Salary and diversity research shows profession is approaching a sea-change

It isn’t a surprise that architects’ pay levels have dipped in 2020 – what with the double whammy of the pandemic and recession on the back of a subdued 2019. But Richard Waite’s excellent analysis of recent salary data from 9B Careers shows concerning trends beneath the top-line figures, which see pay rates now back at 2016 levels.

According to the research, the gender pay gap is widening. The poll of UK-based architects, architecture staff and technicians shows that men now earn on average £1,485 more than women in the profession, up from £1,326 last year. Female architecture staff with 11-20 years of experience have seen a 6 per cent drop in their average pay over the past year, whereas men with the same experience have seen a nearly 2 per cent increase.

Lower pay makes the profession less attractive for those thinking about a career – and this starts at school age

These are unacceptable numbers for a modern profession. At the same time, there is less financial incentive to qualify to be an architect at all, with the value of gaining your Part 3 in 2020 worth £3,000 – a worrying £500 less than last year.

Both these key findings mean the profession risks going even further backwards in terms of diversity – and that includes socio-economic diversity. Kunle Barker has addressed this important topic, writing: ‘I think we would all agree with the uncomfortable truth: architecture is pale and male,’ he writes, adding: ‘But is there another problem? Is architecture also too posh?’

Well, yes. Lower pay makes the profession less attractive for those at the earliest stages of thinking about a career – and this starts at school age. Lower pay entrenches inequality.

And, with the current shift to home working, now is the time to be vigilant to make sure that diverse voices aren’t pushed out; that diversity of thinking isn’t forgotten. People who are ignored, overlooked and underpaid will eventually move elsewhere, do something else – and they might come back and eat your lunch.

There is huge opportunity and appetite for change. As Pollard Thomas Edwards’ Teresa Borsuk writes: ‘If the pandemic has changed how we work, now is also an opportunity for serious review and recalibration. We should rethink what we as architects do, how we do it, what we do it for, and how we are rewarded. Agile working could help iron out gender pay inequalities. It might be a defining moment for the profession.’ Let’s work towards that.