Many London architecture firms not paying London Living Wage

The majority of the London-based studios in The Pay 100‘s fifth annual salary survey are not paying Part I architectural assistants the London Living Wage, as required by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). An engineering firm has topped the leaderboard for the average salaries for UK architects, according to a survey conducted by the anonymous group The Pay 100. Engineering firm tops architect salary leaderboard Published over the weekend, the survey provides rough figures only based on the mean figures submitted by respondents. This year’s data collected the annual salary of 127 firms in the UK and the mean number of hours of unpaid overtime per week. Topping the leaderboard with the highest average annual salary for architects with less than five years’ experience is BakerHicks, an engineering and design firm, which paid £72,000. Second on the list is London studio Hopkins Architects at £63,700, and joint third at £56,300 are London practices Samuel Chisholm Studio and Thomas Alexander Design. The survey also presented figures for Part I and Part II architectural assistants. Transport for London had the highest wage for Part II roles at £44,000, followed by Foster + Partners at £42,000. Majority of London firms not paying London Living Wage The results for Part I roles included salaries from 30 studios, 21 of which were based in Greater London. Only the top four studios on the leaderboard – Haworth Tompkins, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Studio McW and Studio PDP – paid more than the London Living Wage of £32,136, which RIBA declared a requirement for relevant offices. Twelve of the 30 studios were paying Part I roles less than the £29,328 UK Living Wage. Low wages “a threat to the future of the profession” Alongside its survey data, The Pay 100 wrote an open letter to RIBA, asking it to take action on the financial wellbeing of those working in the architecture industry and to ensure the long-term future of the profession. “Our aim has always been to create tangible financial incentives for employers to improve pay, empower employees to make informed career decisions, and encourage a healthier, more sustainable profession,” said The Pay 100 in the letter. “We recognise that architecture practices operate within a highly competitive market, often under significant financial pressure themselves,” it continued. “Nevertheless, the commercial challenges facing practices should not prevent the profession from addressing the deteriorating conditions experienced by many employees.” “Poor financial conditions for staff are not merely an employment issue; they are a threat to the long-term health, resilience and future of the profession.” It went on to set out two courses of action it called for RIBA to take: establishing “meaningful minimum salaries” for RIBA chartered practices, and taking full ownership of The Pay 100 and its annual salary survey. The Pay 100 said a framework of minimum salary levels should be established across different architecture roles, increasing year-on-year in line with inflation. “A profession cannot sustainably advocate for the value of its services while leaving the financial conditions of its workforce to market pressures alone,” it said. “The RIBA should take a leading role in addressing this imbalance.” After five years of aiming to improve pay transparency with its annual surveys, The Pay 100 wants RIBA to take ownership of the survey and commit resources to it, developing it into an industry-wide initiative. “We believe that improving pay transparency across UK architecture should be a core responsibility of the profession’s leading membership body,” said The Pay 100. “Under the RIBA’s stewardship, the survey could benefit from significantly greater reach, sustained institutional support and broader participation across the profession,” it continued. “This would provide a foundation for more comprehensive salary data, stronger engagement between employers and employees, and meaningful progress towards better financial conditions throughout the industry.” The Pay 100 ended its letter by asking for a public response from RIBA by 1 December As part of Dezeen’s Performance Review series, we investigated how architecture fees became so low and the impact this has on professionals. Read more