IT professionals in the South of England earn as much as 20% more than Northern counterparts in the same roles, according to research from IT recruitment firm CV Screen.
The study found the North-South divide had widened since the company’s last research two years ago, but that people were still reluctant to move regions in the hope of landing better money.
CV Screen analysed pay scales for 1,000 jobs in various IT industry roles – from software developers to support staff – and found that, predictably enough, London enjoyed the highest rates of pay.
People are reluctant to move and although there are more jobs in London, with better rates of pay there’s also a lot more competition, so it can be a risk
Staff in the capital earned 14% more than the national average, while workers in the North West earned 7% less than the norm.
The South East had seen the biggest increase in wages, as demand for recruits pushed earnings upwards. “When we look into the regional variations, it is the South East that sees the greatest change,” said Matthew Iveson, CV Screen managing director. “In 2008, salaries in the South East were 3% higher than the UK average – in 2010 it shot up to 10.1%.”
Although the discrepancy in earnings reflects regional variations in the cost of living, Iveson was surprised by how few people packed their bags and headed south in search of their fortunes.
“You’d have thought that people would be more willing to move, but actually because in the UK we have such a high proportion of home ownership it can stop that flexibility,” Iveson told PC Pro.
“People are reluctant to move and although there are more jobs in London, with better rates of pay there’s also a lot more competition, so it can be a risk.”
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