Average salaries in the UK have increased over the past year as employers by and large offered staff more as inflation soared.
Come April this meant that the typical full-time worker was paid £35,000 per annum in the UK, up 5.8% on 12 months earlier at the start of the 2022 tax year.
However, this failed to keep up with the annual rate of inflation between April 2022 and 2023, which sat at 7.8%, with a select few receiving pay rises over and above price increases.
Of some 244 surveyed roles in the UK, 69 received average salary increases in line with or above inflation, meaning their pay rose in real terms, according to Office for National Statistics data-cited BBC News data.
Some 29 of these were granted double-digit raises, with travel agents topping the list based on percentage increases over the year.
This was due to rebounding demand across the travel industry prompting a shortfall in staff, analysts said.
Top ten average pay increases by job group April 2022-2023:
- Travel agents - 20.5% to £29,618
- Public relations & communications directors - 19.5% to £79,886
- Publicans & managers of licensed premises - 18.2% to £33,477
- Photographers & broadcasting equipment operators to 16% - £29,047
- Vehicle and metal goods assemblers - 15.5% to £33,334
- Process operatives - 15.1% to £27,816
- Metal working machine operatives - 14.5% to £30,685
- Functional managers & directors - 13.9% to £69,933
- Newspaper & periodical editors - 13.7% to £40,371
- Newspaper & periodical journalists & reporters to 13.4% - £40,762
Several groups faced reduced pay packets over the year, however.
Sports coaches and instructors were the worst off and along with delivery operatives, they faced double-digit salary reductions.
Top ten average pay decreases by job group April 2022-2023:
- Chemical scientists - 4.2% to £35,186
- Rail travel assistants - 4.5% to £36,080
- Health care practice managers - 4.6% to £42,958
- Generalist medical practitioners - 5.1% to £41,296
- IT quality & testing professionals - 5.7% to £39,914
- Agricultural & fishing trades - 6.8% to £25,600
- Taxation experts - 7.5% to £46,272
- Interior designers - 7.7% to £33,274
- Delivery operatives - 10% to £22,193
- Sports coaches, instructors & officials - 10.6% to £23,206
Between April and June, average wage growth including bonuses sat at 8.2%, outdoing the latter month’s consumer price index reading of 7.3%.