Design industry productivity up amid ‘green shoots’, survey shows

The latest edition of the Marketing Monitor, by accountant KingstonSmithW1, shows that productivity – as measured by gross income per head – is up to an average of £101,788 among design consultancies surveyed.

This is the best performance since December 2012 and up 2 per cent from the previous Marketing Monitor at the start of the year.

The latest report also shows that staff levels have remained consistent in the design industry, but that operating profit per head has decreased from the last report.

KingstonSmithW1 puts this down to ‘previously reported results enhanced by some one-off reductions in overheads’.

The account says, ‘The results suggest that consultancies have made positive progress to enhance billings to clients and to maximise income per head.’

It adds, ‘Further opportunities to advance performance should present themselves with the general state of the economy improving and the appearance of some long awaited “green shoots”.

‘However, to counteract this, there will likely be some upward pressure on costs in the near future and it will be key to ensure that these pressures are contained and, where possible, passed on to clients.’