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?

Wages in the UK are a shit show in general, the pandemic is only making them worse

It isn't just traditionally lower paid or 'unskilled sectors. I am a pharmacist and am paid the same hourly rate I was as a newly qualified 10 years ago the only saving grace for me is that my part time hours are workable around my young family. There are job vacancies across my company and they wonder why people won't fill them.

I have just interviewed for a civil service position which full time pays what I earn in my part time role. I applied because I want a change so we'll see if I can negotiate upwards if I get it.

It's a job which carries quite a lot of responsibility but they're not willing to pay for the experience necessary. I think it's really poor.

There’s no negotiation in the CS. And I agree wage stagnation has made it an unattractive sector for some.
Am glad I don’t have the stress of some of the rest of you though. At least my disappointing salary is pretty much safe.

It's very disheartening, particularly when you look at the cost of living, especially the extortion that is rent these days. I was on a very low salary when I graduated in 1990 (£7K) but gradually over the years as I got more qualifications, acquired a profession, and changed jobs and employers several times, my salary improved dramatically. Unfortunately I then had to take a couple of years out, and when I came back in to the workforce my salary is now half what I was earning before.

The cost of living is shocking in the UK, and with Brexit on the heels of COVID-19, food is likely to get much more expensive before long. I've kept diaries my entire adult life, including details of how much a supermarket shop costs, petrol costs, etc, and I had a better standard of living on £17K in the early 2000s than I did on £34K in the early 2010s.

In answer to the question, how do we get out of this, I'm not sure we can. We have to wait for demographics to do the job for us, as older people who can afford to retire do so. I'm so sorry for those just leaving school or university in particular, it was bad enough in the 1990s and following 2010, but this is off the scale. And our politicians (whatever colour tie they wear) don't seem to understand or care that not everyone is from a rich background.

It’s been happening for a while actually, but the pandemic has provided both an even greater excuse as well as some good reasons. Has anyone really not noticed the trend in progress for the last 15 years?

As Mara says, the cost of living is shocking, primarily due to the cost of housing and land: that’s also having the same effects on businesses requiring space. Business rates have been going up in the same time span, making businesses uneconomic. In the Midlands markets are failing as well as the high streets. We have got serious problems and most of it comes down to extortionate land prices that no one who needs to work for a living can afford.

@lap90

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.

Yes and for a lot of positions, in addition to the usual things like being reliable and hard-working , presentable, and a team player etc , you now have to "think on your feet" "think out of the box" "have drive and passion" "speak at least three languages" "be familiar with at least xyz Microsoft packages" and the old chestnut "be flexible in terms of travel and work hours" ...then you look at the salary and think "you want all of that for what?

@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?

The large charity that my charity post is funded by have lost something like £170 million pound of fundraised revenue. I'm not even sure my post will be here when funding comes up for renewal.

Wage stagnation appears to have started after the financial crash & maybe was staring to improve but covid has dashed any progress.
It seems to me that unless you are particularly high earner, your only real opportunity to better yourself financially is through inheritance from parents or grandparents who had pretty similar jobs to many of us. The difference being that they could buy a decent property which many of us could not afford today in a similar level job.

I can also, btw, strongly recommend the book “Ill fares the land” by Tony Judt, published 2010, for a rather more in depth discussion of all our socioeconomic problems!

@Member589500

There’s no negotiation in the CS. And I agree wage stagnation has made it an unattractive sector for some. Am glad I don’t have the stress of some of the rest of you though. At least my disappointing salary is pretty much safe.

There is some wriggle room for starting salary in the civil service.

Some departments may invite you to say where in the pay band you think you should be paid (either at interview, or when the formal job offer arrives), depending on your prior experience.

I still regret plumping for the very conservative suggestion of the middle of the band - wasn't expecting the question!

Also, why don’t they advertise salaries for jobs? What is the point of putting together an application, with your CV, and then finding out post interview that the starting pay is £40K when your current job pays £75K? It’s a waste of everyone’s time interviewing in cases like this.

@Blyatiful

Also, why don’t they advertise salaries for jobs? What is the point of putting together an application, with your CV, and then finding out post interview that the starting pay is £40K when your current job pays £75K? It’s a waste of everyone’s time interviewing in cases like this.

This! It always makes me wonder if it means that they would offer different salaries depending on who they interview..

IME sectors that do not advertise salaries for jobs do indeed offer different salaries depending on who they interview.

It is a common practice throughout IT, which was never a unionised sector for instance. Defenders of the practice go on about how it allows flexibility dependent on skills - although how they defend hiring people who do not have all the skills they want I don't know.

It is, very obviously, used to give preferred people higher wages - and preferred people are usually, completely coincidentally of course, friends, relatives, men... the usual bunch. Remember how the release of the BBC wage figures was immediately followed by equal pay lawsuits.

I’ve noticed it too. I applied for a job with a ‘competitive salary’ fairly recently, thinking it would be in the 30-35k range (hour commute, posh area with higher wages, lots of responsibilities). Got called back the next day, the salary was 19k.

Salaries just seem to be getting lower and lower, but rent food are becoming more expensive. I’m not sure how people are supposed to be able to afford to live!

Effectively, the area of the public sector I work in has over the years had pay cuts, through pay freezes and not keeping up with inflation, plus reducing salaries by downgrading posts, but keeping the same work.

Recently, I have seen advertised some Citizens Advice jobs, working at home, where the cost of the telephone calls and rental is to be borne by the employee.

OMG I'm so glad I saw this thread! This has been my experience too recently but thought it was just be a of where I live (SW) & maybe some very crap companies but maybe not.
I'm looking at marketing roles & want a pay increase, have a decades worth of experience but similar roles in other places both public, private & charity are paying not only less than I'm on now for more responsibility but in some cases less than I was on 10+ years ago!
It's the classic Purple Squirrel - Purple squirrel is a term used by employment recruiters to describe a job candidate with precisely the right education, set of experience, and range of qualifications that perfectly fits a job's requirements. - IE it doesn't exist & is willing to work for peanuts!

It's no coincidence that wages stagnated as Britain allowed Freedom of Movement. Wages have barely shifted in 2 decades but everything else has doubled or tripled - rent, Tube fare etc. It got to the point for me that I needed to leave, just to be able to put some savings away.

The 'apprentice' thing is a disgrace and widespread, it's even used by local government departments. Low pay is endemic. It always amazes me that so many people have no comprehension of just how many people work full time for poverty wages, and have no choice.

Government are giving grants or something for people to take on apprentices. I will find a link later.

blog.multiverse.io/the-uk-government-will-pay-bonuses-to-companies-for-hiring-new-apprentices/

There's also a bit of a vicious circle with wages not being enough, so topped up by the govt with tax credits etc of various types, which means there's no onus on the employer top as a fair living wage, so the govt again has to step in.....

Employer to pay a......

Good point. And ever more people reliant on a government...

Yes, I have seen this.