Bulging pay packets and the prospect of more lolly if you decide to move on to a rival firm - is there a better time to be a young or middle ranking QS or project manager than right now?

The results of the survey carried out by QS News, and revealed in full on our new jobs website qsnews4jobs.co.uk, finds over two thirds of QSs receiving a pay rise of more than 3% with nearly 20% receiving an increase of more than 9%. Of the PMs surveyed 60% were getting raises over 3%. And on top of this there is the prospect of a golden hello when joining a new employer, an increasing trend in the sector - see page 10.

The answer to the question is yes and no. A more transitory working life is certainly boosting salaries and probably leading to more varied experience and culture across different firms. The downside to this is an increase in stress and a worse work-life balance, highlighted as a major concern by respondents to the survey. Another concern was more uncertainty over when to retire and quite how much your pension will offer. So more short-term gain appears to be had out there, but at the potential expense of long-term pain.

The digital implosion

The industry's reluctance to take up new technology is confirmed by the latest survey carried out for the RICS by its cost arm the BCIS - see page 9. Most QSs are still sending and receiving tenders via lever arch files rather than the web, a depressing fact given the general consumer explosion of web use in the last couple of years. This is clearly not just the fault of the QS profession. Hopefully acceptance of the advantages of going digital will lead to swift action.

Source

QS News