Source:&nbsp Shutterstock The latest Pay 100 survey shows an 'unusually high' number of people are leaving architecture for better opportunities, according to its organisers The anonymous architecture salary survey, now in its third year, published its 2024 results online today (1 November).This years survey, which received around 1,000 submissions, brings unexpected findings in the form of unusually high reports of talented employees sadly leaving the profession. The architecture salary advocate organisation said it had received reports of people leaving the profession in parallel with its data collection, adding that economic opportunity [is] playing an undeniable role in the exodus.The activist-led initiative, which aims to drive fairer pay for those in the earlier stages of an architecture career, has also decided to reveal the names of every practice it collected data on this year, not just the top 100, as well as their practice locations.AdvertisementThe organisers said the decision to publish locations was made following numerous requests from survey participants, and led to the subsequent decision to reveal the names of all 484 practices, as many locations outside London fall beneath the top 100 listed practices.In a statement, Pay 100 said: This was not an easy decision to make, as we have always sought to celebrate the top paying practices and create an incentive for financial improvement, as opposed to shaming those who fall lower down in each published list.Results of the survey are made public online, on Pay 100s salary-based competitive leader board of practices.The table shows reported average salaries as well as reported unpaid overtime within many of the UKs most prominent practices, including Foster + Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Hawkins\Brown, Buckley Gray Yeoman and dMFK.The survey results are split into three categories: Part 1 architectural assistant (less than three years), Part 2 architectural assistant (less than three years) and architect/architectural designer (less than five years), and salaries are given as a mean average of the submissions.AdvertisementOrganisers said this years data recorded a marked increase in reported salaries for architects and architectural designers, though no significant improvement for Part 1 and Part 2 positions.Reported salaries ranged between 21,000 and 33,500 for Part 1 assistants, between 24,500 and 42,000 for Part 2 assistants, and between 27,000 and 54,000 for architects/architectural designers.Updated thresholds have left an increased number of practices falling below living wage requirements for Part 1 Architectural Assistant wages, according to Pay 100.For Part 1s, half (27 of the 54 firms whose Part 1s reported their salaries) are paying less than the UK living wage, according to information submitted by their staff. Living wage currently stands at 13.15 per hour in London and 12.00 per hour in the rest of the UK.Pay 100 said: We are still optimistic about the power of co-operation, and continue to welcome collaboration from the ARB, RIBA and practices across the profession.It urged practices falling below living wage levels to reconsider the value and living standards of their employees, as required by the RIBA, adding: We sincerely hope this data will be used as inspiration for progression going forward.Pay 100 was launched by a group of anonymous activists in summer 2022 to inspire wage transparency in the hope of driving up salaries across the industry.Pay 100s manifesto and aspirationsEncouraging financial improvement across the entire profession.Incentivising practices to compete financially to attract the best talent.Reducing potential fee-undercutting between practices, so those who truly value their employees are more likely to win work, and in turn become more profitable.Encouraging wages to begin to keep up with inflation.Combating pay inequality.Providing a tool for recruitment professionals that actually appeals to potential employees, therefore allowing said potential employees to specifically target applications towards the most financially desirable prospective employers.Encouraging healthy role promotion within practices, so as those who have invested significant time in their role are compared less against others under the same title.Helping employers improve the success of their business via more satisfied employees and increased staff retention.2024-11-01Anna Highfieldcomment and share