To think this is a rubbish salary increase over 10 years?

[flyingtartar]

I found a payslip from 10 years ago this morning and it revealed the depressing news that my net take home pay is just £600 more now than it was then. During that time I have been promoted 3 times and reached the top of my grade. I had me children before then so there have been no gaps in that period. Of course my tax and pension contributions have increased, but £600??!! I am in a public sector career and have little prospect of further promotion as the next step up is a big one that few make and I’m not sure I would even want to. I feel better off as there’s no childcare costs anymore and no useless ex to support, but it seems such a paltry amount of progress over a long period.

AIBU or do I need a shake?

Can you move into the private sector with your skills/qualifications?

In the last 10 years (private sector, London) I've gone from £30k to £78k.

With public sector, it's all about the pension though isnt it?

My friend gets 17% of salary put in by the NHS.

I started on 12k a year. 25 (!!!) years later (in the same job - but with promotions) I'm now on 49k.

Not sure about the 10 year mark.

No it's not too bad OP

It’s better than mine, by at least two thirds

That is bad. If it makes you feel better, in the private sector in London I earned more in my mid twenties with little experience, than I do now with 30 years of experience. Rent/utilities/public transport have probably increased 200% since then.
I notice that retail and hospitality jobs haven't risen more than a couple of pounds an hour since my twenties. I earned £6-£8 per hour as an office temp after university. Similar entry temp roles are £8-12 in London now. 25 years of suppressing pay.

£600/m seems like a lot to me. But then, mine has gone down over that time. Now that's demoralising.

This is genuinely though of as bad?? I must be very naïve.

I am a civil servant. I got a yearly increment as a pay rise for 11 years, but despite being at the same grade for the past 14 years, I am currently on just under the same take home pay as when I started, and that's also despite going from the bottom to the top of the pay scale. We had pay cuts for the last recession which will officially be finally restored later this year, but an additional pensions charge and taxes added so my actual take home pay is less in real terms than When I started in this grade - due to inflation over that period. (As in I can buy less now than I could when I first got promoted with the same money ).

Your salary increase is about equal to my salary. I don't think you're doing too badly.

Social worker? If so you can do it privately. But you have had an 11k increase. The tax man takes money don't 4get

You have moved to the top of your grade rather than increased grades, so I assume they were not major promotions. If that is correct, it seems an ok increase, it has kept ahead of inflation anyway.

I think you are wrong. It’s quite a lot of money. If it was p/a then maybe I’d agree. But £600 per month. That’s a lot of money.

In The last 10 years my pay went up a total of £5500 gross but I was made redundant twice during that period and had to take a pay cut each time just to get back into work. I've recently been made redundant again and my salary has again dropped by £5k per annum as I'm currently temping

Compare that to the US where professions are properly rewarded.

Mmm... I dunno. Not so simple. I just filed my 2020 US tax return. I had equivalent of $39.5k as earned income, which is coincidentally the same as median individual income in my home state. But for a "professional" (I imagine I must be, my job requires PG degree(s)) it's arguably peanuts. Thing is, I have a very good standard of living on my 'peanuts' wage, because i am in UK, but my step-sister & husband on similar household income are struggling financially in our home-state. I suspect I could earn more there, but not be any better off materially. Property taxes are insane, for a start.

Just to depress you all further, don't forget that what's left after NI, income tax and pension isn't the real figure anyway because you've got another tax on top of that too ie council fucking tax. So if you're on minimum wage that's another at least 10%-15% going to the government - albeit local - before you even get to real take-home.

I would be very happy with 49k and think 11k increase over 10 years isn’t that bad
During similar period I had a 5 year pay freeze
Can’t comment on increase relative to promotions though as it would depend on responsibility levels, skills needed, job description, if you line manage others etc

It's £11k gross though. It works out a lot less with thresholds etc. Eg assuming pension contributions of 15%, it's more like a £6k increase which is a less than 16% increase ie just over 1.5% a year which definitely doesn't cover the cost of living increase we've had in the last 10 years.

I think that's a decent increase to be fair. It really depends on many variables. I'm not sure of take home pay but I started my career on £20k in 2011, now on £31k. I've had 2 kids in that time which has definitely impacted my salary as my career progression slowed for a few years. I think I'd be on high 30s by now if I didn't have kids.

Well, different views I guess. I do appreciate I'm fortunate compared to many, but, without wishing to offend anyone, I would expect to be better off having stayed in one career and been successful in it, and worked in a sector where thankfully there haven't really been cuts, compared to someone who has been through redundancies.

Compared to 10 years ago I have a tonne of extra responsibility, and, annoyingly, more so than people in my current role had 10 years ago. I line manage 11 people and back then I line managed no one, for example. I am in a leadership role now and wasn't then, so it seems that it's not a commensurate raise. I do love my job though and am also thankful for my pension so there's that. I also had a pay freeze for a good 5 years or more, though I went up grades and roles in that time. The increase I have is from a combination of incremental raises and promotion.

It's mainly that when I look back on my 10 years ago self skipping off to work £600 doesn't seem a lot compared to what I have to contend with now!

I,m top band 6 and I compared my take home to a pay slip 10 years ago because of pay freezes , sub inflation pay rises, no longer being opted out of serps, increases in pension contributions and now being charged to park at work I take home the same I did 10 years ago.

Wish mine had gone up that much!

YABU

You are incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to progress and earn more. NHS pay and progression is slow and steady. You will probably never be made redundant and your holiday entitlement and pension provision pretty much outstrips most people in private sector.

I say this as someone who has worked in private sector and latterly NHS. The majority of my NHS colleagues assume that private sector is a magical land where people earn huge salaries, enjoy annual payrises, take two hour lunch breaks and never have to do a jot of overtime. The reality is far tougher than the NHS for most. Salaries just haven't risen for years. God forbid if you are made redundant and try to find a job on the same salary. It seems the majority of people have to take a paycut to get back on the ladder.

Unless you were incredibly lucky, you would have to graft at least as hard if not harder to earn £49k in private sector in a management or technical role with specialist knowledge. That salary level is qualified accountant territory where I live.