CIEEM Publishes 2022 Employment and Salary Survey Report
CIEEM has released its 2022 Employment and Salary Survey, a periodic opportunity to look at how practitioners are fairing in relation to salaries and working conditions. This follows our 2018 Employment and Salary Survey report, which we’ve drawn comparisons to where relevant.
The survey was undertaken at a time when concerns have been raised about working conditions in our profession, particularly in relation to early careers practitioners but with challenges also being experienced more widely at all levels of seniority. Capacity is also an issue with employers in the private sector commentating that they have unprecedented volumes of development-related work and a shortage of suitably qualified staff to deliver it.
The survey was live for 6 weeks in January and February earlier this year, and in total 1828 ecologists and environmental managers completed it, of whom 88.6% were CIEEM members.
The Headlines
CIEEM’s 2022 survey of members’ and non members’ employment, income trends and job satisfaction provides an important benchmark for the profession. Unsurprisingly it reveals a picture of a hard-working, highly motivated and committed workforce but one that is also under significant pressure that is impacting job satisfaction and wellbeing.
- Employment levels and prospects are good. Indeed we have a noticeable shortage of people, especially more experienced people, for the roles available but working hours are long and many employed respondents still contribute un-remunerated time to their employer.
- Salaries, in general, are improving, at least in the private sector and industry although they have gone down for those in academia. Salaries are still below those of the mean UK salary for all occupations. Disappointingly the gender pay gap reported in 2018 has not been addressed and there is evidence that it is increasing.
- Despite the challenges of long, anti-social hours and disappointing pay, job satisfaction levels are good and most respondents would recommend the profession to those looking for an interesting, varied and worthwhile career. Nevertheless there are early signs of a decline in levels of job satisfaction over the past four years and a reduction in the proportion of respondents that would recommend ecology and environmental management to others.