Has anyone else noticed the shockingly bad paid positions at the moment?

[Bubblyliquid]

Just that really.

This time last year (minus two weeks) off the cuff I applied to a similar role at a local charity. They were offering 30K and the interview was ‘postponed’ and never rescheduled.

I’m now looking at the similar roles, more responsibility and they’re between 19-23K.

I got paid more coming straight out of uni.

Is it just me, or is anyone else finding it the same?

Yes, this is happening in lots of industries not just charities.

In 2001, I was earning £25k as PA to the MD of a small-ish company (just over 100 staff). 20 years later, similar jobs seem to be paying less for a higher workload. How does that work?!

Yes, companies will be struggling but lots will be using the pandemic and Brexit to pay less.

Alarming situation.

@Tablegs

Our local pub is quite large and does food as well. They have always employed bar and waiting staff on NMW but I noticed a couple of days ago that they are now advertising some vacancies for when they re-open. Not regular staff as before, but apprentices instead. Presumably so they can pay far less.

I noticed this locally even before the pandemic, little cafes offering apprentices rather than staff. Presumably to cut costs.

@ImAlrightThanx

It's everywhere, and it's disgusting. They know people are desperate and they will be able to hire people for that money.

I agree with this, the problem is people need the jobs so it feels like a vicious circle because someone will take the job for that pay. I'm not sure what the answer is how we can get out of the circle though.

In 2001 I was an HEO in the civil service, not in London. My salary was £27,000. This is still the starting salary for the grade, twenty years later.

I've seen a lot of the apprenticeship thing happen too. But in warehouses picking roles.

They get apprentices in who spend 36 hours a week picking and packing orders. They then spend 4 hours a week doing coursework (print outs provided by the company that gives you the apprentices) about things like 'different ways of communicating in the office', 'how to send an email'.

Regardless of what you're doing in the other 36hours you get the same pointless coursework. As it's just a loophole to allow the company to call it an apprenticeship when in the other 36hours they are clearly working in a job that doesn't require an apprenticeship.

They paid them around £3 an hour and got government funding to cover some of that. Then told them that at the end of the year if they'd performed they'd get a full time job. At the end of the year they never kept a single person and just brought the next bunch of apprenticeships in.

Previously the job had been done by properly paid stuff, who were all made redundant.

As others have said, it's about the skill set required for jobs too. I recently interviewed for a PhD requiring research position for which I was amply qualified, and was offered an entry-level data entry job instead. So sad for those younger and less qualified people for whom the job would have been ideal - how is anyone meant to get a foot on the ladder?

Well imagine being offered £20 a day. I used to work in the hotel industry until I got sense and left. The room attendants routinely work for two/three hours a day without pay. Drove me crazy but that's the culture! I got a phone call on Monday from one of the girls who has been laid off after ten years. She was upset when this happened as she felt she was treated unfairly compared to others. This led to her to having something of an outburst. She is struggling to get another job and assumes she is getting a bad reference. But she has been offered a bed and breakfast, 7 rooms for £20 a day. Initially I choked when she told me but 20mins a room, would be average, so maybe, for now? But Jesus, monthly pay; Christ!

I live in a seaside town where we have a lot of b&b's, small hotels. In the past the cleaning jobs would be filled by GCSE/A level students who would clean 7 rooms on a Saturday morning for £20 but now we have people who need to pay rent/bring up children in these really low paid jobs.

Autumn of 2020 and I applied for a charity role (senior HR) and the advertised salary was much lower than I was on before but was happy with this as it was the sector.

When they offered the role after FOUR stages they offered me £7k less than the advertised salary (which was £10k less than the salary I was on) so £17k less for me overall. I questioned the lesser than advertised and it transpired it was basically to lure candidates in. I declined the job and it was a waste of time for everyone. They continued to advertise the role at the higher rate and being nosy on LinkedIn it took them a few months to get it filled and they took on a HR admin instead.

