The Annual Office Team Salary and Workplace Survey findings reported in 2004 show that salaries in London in the West End/City are:

In West London, however, salaries are found to be slightly lower:

Later in 2004, Gordon Yates' Secretarial and Support Staff Survey shows that the average salary increase in 2004 by geographical area was 3.8% for Central London, 3.6 in the South East and Home Counties and 3.1% in the rest of the UK. Salaries in Central London continue to be above those of the rest of the UK, a trend borne out by salary surveys undertaken by other agencies in the last two years and also by the Council for Administration.

According to the Gordon Yates' survey, the top five highest paying sectors in Central London at the higher quartiles were:

Gordon Yates' survey also found that the Financial services sector is also most generous in terms of bonuses, although 2004 saw a cut back in the number of employers offering them to support staff. This probably reflects business trading conditions rather than a change in employer attitudes.

Think ahead

Think ahead

Firstly, if you're looking from outside London at the salaries there with envy, remember London is a very expensive city to live in, plus commuting times can be costly in terms of time and money.

Secondly, the salary depends very much on location, sector, size, type of organisation and the nature of the role.

Thirdly, Gordon Yates report that there is strong evidence of skills shortages, so employers will need to compete more to attract new staff.

Finally, it's interesting to note that in the Gordon Yates' survey, a "good boss" was rated more important than the rate of pay, with interesting work being very closely behind the pay factor. For temporary staff, "interesting work" was more important than the pay rate.

So what can you do to boost your employability and salary potential?

1. Look to see what the going rate is in your sector in your area for a company a similar size to yours by checking recruitment companies' web sites, talking to consultants and checking newspapers. This will give you a benchmark with which you can approach your boss if you want to ask for a pay rise.


2. Remember that there are other ways to boost your salary other than pay. If your boss has good reasons why he can't give you a pay rise, maybe he could give you the odd day off, or pay for a training course you want to do instead. Be flexible in terms of what you're paid in, but don't be afraid to move elsewhere if you think the time is right to move on.