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

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

• Companies providing personal services – including physical wellbeing and funeral activities – 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 £1,461 per month
• The UK’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 experts N.Rich 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 sector’s monthly pay packet of £1,084 per month in July 2014 has increased to £1,461 in July of this year.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing has seen the second highest average wage increase, going up by 33.7%. The industry’s average has gone from £1,349 in 2014, to £1,803 in 2021 – a growth of £454.

Administrative and support services also saw a fair increase in wages on figures from July 2014, at 32.5%. This is the UK’s third highest percentage increase, which in real terms is an increase of £419 from an average wage of £1,349 per month in 2014 to £1,803 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 – with all three sectors seeing a wage increase barely exceeding 10%

UK industry average wage increase, ranked by percentage

Assessing raw monetary values, roles within finance and insurance saw the biggest leap in average wage, with a £760 increase from July 2014 to this year. Extraterritorial businesses – those that operate on a global scale – saw the second highest raw increase, at £707, while employees within Information and Communications roles have received an average raise of £610 since 2014.

Despite seeing one of the lowest raw financial increases from 2014’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 £860 per month to £1,078 (a total of £218) equates to a percentage increase of 25.3%. Construction and the sector of households work – working for households that produce goods for their own subsistence – saw raw financial increases of £208 and £147 respectively, the two lowest increases of all the sectors.

UK industry average wage increase, ranked by increase in GBP

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 £3,939 per month. Also appearing high on the list are roles within the production and supply of energy (at an average wage of £3,358 per month) and roles within finance and insurance (averaging £3,191 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 £1,391, having seen an increase of 26.7% on 2014’s average wage packet of £1,098.

Across the UK, the average increase in wages from 2014 to 2021 stands at 23.8%. The average Brit earns £380 more than they did in 2014, with the average wage of £1,598 in 2014 increasing to £1,978 in 2021.

Assessing these findings, a spokesperson for N.Rich commented: “This breakdown shows a number of interesting facts surrounding the UK’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.”

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/