Salaries have stagnated for a long time largely due to having an unlimited supply of labour. I have never understood why the Labour Party champions mass immigration (especially of low skilled immigrants from very poor countries) when it means that workers will have to compete with a larger pool of individuals for salaries, thereby depressing salaries. Yes, it’s nice to have a diverse country and to appear generous to lots of people. It’s certainly great for businesses who can pay peanuts. However, it is generally shit for salaries.

I am job hunting at the moment and am shocked at the low pay offered right across the public and private sector.

@SwatchIt

Autumn of 2020 and I applied for a charity role (senior HR) and the advertised salary was much lower than I was on before but was happy with this as it was the sector.

When they offered the role after FOUR stages they offered me £7k less than the advertised salary (which was £10k less than the salary I was on) so £17k less for me overall. I questioned the lesser than advertised and it transpired it was basically to lure candidates in. I declined the job and it was a waste of time for everyone. They continued to advertise the role at the higher rate and being nosy on LinkedIn it took them a few months to get it filled and they took on a HR admin instead.

I've had this too.

Job advertised at £35k. Made me jump through various hoops; telephone interview, two interviews in person then kept me on hold while they presumably were looking for another candidate. Eventually offered me the job for £30k. I was more than qualified for the role with a LOT of experience. I pushed them on the £35k and got a mumbled excuse. I turned the job down based on the salary and the messing me about. This was a large budget hotel chain beginning with T.....

This government, the previous government do nothing to protect the exploitation of unskilled workers. There may be laws but it is up to the individual worker to assert their rights. Trying to do that is the fastest route to misery and unemployment. What would be far more helpful would be workplace inspections. A check on custom and practice, a few simple questions answered directly by workers would highlight exploitation. Prosecution and fines would soon change this culture. This would lead to an increase in PAYE.

Many businesses will have made losses this year, and charaties experienced excess expenditure. Most will not have the funds to pay higher wages, even if they would like to. Its a case of sink or swim.

@Kezzie200

Many businesses will have made losses this year, and charaties experienced excess expenditure. Most will not have the funds to pay higher wages, even if they would like to. Its a case of sink or swim.

Many will also use it as an excuse to keep salaries the same or pay less though.

It's how the majority of businesses works. Pay the minions as little as possible.

I had not noticed this but agree it is a bad situation and feel for those unemployed or about to enter the job market this year.

How are we going to have money to spend in shops, hospitality and the travel industry if pay is so low?

This makes sense of my recent evperience too. Applied for a job in a charity that had a massive remit and responsibility, £30k salary. I know that sounds a lot compared to others mentioned above, but it was a piss take.

@Donotfeedthebears

How are we going to have money to spend in shops, hospitality and the travel industry if pay is so low?

Agreed. I have threads that I look back on, or am thinking about my response. Suddenly, some of those threads are looking hopelessly out of date already.

I expressed something similar to friends.

I'm looking for another job and shocked at how low the salaries are and how it's expected people are able to survive on it.

It’s also what happens when millions are redundant. In some sectors there will be plenty looking for jobs. No wonder nursing is now vastly over subscribed! Better starting salaries, pay progression, decent pension and no threat of redundancy! Even with a “pay cut” others are significantly worse off. Public sector jobs are mostly holding their pay.

A nurse of my grade is paid 20% less in real terms (I.e. compared to the rate of inflation) than they were a decade ago. Its a huge pay cut.

Don't try and make nurses the enemy here, we should all be fighting together for better pay and conditions.

At my place - large high street / on line retailer, warehouse job, the current managers have all been demoted to the same grade as an operative.

So basically £9.10 an hour for managing people - these jobs paid £24k before this, already a low salary IMHO for considerable responsibility and a lot of pressure from upper management.

Needless to say, there is uproar...the company have done extremely well during lockdown...they are not struggling, it's pure opportunism.

The grad scheme I did has a lower starting salary than when I did it over a decade ago. Housing costs have obviously gone up massively since then. The quality of life I had in my 20s was much better than the graduates I see now.

Many businesses will have made losses this year, and charaties experienced excess expenditure. Most will not have the funds to pay higher wages, even if they would like to. Its a case of sink or swim

Not usually for the CEOs though