highlights that procurement and supply is a highly valued function that can have a major impact on organisational outcomes. Nevertheless, more work can be done to further elevate the standing of procurement.

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of UK procurement and supply professionals agree that procurement is valued within their organisation. A similar percentage (64%) say that the perception of procurement and supply has improved over the last 12 months.

There has also been a notable increase in the percentage of respondents who say that procurement and supply is involved from the start of a project (61% compared with 57% last year). This might be due to heightened disruption in the global trade landscape.

  1. CPI annual inflation rate UK 2019-2029, Statista, 28 March 2025 ↩︎
  2. Employee earnings in the UK: 2024, Office for National Statistics, 29 October 2024 ↩︎
  3. UK Report on Jobs: Candidate availability rises at sharpest pace since December 2020, KPMG & Recruitment & Employment Confederation, 11 April 2024 ↩︎