Vox Pop

With reference to our 2001 Salary Survey, what in your experience is the current situation with recruitment and salaries in design and how do you see it going?

‘Salaries have remained steady throughout the course of this year with the emphasis tending to be on rewards in the shape of bonuses rather than salary increases. Loyalty and hard work are still key factors in staff retention as a consultancy is only as strong as the people in it.’

Paula Carrahar, Director, Major Players

‘There has been a significant downturn within the design sector. We are currently overwhelmed with highly skilled candidates looking for employment. This looks set to continue up until Christmas, if not beyond. On the plus side, salaries in design for print do not seem to have been affected, but our digital media contract staff say most clients are looking at paying 15 to 20 per cent less than last year for freelance candidates.’

Lisa Gray, Design for print manager, RecruitMedia

‘With the pending economic slowdown the creative industries seem to be suffering, hence the lack of new positions. The higher salaries in the digital media sector have taken a dive. Where senior candidates were looking for £80 000 a year, they now are happy with accepting a salary in the region of £30 000. It’s a sign of the times and hopefully it won’t last.’

Steve Crompton, Managing director, Desktop People

‘Recruitment now is mainly undertaken to replace a team member who has left rather than to expand. The exception being in business development, where we saw a great deal of activity in the first six months of this year. This continues now, although to a lesser degree. Salaries will rise, but only in line with inflation, or very slightly above inflation, over the next six months – and, unfortunately, salary levels for new recruits have not risen since 2000.’

Kim Crawford, Managing director, Periscope

‘Although we are experiencing a huge influx of creative talent looking for employment there is still a specialist skills shortage. This means some consultancies are opting to tempt “rare skills” designers with higher salaries, bonus schemes and benefits. It is also important to stress that a healthy salary alone is not always a priority for many candidates.’

Amanda Hayman, Recruitment manager, Piper

Creative