The importance of knowing your worth

As a nation, we Brits are known for being reserved and modest about many aspects of our lives, with discussions about salaries being one of the great taboo subjects.

But if nobody is discussing their salary, how do people know they’re being paid their worth?

And how do business owners know the packages offered to prospective employees are competitive?

On hand to provide quality – and qualitative – data from across the North East business spectrum is recruitment, HR and training services specialist Jackson Hogg.

Its latest annual Salary Guides shine a spotlight on the firm’s key sectors – engineering, commercial, finance, construction and civil, manufacturing, operations and supply chain, tech, HR and business support – with the latest salary data and expert insight into the health of each area.

Richard Hogg, chief executive and founder of the business, which has offices in Wallsend, Billingham and Leeds, said: “We are the biggest STEM recruitment company in the North East, so it stands to reason we are best placed to offer insight into those sectors.

“Our priority is to ensure clients are competitive and successful in their recruitment endeavours, and one of the best ways we can help them is by letting them know what the market looks like.

“By the very nature of our business we have access to a lot of data, including salary data, for the whole of the north of England.

“Using the guides, clients can benchmark the salaries they offer on a broad basis.

“They are also an opportunity for individuals to check their own package is up to scratch.”

As well as salary data, each guide provides an update on the health of each sector’s recruitment scene and the key events, investments and outside influences that are shaping decisions in the new year.

Jackson Hogg director Fern Couchman, who leads the senior management team and operations across Newcastle and Teesside, says the Salary Guides act as a litmus test as to how competitive businesses are in their respective sector.

She says: “The Salary Guides are our most popular white paper of the year.

“People like to keep their finger on the pulse of the market, and we are in a unique situation as specialists in key STEM sectors in the region.

“That means we are exposed to a lot of live information on a day-to-day basis.

“Each guide is full of qualitative data, but that data is backed up by expert insight from across our team, looking at what’s happened in the past year and what projects have been going on in the region, and how they have impacted salaries and jobs.

“There is also expert insight on niche elements within a specific sector where there are new developments.

“The renewables sector within engineering, for example, is a hot area right now.”

Although the guides offer a useful starting point for businesses and individuals alike who want to know more about salary levels in their sector, Jackson Hogg encourages any firm looking to build a hiring strategy to engage with its sector specialists.

Clients and individuals looking to take the next step in their recruitment journey can work with Jackson Hogg’s team to access deeper, targeted analysis on specific elements and roles in a sector, allowing firms to benchmark against national competition.

The guides also offer an overview of the broader state of recruitment across the North East as we enter 2025.

Richard says: “We no longer have a situation where salaries are going through the roof to attract people.

“The focus at this time is more on the culture of the business and the benefits that businesses can offer to people.

“By that we mean benefits that are out of the ordinary, like enhanced parental leave, private healthcare or working from anywhere – beaches in Santorini included.

“The October Budget, particularly the rise in National Insurance payments, meant many businesses paused to take stock and understand the impact on their recruitment plans.

“But, as we enter 2025, we are seeing green shoots and opportunities opening up across sectors.”

Jackson Hogg

To find out more about Jackson Hogg’s Salary Guides, visit www.jacksonhogg.com/insights

To learn more about the firm’s wider suite of specialist recruitment and outsourced talent services support, visit – www.jacksonhogg.com