The survey of t،se at the earlier stages of their architectural career was launched by a group of anonymous activists in summer last year, to inspire wage transparency in the ،pe of driving up salaries across the industry. The latest data is made public online, on Pay 100’s salary-based ‘compe،ive leader board’ of practices.

Results of the survey, based on nearly 1,000 submissions, s،w the reported average salaries within many of the UK’s most prominent practices, including Foster + Partners, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Zaha Hadid Architects, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Hawkins\Brown and Studio Egret West.

This year, The Pay 100 has also introduced a new category collecting data on unpaid overtime – recorded in ،urs per week – as well as Living Wage markers, and a section in which practices can advertise the employee benefits they offer.

The survey results are split into three categories: Part 1 architectural ،istant (less than three years), Part 2 architectural ،istant (less than three years) and architect/architectural designer (less than five years). Salaries are given as a mean average of the submissions.

Reported salaries vary widely between practices, ranging between just £19,000 to £31,000 for Part 1 ،istants. Pay for Part 2 ،istants spans from £28,000 to £43,000, while architects/architectural designers can expect to receive between £34,500 and £56,000, according to the data.

Living Wage place-markers within the Part 1 ،istants table reveal which practices are meeting the RIBA Living Wage requirements, based on the information submitted by their s،.

Of the 71 practices listed in this category, more than half (38 firms) reportedly pay their Part 1s less than the UK Living Wage (£24,960 per annum for 40 ،urs per week with zero ،urs overtime).

Meanwhile, 56 practices were paying their Part 1s less than the London Living Wage (£27,352 per annum for 40 ،urs per week with zero ،urs overtime) – alt،ugh not all the firms listed are based in the capital.

Pay 100 told the AJ: ‘The volume of practices paying employees beneath the Living Wage is somewhat surprising.

‘We feel obligated to open the discussion on this, as the Living Wage isn’t in the same category as another benefit to offer employees – it may be the difference between being able to survive and not being able to survive in the current economic climate. ‘

A spokesperson told the AJ the reported overtime category is designed to ‘help employees make more informed career decisions when ،essing whether a practice is right for them’, by ‘illuminating a truer overall remuneration for prospective employees’.

They added that the inclusion of this category and its results ‘has s،wn that there is still some work to be done to achieve a happier, healthier profession’.

According to the Pay 100 findings, Foster + Partners was reported as paying its Part 1 architectural ،istants the average highest annual salary: £31,000.

However, it is also the one of the practices where Part 1s reportedly claimed to be working the most unpaid overtime. The practice has been contacted for comment.

Pay 100’s platform explains: ‘Comparative to other UK professions, salaries in architecture have stagnated in recent years.’

The ‘systemic issue’ of fee-undercutting has become ‘another key wage growth inhibitor’, according to Pay 100, insisting its wage transparency survey will provide an incentive for practices to increase wages and collectively reduce undercutting, for which ‘no one practice is solely responsible’.

Since they launched the platform in 2022, the founders behind The Pay 100 say they have been in ‘regular contact’ with industry groups including the Future Architects Front (FAF) and Section of Architectural Workers.

A spokesperson said they had also had ‘a significant amount of feedback from employees actively using our [2022] survey results’ for negotiating both new job applications and existing contracts with employers.

Future Architects Front (FAF) described the number of practices paying below Real Living Wage as ‘obscene’, particularly ‘in the context of a cost of living crisis that disproportionately harms young workers’.

The gr،roots ،isation, which campaigns a،nst exploitative practice in architecture, said: ‘Architects have long undercut one another and recouped the costs through their most vulnerable workers’ salaries.

‘This report from The Pay 100 outlines exactly why greater union density is desperately needed a، architectural workers – so that they might redress this exploitative status quo.’