UK has second-lowest entry-level salaries in Western Europe, finds Tower Watson

The UK fares poorly in the European pay league, with entry-level professionals and experienced administrators paid the second-lowest salaries in Western Europe, finds a study from HR and consulting firm Towers Watson.
Wed, 11 Dec 2013The UK fares poorly in the European pay league, with entry-level professionals and experienced administrators paid the second-lowest salaries in Western Europe, finds a study from HR and consulting firm Towers Watson.

The average UK salary for such roles is £24.2k, nearly three times less than the pay of £63.2k that their Swiss counterparts can expect, meaning it comes 15th in a list of 16 countries surveyed.

When it comes to experienced professionals, the UK fares slightly better, in 13th place, and again improves when it comes to middle managers, placing 10th.

Portugal is bottom of all three lists, while Switzerland tops all three, in all cases with salaries more than a 20% larger than the second-placed country.

Darryl Davis, a senior consultant in Towers Watson’s data services team, suggests the UK’s position “may be due to stronger unionisation for employees in many European countries”.

The full 2013/2014 Global 50 Remuneration Planning Report is available from Towers Watson’s website.

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