Customer Service Workers Worst Paid in the UK; Resulting in Sector Professionals Heading North for Better Quality of Life
Customer service professionals are the worst paid sector according to data from the UK’s largest job site, CV-Library. This news follows revelations that the sector’s average salary has decreased year-on-year.
Based on new roles advertised on CV-Library, the job site revealed that the average annual salary for a customer service job role has dropped 4% from £20,831 in Q3 2014 to £19,992 in Q3 2015. This is the lowest across all sectors and 36.8% lower than the nation’s average income of £31,625 per year.
Further research revealed that in order to survive on the minimal wages, customer service workers will be forced to seek work in the north of country. Premium costs in the south of the nation put customer service workers at a disadvantage, meaning those working in the north of the country have more disposable income and ultimately, a better quality of life.
Comparing the same basic living costs against the average monthly salary of £1,666 in 16 of the UK’s key cities revealed how customer service workers in the south are struggling to get by:
| City | Monthly Costs | Disposable Income |
|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | £862 | £804 |
| Hull (Kingston upon Hull) | £864 | £802 |
| Glasgow | £891 | £775 |
| Sheffield | £914 | £753 |
| Aberdeen | £917 | £749 |
| Leeds | £919 | £747 |
| Birmingham | £921 | £745 |
| Cardiff | £924 | £742 |
| Manchester | £951 | £715 |
| Portsmouth | £953 | £713 |
| Southampton | £1,035 | £631 |
| Exeter | £1,040 | £627 |
| Edinburgh | £1,167 | £499 |
| Bristol | £1,207 | £459 |
| Brighton | £1,348 | £318 |
| London | £3,313 | -£1,647 |
*Basic monthly costs include rent (small, one-bed flat, located close to the city centre), relevant council tax, a local monthly travel card, basic utility bills and groceries.
The results show that London-based customer service workers are unable to afford the same quality of life as those based in Scotland and Northern England, forcing them to make major compromises to their living standards.
“It’s tough for most UK workers to survive in London with the sky-high cost of living, but it’s especially hard for customer service who are facing low, and dropping, wages,” comments Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library.
“With so many skilled workers outside of the capital both businesses and professionals alike should consider opportunities in more cost-effective locations across the UK.”
Additional Information
CV-Library is one of the UK’s largest online job sites and attracts over 3.5 million unique job seekers every month. Founded by Lee Biggins in 2000, CV-Library is the UK’s leading independent online job board with a database of over 9.3 million CVs.For additional information visit the CV-Library Website
For additional information visit the CV-Library Website
