Updated Q2 2026 — 50,000+ salary data points

UK Salary Guide 2026

Comprehensive salary benchmarks across 50+ job functions, updated quarterly from real UK recruitment data. Know your worth before your next move.

Explore Salary Data Download Full Report
£k salary by sector Tech Finance Legal Marketing HR Engineering £78k £72k £68k £74k £58k £65k

Salary Benchmarks by Industry

UK average salaries in GBP (£). Figures represent total base salary excluding bonus and benefits.

Job TitleJuniorMid-levelSeniorDirector / C-Suite
Software Engineer HOT£30,000–£42,000£50,000–£70,000£75,000–£100,000£110,000–£180,000
Data Scientist£32,000–£45,000£52,000–£72,000£78,000–£105,000£120,000–£200,000
Machine Learning Engineer HOT£38,000–£52,000£60,000–£85,000£90,000–£120,000£130,000–£220,000
Product Manager£35,000–£48,000£55,000–£80,000£85,000–£115,000£120,000–£190,000
DevOps / Cloud Engineer£32,000–£44,000£52,000–£75,000£80,000–£108,000£115,000–£175,000
UX/UI Designer£25,000–£36,000£42,000–£60,000£65,000–£90,000£95,000–£150,000
Cyber Security Analyst HOT£30,000–£42,000£50,000–£72,000£78,000–£110,000£120,000–£185,000
QA Engineer£24,000–£34,000£38,000–£55,000£60,000–£80,000£85,000–£130,000
Technical Architect£45,000–£60,000£65,000–£90,000£95,000–£130,000£140,000–£220,000
Job TitleJuniorMid-levelSeniorDirector / C-Suite
Financial Analyst£28,000–£38,000£45,000–£62,000£65,000–£90,000£100,000–£160,000
Investment Banker HOT£45,000–£65,000£80,000–£120,000£130,000–£200,000£250,000–£500,000+
Risk Manager£32,000–£44,000£52,000–£75,000£80,000–£110,000£120,000–£190,000
Compliance Officer£28,000–£40,000£48,000–£70,000£75,000–£105,000£115,000–£180,000
Chartered Accountant (ACA)£25,000–£35,000£42,000–£60,000£65,000–£95,000£100,000–£160,000
Fund Manager£40,000–£58,000£70,000–£100,000£110,000–£160,000£200,000–£400,000+
Financial Controller£38,000–£52,000£60,000–£82,000£85,000–£115,000£125,000–£200,000
Treasury Analyst£30,000–£42,000£48,000–£68,000£72,000–£100,000£110,000–£170,000
Job TitleJuniorMid-levelSeniorDirector / C-Suite
Digital Marketing Manager£24,000–£34,000£38,000–£55,000£58,000–£80,000£90,000–£140,000
SEO Specialist£22,000–£30,000£32,000–£48,000£50,000–£70,000£75,000–£120,000
Performance Marketing Manager HOT£26,000–£36,000£42,000–£60,000£65,000–£88,000£95,000–£150,000
Brand Manager£25,000–£35,000£40,000–£58,000£62,000–£85,000£90,000–£145,000
Content Strategist£22,000–£30,000£34,000–£50,000£52,000–£72,000£78,000–£120,000
Head of Marketing—£55,000–£80,000£85,000–£120,000£130,000–£200,000
Marketing Director (CMO)——£100,000–£140,000£150,000–£280,000
CRM Manager£24,000–£32,000£38,000–£55,000£58,000–£80,000£85,000–£130,000
Job TitleJuniorMid-levelSeniorDirector / C-Suite
Solicitor (Commercial)£30,000–£45,000£55,000–£80,000£85,000–£130,000£150,000–£300,000+
In-House Legal Counsel HOT£40,000–£58,000£65,000–£95,000£100,000–£145,000£160,000–£280,000
Legal Secretary / PA£22,000–£30,000£32,000–£45,000£48,000–£65,000£70,000–£95,000
Paralegal£22,000–£30,000£30,000–£44,000£45,000–£60,000£65,000–£90,000
Barrister (employed)£25,000–£40,000£55,000–£90,000£100,000–£180,000£200,000–£500,000+
IP Solicitor£32,000–£46,000£58,000–£82,000£88,000–£130,000£140,000–£230,000
Employment Lawyer£28,000–£42,000£52,000–£75,000£80,000–£120,000£130,000–£210,000
Legal Director / GC——£120,000–£180,000£200,000–£450,000
Job TitleJuniorMid-levelSeniorDirector / C-Suite
HR Advisor£24,000–£32,000£35,000–£50,000£52,000–£68,000£75,000–£110,000
HR Business Partner£30,000–£42,000£48,000–£68,000£70,000–£95,000£100,000–£155,000
Talent Acquisition Manager HOT£28,000–£38,000£42,000–£60,000£62,000–£85,000£90,000–£140,000
L&D Manager£26,000–£36,000£40,000–£58,000£60,000–£80,000£85,000–£130,000
Reward & Benefits Manager£30,000–£42,000£48,000–£66,000£68,000–£92,000£95,000–£145,000
HR Director / CPO——£90,000–£130,000£140,000–£240,000
Payroll Manager£24,000–£32,000£36,000–£50,000£52,000–£70,000£75,000–£110,000
EDI Manager£28,000–£38,000£42,000–£60,000£64,000–£85,000£90,000–£140,000
Job TitleJuniorMid-levelSeniorDirector / C-Suite
Mechanical Engineer£26,000–£36,000£40,000–£58,000£62,000–£85,000£90,000–£140,000
Civil Engineer£24,000–£34,000£38,000–£55,000£58,000–£80,000£85,000–£135,000
Electrical Engineer£26,000–£36,000£40,000–£58,000£62,000–£85,000£90,000–£145,000
Project Engineer£28,000–£38,000£44,000–£62,000£65,000–£90,000£95,000–£150,000
Structural Engineer£24,000–£34,000£38,000–£56,000£60,000–£84,000£88,000–£140,000
Process Engineer£26,000–£36,000£40,000–£58,000£62,000–£85,000£90,000–£145,000
Engineering Manager—£55,000–£78,000£80,000–£110,000£115,000–£180,000
Chartered Engineer (CEng)£32,000–£44,000£50,000–£70,000£72,000–£100,000£105,000–£165,000
Job TitleJuniorMid-levelSeniorDirector / C-Suite
NHS Doctor (ST1–ST3)£37,000–£48,000£52,000–£68,000£72,000–£110,000£115,000–£200,000
Registered Nurse (Band 5–6)£27,000–£32,000£32,000–£40,000£40,000–£52,000£55,000–£90,000
Clinical Data Manager£28,000–£38,000£42,000–£60,000£64,000–£86,000£90,000–£140,000
Pharmacist£32,000–£42,000£44,000–£60,000£62,000–£80,000£85,000–£130,000
Healthcare IT Specialist£28,000–£38,000£42,000–£60,000£62,000–£85,000£88,000–£140,000
NHS Director——£80,000–£120,000£125,000–£200,000
Radiographer£26,000–£34,000£35,000–£48,000£50,000–£65,000£68,000–£100,000
Physiotherapist£27,000–£34,000£36,000–£50,000£52,000–£68,000£70,000–£110,000
Job TitleJuniorMid-levelSeniorDirector / C-Suite
Estate Agent£18,000–£25,000£28,000–£42,000£45,000–£65,000£70,000–£130,000
Property Manager£22,000–£30,000£32,000–£48,000£50,000–£70,000£75,000–£120,000
Chartered Surveyor (MRICS) HOT£28,000–£38,000£42,000–£60,000£64,000–£90,000£95,000–£160,000
Real Estate Analyst£28,000–£38,000£42,000–£60,000£65,000–£90,000£100,000–£160,000
Property Developer£26,000–£36,000£40,000–£60,000£65,000–£95,000£100,000–£200,000+
Lettings Manager£22,000–£30,000£32,000–£46,000£48,000–£65,000£68,000–£100,000
Asset Manager£30,000–£42,000£48,000–£68,000£72,000–£100,000£105,000–£180,000
Planning Consultant£24,000–£34,000£38,000–£55,000£58,000–£80,000£85,000–£140,000

