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Home Money A CUT ABOVE THE REST: Hairdressers see highest industry sector pay increase

A CUT ABOVE THE REST: Hairdressers see highest industry sector pay increase

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lady at the hairdressers
lady at the hairdressers

Hairdressing, beauty treatment and other personal services see highest industry sector pay increase

  • Companies providing personal services โ€“ including physical wellbeing and funeral activities โ€“ have seen a 34% increase in wages compared to 2014
  • Despite this, these workers in the sector are still among the lowest-paid in the UK, with an average wage of ยฃ1,461 per month
  • The UKโ€™s highest average wage is in mining and quarrying, which has seen the lowest wage increase, rising 10% in past seven years
  • Overall, UK employees have seen an average wage increase of 23.8%

Service activities such as dry cleaning, beauty treatment, physical well-being activities and funeral services are the UK industry which has received the highest increase in average wage over the past seven years, a new study shows.

Comparing ONS average wage figures from July 2014 with those from July of this year, research from advertising expertsย N.Richย reveals that the average salary for those working in personal services has gone up by 34.8% – the highest increase across industries in the UK. Overall, this sectorโ€™s monthly pay packet of ยฃ1,084 per month in July 2014 has increased to ยฃ1,461 in July of this year.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing has seen the second highest average wage increase, going up by 33.7%. The industryโ€™s average has gone from ยฃ1,349 in 2014, to ยฃ1,803 in 2021 โ€“ a growth of ยฃ454.

Administrative and support services also saw a fair increase in wages on figures from July 2014, at 32.5%. This is the UKโ€™s third highest percentage increase, which in real terms is an increase of ยฃ419 from an average wage of ยฃ1,349 per month in 2014 to ยฃ1,803 this year.

At the other end of the spectrum, employees within construction, social security and mining/quarrying industries were among those with the lowest wage growth โ€“ with all three sectors seeing a wage increase barely exceeding 10%

UK industry average wage increase, ranked by percentage

Sector

Avg. wage in 2014

Avg. wage in 2021

Total increase

Percentage increase

Other service activities

ยฃ1,084

ยฃ1,461

ยฃ377

34.8

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

ยฃ1,349

ยฃ1,803

ยฃ454

33.7

Administrative and support services

ยฃ1,288

ยฃ1,707

ยฃ419

32.5

Extraterritorial

ยฃ2,213

ยฃ2,920

ยฃ707

31.9

Wholesale and retail; repair of motor vehicles

ยฃ1,181

ยฃ1,557

ยฃ376

31.8

Finance and insurance

ยฃ2,431

ยฃ3,191

ยฃ760

31.3

Professional, scientific and technical

ยฃ1,940

ยฃ2,529

ยฃ589

30.4

Arts, entertainment and recreation

ยฃ1,098

ยฃ1,391

ยฃ293

26.7

Accommodation and food services

ยฃ860

ยฃ1,078

ยฃ218

25.3

Health and social work

ยฃ1,514

ยฃ1,895

ยฃ381

25.2

Information and communication

ยฃ2,519

ยฃ3,129

ยฃ610

24.2

Real estate

ยฃ1,718

ยฃ2,104

ยฃ386

22.5

Education

ยฃ1,653

ยฃ2,013

ยฃ360

21.8

Energy production and supply

ยฃ2,794

ยฃ3,358

ยฃ564

20.2

Households

ยฃ816

ยฃ963

ยฃ147

18.0

Water supply, sewerage and waste

ยฃ2,145

ยฃ2,517

ยฃ372

17.3

Manufacturing

ยฃ2,076

ยฃ2,402

ยฃ326

15.7

Transportation and storage

ยฃ2,086

ยฃ2,344

ยฃ258

12.4

Public administration and defence; social security

ยฃ2,279

ยฃ2,519

ยฃ240

10.5

Construction

ยฃ2,011

ยฃ2,219

ยฃ208

10.3

Mining and quarrying

ยฃ3,581

ยฃ3,939

ยฃ358

10.0

 

Assessing raw monetary values, roles within finance and insurance saw the biggest leap in average wage, with a ยฃ760 increase from July 2014 to this year. Extraterritorial businesses โ€“ those that operate on a global scale โ€“ saw the second highest raw increase, at ยฃ707, while employees within Information and Communications roles have received an average raise of ยฃ610 since 2014.

