Is the salary gap between London and the rest of the UK closing?

When you think about jobs in the fashion industry, you probably imagine a big fancy building in a city like London and New York, with glamorous women dressed head-to-toe in designer clothing. There’s no wonder it can feel intimidating. However, we’re fortunate to live in a time where the industry is more inclusive than ever, favouring diversity and talent over social status. And, you don’t have to move to the big city to find that dream job, you can find it much closer to home – and with the dream salary to match. Here’s the reasons why London salaries are no longer as tempting as they used to be…

-The demand for jobs is higher than ever right now: In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot of jobs out there right now, and less candidates than usual looking for them. The dreaded pandemic has made people uncertain about changing roles – or they may have recently already done so, meaning that they’re reluctant to look for a new challenge. Plus, successful candidates may well have other offers on the table, putting them in a strong position to negotiate a higher salary – regardless of where their reporting location may be.

  • The current cost of living: At the moment, the average London monthly salary is £2,410.86. In Manchester, it’s £2,121.30 – not a huge difference. However, when you compare the cost of rent, a one bed flat in London can be listed as £1,572, whereas in Manchester it’s just £435. For someone living alone, that’s a massive difference in spare change – and that’s not including things like bills and council tax. Whilst many people in London do choose to cohabit, be it with a roommate or partner, rent more often than not eats into a massive chunk of their take-home salaries – and we aren’t even thinking about the social aspects of city living!
  • People (sometimes) no longer need to be in an office: We’ve spoken a lot about how the future of the working world looks – and one thing is for sure, you no longer need to be tied to a big city five days a week. With many smaller companies not renewing their tenancies at office spaces in places like London, and instead seeking out short term memberships, London is no longer the employment hub of the UK. Plus, as we realise the opportunity throughout the country, companies are considering multiple bases in different cities in order to have a strong, inclusive national presence.
  • These days, salary is more than just a figure: As we’ve touched on previously, the events of the past couple of years have made us all rethink what our priorities look like, and how we make best use of our time. Work/life balance has become valuable to us all, as well as benefits such as health insurance, pension contribution and other perks (that are more than just a MacBook). For companies to be successful, their packages need to be more than just a figure, they need to encapsulate the whole lifestyle of a potential candidate – and that’s something that every company can do – not just the big leagues in the capital.