Salary survey
Exciting opportunities for graduates - careers in purchasing and procurement
The procurement profession has undergone a major transformation over the last few years and now provides an exciting opportunity for graduates who want to have a real impact on business.
Salaries obviously reflect experience, qualifications and ability, so graduates entering the profession need to prove themselves by showing a willingness to learn, independent thinking and determination.
The latest CIPS - Croner Reward salary survey shows that procurement and supply professionals get paid more than peers in marketing, finance, IT and human resources. CIPS members get a further boost, earning up to £1,500 more than non-members.
A 2.5% average increase is reported across the board (down from last year's 3.3% average), with all levels receiving more apart from heads of function who stayed the same as last year.
The gap between male and female purchasing professionals has almost disappeared across all posts except at director level. There remains a 13% pay gap between male and female directors, an improvement on last year's figure of 22%.
Generally, pay levels in the service sector were higher than the public sector, apart from senior clerical staff where the gap has widened further. Regional variations were similar to last year. London offered the highest salaries and the North East the lowest. Bonus payments averaged at £2,500 – up from last year.
Time pressures were even greater in 2009 with hours worked have risen across the board. The average purchasing director does between 51 and 60 hours a week, with senior and middle managers working 40-45 hours a week. Junior managers, who made up around 50% of the total respondents, work between 40 and 45 hours a week. Fewer hours were generally worked in the public sector than in the private sector.
Of those who responded, 54% said they experienced good or excellent job satisfaction. In the public sector, 15% of procurement and supply professionals said they felt secure in their positions, this figure dropped to 8% in the private sector.
The survey was conducted between October and December 2009, and a free summary is available to members
The full report is available for £180 to anyone who participated in the study, for £360 to CIPS members, and £440 for non-members. Call 01785 813 566 to order.