Despite seeing one of the lowest raw financial increases from 2014โ€™s figures, employees within accommodation and food services appear on the higher end of the scale in terms of the overall percentage increase. The rise in average wage from ยฃ860 per month to ยฃ1,078 (a total of ยฃ218) equates to a percentage increase of 25.3%. Construction and the sector of households work โ€“ working for households that produce goods for their own subsistence โ€“ saw raw financial increases of ยฃ208 and ยฃ147 respectively, the two lowest increases of all the sectors.

UK industry average wage increase, ranked by increase in GBP

Sector

Average wage in 2014

Average wage in 2021

Total increase

Percentage increase

Finance and insurance

ยฃ2,431

ยฃ3,191

ยฃ760

31.3

Extraterritorial

ยฃ2,213

ยฃ2,920

ยฃ707

31.9

Information and communication

ยฃ2,519

ยฃ3,129

ยฃ610

24.2

Professional, scientific and technical

ยฃ1,940

ยฃ2,529

ยฃ589

30.4

Energy production and supply

ยฃ2,794

ยฃ3,358

ยฃ564

20.2

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

ยฃ1,349

ยฃ1,803

ยฃ454

33.7

Administrative and support services

ยฃ1,288

ยฃ1,707

ยฃ419

32.5

Real estate

ยฃ1,718

ยฃ2,104

ยฃ386

22.5

Health and social work

ยฃ1,514

ยฃ1,895

ยฃ381

25.2

Other service activities

ยฃ1,084

ยฃ1,461

ยฃ377

34.8

Wholesale and retail; repair of motor vehicles

ยฃ1,181

ยฃ1,557

ยฃ376

31.8

Water supply, sewerage and waste

ยฃ2,145

ยฃ2,517

ยฃ372

17.3

Education

ยฃ1,653

ยฃ2,013

ยฃ360

21.8

Mining and quarrying

ยฃ3,581

ยฃ3,939

ยฃ358

10.0

Manufacturing

ยฃ2,076

ยฃ2,402

ยฃ326

15.7

Arts, entertainment and recreation

ยฃ1,098

ยฃ1,391

ยฃ293

26.7

Transportation and storage

ยฃ2,086

ยฃ2,344

ยฃ258

12.4

Public administration and defence; social security

ยฃ2,279

ยฃ2,519

ยฃ240

10.5

Accommodation and food services

ยฃ860

ยฃ1,078

ยฃ218

25.3

Construction

ยฃ2,011

ยฃ2,219

ยฃ208

10.3

Households

ยฃ816

ยฃ963

ยฃ147

18.0

 

Despite receiving the lowest percentage increase in wages, rising just 10% on figures from 2014, positions within the mining and quarrying sector have the highest average wage, at ยฃ3,939 per month. Also appearing high on the list are roles within the production and supply of energy (at an average wage of ยฃ3,358 per month) and roles within finance and insurance (averaging ยฃ3,191 per month).

Positions within arts, entertainment and recreation join households work and accommodation and food services among the lowest-paid roles in the UK at present. Those working in arts and entertainment can expect to receive a monthly paycheque of around ยฃ1,391, having seen an increase of 26.7% on 2014โ€™s average wage packet of ยฃ1,098.

Across the UK, the average increase in wages from 2014 to 2021 stands at 23.8%. The average Brit earns ยฃ380 more than they did in 2014, with the average wage ofย ยฃ1,598 in 2014 increasing to ยฃ1,978 in 2021.

Assessing these findings, a spokesperson for N.Rich commented: โ€œThis breakdown shows a number of interesting facts surrounding the UKโ€™s most lucrative industries for personal financial growth over time. Although personal services have seen the highest percentage increase in average wage, it remains one of the lower paying sectors, while those in finance and insurance have enjoyed a significant rise in percentage, and the largest real terms increase.โ€

The study was conducted by N.Rich, which offers a rich array of intent data and ad inventory that enable marketers to drive awareness and lead generation effectively.

For more information click: https://n.rich/


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