Claire Sheerin, director of Hays construction property in Scotland, said: “We’ve seen a gradual increase in construction salaries in Scotland for some time now, but these pockets of salary rises are becoming more significant. Others will follow suit over the next 12 months and the situation could soon reach crisis point for employers fighting for the talent they need. Jobseekers often have the pick of two or three jobs, they get snapped up quickly by employers and they often receive a counter offer from their current employer, which can push their salary up even further. These are some of the largest salary increases in the UK and easily outstrip the average 2 per cent rise in wages seen across the country as a whole, a trend which looks set to continue with 77 per cent of construction employers looking to increase headcounts next year. With construction employees reporting high levels of dissatisfaction with pay, employers will need to look at what they can offer in order to attract and retain the best employees.”
Hays base their findings on a survey of 10,000 employers and employees. It reports that architects have seen their salaries rise by 14 per cent over the past year with contract managers, project managers, quantity surveyors, site managers and engineers also seeing rises of between 10 and 20 per cent.