Salary Survey

SITC Salary Survey 2024

Help Us Define Industry Standards and Find Out if You Are Being Paid Fairly in 2024

We now look towards the 2024 Salary Survey and what new trends it will uncover in the business support job market. Help us define industry standards by taking part in the latest Salary Survey today.

Complete the 2024 Salary Survey

  • SecsintheCity 2023 Salary Survey Insights

    In our 2023 Salary Survey, we spoke with over 1,500 business support professionals who shone a light on salaries, bonuses, and benefits. It was revealed that 60% of our survey respondents received a salary increase in 2023, up 36% from the previous years’ figures. Exactly 53% of our audience were awarded a bonus and 66% of participants had a hybrid working schedule, something that 30% of our audience said they valued most in a job.

    For more of our salary insights, read the full SecsintheCity 2023 report here, and benchmark your salary against the industry average for job title, sector and location.

  • Salaries by Job Title

    Previously, respondents in Private PA jobs topped our pay table for the second year running, with average salaries rising to £55,179 - a 9% annual increase. Following closely behind, those in EA jobs reported an average salary of £51,274, an increase of 3% from the year before.

    Other success stories included average salary increases for those in Office Manager jobs (up 9% to £43,759) and Facilities who had the highest upswing in pay, with an 18% annual increase, averaging £39,643 per year.

    The report showed that 60% of respondents received a pay rise in 2023, up 36% from 2022, showing the demands of a candidate-driven market on employers. Our survey revealed over 60% of individuals in EA jobs and PA jobs received a salary boost in 2023. Respondents in Legal Secretary jobs also had a positive result with 71% getting a pay rise, bringing the average legal secretary salary up to £41,280.

    Salary by Job Title
  • Salaries by Tenure

    Loyalty from business support professionals reached an all time high with 32% marking a 10-year milestone at work. 41% had held their role for 20+ years, and 32% had hit their 1 year anniversary. In 2023, we asked respondents aged 50+ if they had considered retirement. A notable 56% of our audience had contemplated their retirement age, with just shy of half looking to retire in the next 5-10 years.

  • The Stats by Sector

    Our audience come from an array of sectors, with almost a quarter of survey respondents (23%) working within Banking and Finance, retaining its top spot year-on-year, with a 5% annual growth since 2018. 10% of our respondents worked in Legal jobs, alongside 8% in Technology jobs – a sector sporting a notable 33% increase from the preceding report.

    With an average salary of £53,209, a 2% pay increase on 2022’s figures, support professionals in Private PA jobs were once again our highest earners. Despite income falling by 2% in the Banking and Finance sector, it retained its reputation as the second most lucrative industry, with an average salary of £50,287.

    Interrupting the usual rhythm, Technology climbed from 7th place to 3rd with a 10% increase year-on-year, and Marketing jumped from 19th place to 6th - a 34% boost from the year before.

    Those in HR jobs are also a success story moving from 13th position to 8th, with an 11% salary boost from 2022. HR professionals had seen the biggest annual growth across the past five years, rising 7% on average.

    In 2023, public sector workers saw a minor pay decrease and across the past five years, those working in public sector roles saw the lowest annual salary growth, rising by just 1% per annum.

    Salary by Sector
  • Earnings by Location

    Nationally, London retained its top spot in the location table, with the 5% increase in average salary, exceeding the 4% long term average annual growth, detailed since 2018. The breakdown of salaries across the capital lent itself in favour of East London, with a soaring 36% increase on the previous year’s figures, the average salary stood at £49,250 per annum.

    Elsewhere, the Midlands presented the largest increase in 2023 with a 33% increase, boosting the 7% annual salary growth for the region.

    Aside from the North-West revealing a boost from £33,947 to £38,750, other regions across the UK saw a subtle dip in average wage. Wales stood at -6%, despite it’s 7% average annual growth, and Scotland at -8%, with a less precipitous annual growth rate of -1%.

    Salary by Location
  • Hybrid Working

    2023 saw a surge in hybrid working, with 66% of respondents adopting a hybrid structure, compared to 27% in 2022.

    The breakdown of office-home days across our audience demonstrated:

     • 42% of respondents spent 1-2 days in the office
     • 41% conducted 3-4 working days in the office
     • 8% went onsite once or twice a month
     • 9% were working on a fully remote model

    76% of EAs and Legal PAs/Legal Secretaries had a hybrid working arrangement, followed by 75% of Marketing Assistants and 70% of HR Professionals.

    For our London based respondents, 68% had a hybrid working arrangement. The North-East occupied the lowest rate, with 43% of respondents offered a hybrid policy.

  • The Multi-boss Movement

    49% of our audience worked for multiple managers, and were taking around £6,000 less than the 22% of respondents who reported supporting one single executive. There is, however, a notable 5% pay rise from the preceding year’s report, with multi-boss professionals earning £41,300 on average.

    A turnaround from 2022, wherein one-to-one professionals saw the greatest salary growth, respondents supporting three people saw the highest pay increase of 6% to £44,505 per annum.

    Those supporting C-suite executives, were once again our highest earners with an average salary of £52,571 per annum, however, the highest long-term growth rate lent itself to professionals supporting a Manager / Head of Department, with a steady escalation of 4% year-on-year.

    Salary by people supported
  • Bonuses by Job Title and Sector

    For the first time since 2018, more people than not (53%) received a bonus. Exceeding pre-Covid levels, the encouraging trend represented a significant turnaround across a three-year timeframe, following the bonus deficit of 2021.

    Whereas 2022 we saw employers taking a conservative approach, respondents receiving a 0-2% top up in 2023 decreased to 27% from 34%, with those accepting a 3-5% bonus increasing to 25%, and a lucky 13% receiving a 6-9% perk.

    Sitting amongst the highest earners, Legal PAs enjoyed the pinnacle bonus spot. A 47% uplift from 2022 figures, 78% received an average bonus of 4% or more. Furthermore, those in EA jobs accounted for 63% of bonuses across the board, a 46% uplift from 2022, followed by 54% of PAs and 52% of HR Professionals. On average, EAs received a 6% bonus, compared to 5% for PAs.