The skills shortage is increasing demand for skilled building control professionals as trainees see salaries up to £35,000 per year
Building control salaries also see officers making up to £52,000 per year as a mass exodus leaves the talent pool lacking, according to a report by Carrington West.
The previous year has seen many changes for those in the profession, with the effects still being accounted for a year on.
2024 was a tumultuous year for the profession
Last year saw the sector in the full effects the skills shortage, exacerbated by changes to the Building Safety Regulator framework in April.
The changes were radical, requiring surveyors to register as building control approvers, more oversight and tighter rules regarding high-risk buildings, and introducing duty holders.
With these changes anticipated, the result was many professionals (at the time the average age of which was mid-to-late 50s) decided to retire early, rather than navigate the new assessments of their competency and other challenges for the BSR.
On the flip side, many younger surveyors instead decided to change their career paths, especially for those that have fewer challenges to navigate in terms of regulations. Not to mention the professionals that failed the competency requirements, and so were forced to reassess or change their path entirely.
As such, for a workload that has not changed or has even increased, fewer and fewer professionals remained to tackle it, driving demand to historical highs.
2024 also saw many professionals from approved inspectors return to local authority positions, due to better rates or work-life balance. The public sector saw enhanced salary packages with market factor supplements. This marked a conflicting movement, where normally professionals move from public to private; 2024 saw many more private-to-public movements.
Building control salaries skyrocketed
The result of this competition for talent, as well as the urgency, inflated the rates of many remaining professionals to unprecedented levels.
Especially for senior professionals, Class 3 qualified surveyors and managers specifically saw unrealistic rates.
The rates rose to:
- Trainee: Minimum £24k, maximum £35k, average £29.5k
- Officer: Minimum £35k, maximum £52k, average £43.5k
- Senior: Minimum £46k, maximum £68k, average £57k
- Principal: Minimum £55k, maximum £85k, average £70k
- Manager: Minimum £65k, maximum £105k, average £85k
Looking ahead, Carrington West predict that the issues of 2024 will not ease much into 2025. Competition is expected to remain at a high, and demand will outweigh supply of professionals for the foreseeable future.
This demand is expected to remain or increase due to the Government’s push to construct infrastructure, green initiatives, and housing projects.
As such, the sector’s focus should be on training and development, with upskilling a crucial priority.
Salaries are expected to remain high, with employers needing to offer higher salaries to attract professionals to fill their vacancies.
All these difficulties come at a time when the building control profession is more important than ever, ensuring the structural integrity of buildings, implementing new and appropriate construction techniques, and working towards sustainability in buildings with standards such as LEED or BREEAM.