Salary by Location

Average mid-level salary across major UK cities (all sectors combined)

Average Mid-Level Salary — UK Cities (2026)
London
London
£68,400
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
£51,200
Bristol
Bristol
£48,800
Manchester
Manchester
£46,900
Leeds
Leeds
£44,200
Birmingham
Birmingham
£43,500

* London figures include weighting for financial services and technology sectors which skew higher.

Salary Trends 2024–2026

Average annual salary growth by sector (%)

Sector salary growth — 3 year trend
2024 2025 2026 Technology Finance HR & People

Gender Pay Gap Insight

UK median gender pay gap by sector (2026)

13.2% avg gap
Male median: £52,400
Female median: £45,500

Gap narrowed from 14.9% in 2024. Finance sector has highest gap at 22.1%.

Benefits Benchmarking — % of UK employers offering each benefit

Annual Leave 25+
78%
Hybrid Working
72%
Pension 6%+
65%
Private Health
55%
Annual Bonus
50%
L&D Budget
44%
EV Car Scheme
38%

5 Tips to Negotiate Your Salary in 2026

  • 1Research thoroughly first. Use our salary guide and tools like Glassdoor to build a data-driven case for your target salary before any conversation.
  • 2Anchor with a specific number. Research shows that stating a precise figure (£67,500 rather than "around £65k") signals you've done your homework.
  • 3Negotiate the whole package. If the salary is fixed, push for extra annual leave, a faster review date, remote working, or a sign-on bonus instead.
  • 4Use competing offers ethically. A genuine external offer is your strongest negotiating tool — but only use it if you're genuinely willing to leave.
  • 5Follow up in writing. Always confirm agreed salary and benefits by email before signing anything, to avoid misunderstandings later.

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