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Finding a job that offers regular pay increases, or at least opportunities to advance through the ranks, may be easier said than done.
For many, looking to increase their take-home pay in 2025 might have made it onto their list of New Year’s resolutions.
But it’s not always easy to know which careers currently offer the potential for higher-than-inflation pay increases.
Companies operating in the engineering and manufacturing, technology, law and finance sectors have seen the biggest pay increases in 2024, research shows.
Fabricators and welders were at the bottom of the highest pay rise, Hays data shown exclusively to This is Money reveals, receiving an average rise of 9.5 per cent in 2024. The average salary for these roles is £33,500 in 2024.
This is a pay increase of around £3,000 on the current average salary.
In demand: Welders saw the biggest pay increase: Median salary rose 9.5 percent
Most welders and fabricators enter these jobs by completing an apprenticeship or obtaining certification through an industry body.
Meanwhile, risk inspectors, who earn an average of £55,400, saw a rise of 9.2 per cent, equivalent to an increase of almost £5,000.
To be a risk inspector, you will probably need insurance experience and industry-recognized qualifications or access a graduate scheme after finishing university.
Pam Lindsay-Dunn, chief operating officer at Hays UK and Ireland, told This is Money: ‘Despite a difficult labor market, the UK is still grappling with a critical skills shortage.
‘Our top ten pay increases from 2024 highlight the areas most in need of talent.
“While these positions may not be the highest paying, they clearly show where there is a high demand for qualified professionals.”
‘Engineering roles continue to dominate our pay rise charts, driven by an aging workforce and lack of new entrants to the workplace. In the technology sector, cyber roles are more crucial than ever as organizations strive to protect themselves from risk.
“Traditional skills in finance and accounting remain in demand, and salaries for partially qualified accountants are rising steadily.”
If you’re looking for a career change, like many, it might be worth considering a position that appears to offer generous pay rises.
In fact, research from TotalJobs reveals that up to 42 percent of people are looking for a job or plan to find a new one in 2025, and 13 percent are actively looking for a new position.
Of those looking for a fresh start, data indicates that, on average, they are only considering positions that offer a 13 percent pay increase.
Despite this, the research, which analyzed 10,000 salaries, reveals that UK wages increased by just 2.4 per cent during 2024, less than the average increase of 3.5 per cent in 2023.
The largest salary increase in value terms was given to cyber technology managers. While they received an average pay rise of 8.5 per cent, overall they were earning £100,500 in 2024, meaning they saw an average rise of almost £8,000.
In-house lawyers in commercial and industry who have between seven and 10 years’ experience after qualifying, who typically earn £87,625, and software architects, who earn around £83,444 on average, also saw pay rises of high value, receiving 7.6 percent and 7.2 percent respectively.
Solicitors with just one year of post-qualification experience were only able to get a 7.2 per cent pay rise, although it is still the eighth highest average pay rise.
‘In the legal field, mid-weight and newly qualified lawyers are in high demand, not only in the UK but also in the US, driving up salaries. Overall, employers are doing everything they can to increase salaries to attract and retain talent in this challenging market,” Lindsay-Dunn said.
| Job | Industry | Salary (average 2024) | % Salary increase from 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | fabricator/welder | Engineering/manufacturing | £33,500 | 9.5% |
| 2 | Risk inspector/consultant | Sure | £55,400 | 9.2% |
| 3 | industrial engineer | Engineering/manufacturing | £44,000 | 8.6% |
| 4 | Cyber-technological manager (operational) | Technology | £100,500 | 8.5% |
| 5 | site supervisor | Engineering/manufacturing | £45,000 | 8% |
| 6 | In-house lawyer (7-10 years PQE – commerce and industry) | Legal | £87,625 | 7.6% |
| 7 | Partially qualified accountant (finalist) | Finance | £41,375 | 7.6% |
| 8 | In-house lawyer (1 year PQE) | Legal | £54,000 | 7.2% |
| 9 | Software Architect (Microsoft Stack) | Technology | £83,444 | 7.2% |
| 10 | Contracts Manager | Obtaining | £53,667 | 6.8% |
Meanwhile, industrial engineers and plant supervisors received higher percentage raises despite lower salaries, with employees taking home pay increases of 8.6 percent and 8.0 percent each.
Notably, the jobs that received the highest pay increases weren’t present in the top ten last year either, so it’s not a safe bet that they’ll pay the same in the future.
In 2023, the biggest pay increases were seen by machine learning scientists, who saw an 11.9 percent increase, as well as coding welders, information security architects, energy managers and bolting technicians.
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