Overall, directors and chief executives of major companies saw salaries increase by more than 30%, but the pay of public sector heads rose again this year, bringing the heads of public companies into the salary ranges of the private boardrooms. Financial brokers enjoyed the biggest average pay rise of all professions surveyed. Doctors saw their salaries go up this year as well, making medicine the third best, paid occupation in the country after top-level management. Top civil servants salaries again rose, while lawyers, marketing professionals, communications managers, public sector bosses, and insurance underwriters all earned more than those working in the manufacturing industries.
By the numbers, here are the best career bets in the UK this year:
The Financial Sector
With the rise in worldwide financial markets, brokers and other money managers have had the largest pay boost overall. Recent instabilities in global money markets may have a depressing effect in the coming year, but even so, short of being a corporate executive, the stockbroker career is the fastest track to go. Like brokers, financial managers have shown an overall salary growth driven by the expansion of global money markets.
| Brokers | £94,293 |
| Financial managers and chartered secretaries | £77,931 |
| Finance and investment analysts | £46,718 |
| Financial and accountant technicians | £44,204 |
| Management accountants | £37,868 |
If you are looking to enter this area, you're going to need a solid background in financial markets and a degree from a good business school to really maximize your potential. But the investment will be well worth it.
Going Public
Public servants have shown a large expansion in salaries over this year, especially those managing or working with large national corporations. But there's also a demand for qualified workers in associated areas; senior law and public safety officers, town surveyors and planners and many other careers working for the public good showed growth.
| Local government officers (senior) | £44,755 |
| Fire, ambulance and prison officers (senior) | £43,810 |
| Surveyors (chartered) | £42,487 |
| Town planners | £39,108 |
Entering this area will call for solid training in specialty areas; urban and public planning, local government, and social services. If you like serving the public, you'll find plenty of financial incentives to go with the satisfaction of helping society.
It Still Pays to Go To Medical School
As to be expected, physicians and other medical practitioners are still one of the most successful careers in the UK, with an increase of over 13K this year. As the population ages, expect this area to continue to expand, especially in fields concerned with managing chronic illness and life extension.
| Doctors and other Medical Practitioners | £81,744 |
| Workplace hygiene and safety officers | £30,456 |
As always, this area requires a lengthy investment in medical school and residency. But keep an eye out for opportunities in associated fields, such as medical technologies and medical research, as more and more medical tasks are delegated to non-physician specialists.
Manage Your Career
Management positions in most areas have shown moderate growth and will continue to do so as the demand for international goods and services grows. The top performers in the management area are:
| Managers (mining and energy) | £58,802 |
| Managers (research and development) | £54,950 |
| Managers (marketing and sales) | £54,029 |
| Managers (purchasing managers) | £49,148 |
| Managers (personnel and industrial relations) | £49,717 |
| Managers (advertising and PR) | £48,258 |
| Management consultants and economists | £47,517 |
| Managers (property, housing and land) | £40,678 |
| Managers (construction) | £43,744 |
| Managers (production and works) | £43,569 |
| Managers and owners in other areas | £39,930 |
| Managers (quality assurance) | £37,228 |
Managing teams and getting them to the goal posts is always in demand skill, and with today's emphasis on information technologies over manufacturing, there's lots of room for a successful career in a wide latitude of management areas. While managers in energy technologies and research are still the highest paid, the need for marketing, personnel/human resources, and public relations is still strong, and a good career choice for the aspiring manager to be.
It's—still—the Law
If you're looking for a solid and well-paying career, it's still a good idea to know the law. Legal professionals of all stripes have held steady as one of the higher paid professions in the United Kingdom
| Lawyers, judges and coroners | £52,049 |
| Legal professionals | £50,649 |
Be Professional
The need for specialists is still strong in the UK economy. Engineers of all types are still in demand and current salaries reflect this. The expansion of information technology positions is currently a big market, as businesses continue to improve and expand their computer and information support services. And the area of software professionals is also expanding, as game and online software become a major component of the entertainment world.
| IT strategy and planning professionals | £48,787 |
| Physicists, geologists and meteorologists | £43,000 |
| Engineers (electrical) | £37,916 |
| Engineers (mechanical) | £36,982 |
| Software professionals | £36,651 |
Conclusion
As seen in previous years, private sector jobs involving management or financial transactions have still shown the most consistent rise, with the largest expansion in the brokerage and money management trades. By and large, however, the largest expansion has been in the public sector, with heads of state-run corporations taking home the biggest slice of the financial pie—a whopping 13% over the previous year.
Traditional careers such as medicine, the law, and management are still a strong place for placing your career bets. However, manufacturing and service positions are on the salary decline for the second year in a row, with only highly trained specialty areas such as software, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering pulling in the higher salaries.
