Thread: 2011 International Salary Survey

With growth in the UK still a tad sluggish and the Middle East showing no sign of revival, this year’s Hays Salary Survey suggests that it’s the dominions - New Zealand, Australia and Canada - that offer the best overseas opportunities.

In boom times, moving abroad for work is viewed as something of a luxury. The chance for a bit of adventure, a warmer climate, an opportunity to explore the world before you settle down, or to give the family an experience a different culture and a new way of life.

But when economies are squeezed and work in your homeland dries up, moving abroad becomes more a necessity than a nicety.

This situation has become the case for UK consultants over the past three years and construction professionals have been leaving the UK, heading for whichever country can help maximise on their return. And there is some good news here for would-be emigrants: for the second year running, international salaries are highest in some of the most Brit-friendly countries, as English speaking, developed and culturally similar states sit, conveniently, at the top the list. And while salaries in the UK over the past year have remained much the same, or fallen in the case of architects and civil engineers. Salaries in Australia and New Zealand in particular have risen by as much as £15,000-£20,000.

This may be cause for celebration for people itching to take the trip, but what of the economy they leave behind? Such temptation could mean the loss of a rather inconvenient number of talented workers for UK plc.

But first, let’s look in more detail at those all-important salary hot spots.
Most large UK firms have, in the last few years, been rapidly refocusing to operate as global consultancies, with an eye on the markets they anticipate growing the most. And not many of those are in Europe. Firms such as Turner & Townsend, EC Harris and Cyril Sweett have been turning their attention to countries including Australia, New Zealand and Canada, as well as China, India and Brazil. Earlier this month, Davis Langdon’s new global chief executive, Jeremy Horner, revealed a number of strategic director-level moves to Australia, New Zealand and North America “to focus on growth markets”.

Where the money is

These thriving locations are not emerging markets, but developed countries that have suffered shallow recessions and are seeing plenty of government investment (or huge opportunities in mining in the case of Australia and New Zealand). As a consequence, salaries are high.

The average salary for a project manager in Australia is £97,427, up from £85,800 last year, in Canada it’s £69,893, slightly down from £71,500 in 2010, and in New Zealand, £48,392, up from £46,500 last year. This compares with an average of just £40,000 in the UK. Other top countries for this particular role include Portugal and Brazil, where you can expect to earn an average of about £74,000.

For QSs with five-to-10 years’ experience Australia is, once again, pretty much at the top of the pile with an average salary offering of £65,000, and £57,000 if you hop across the Atlantic to Canada. The current UK average is £36,000.

For architects, the best average salary can be found in Belgium, though Canada and Australia are, once again, high on the list and for engineers, apart from the UAE, Asia Pacific is where the money is.

“It’s interesting that, at a high level, the countries with the top salaries have not changed much since last year,” observes Andrew Bredin, managing director at Hays.

“It’s an indication of where the strong markets and economies are. The construction industry in the UK is not in fantastic shape and things are looking much better in the Asia Pacific regions and countries like Canada and Brazil.

“Australia and New Zealand were only in recession for a short time compared with the UK, and Australia is funding a number of national projects at the moment. Then Canada has that huge public sector market.”

Jimmi Bradbury is international development director at consultant Cyril Sweett. The group has 60 staff working in Australia and Bradbury says the favourable salaries don’t come as any surprise. “The economy is in a very strong position,” he says. “It’s a two-tier economy as it relies on its natural resources. The bottom line is that they need people down there helping out and there is a strong demand for good, well educated people in our profession.”

He adds that moving to Australia - though a big one in terms of distance - involves relatively little upheaval otherwise: “It’s a developed country, it’s English-speaking, it’s part of the Commonwealth. Plus they understand RICS and FRICS qualified people down there. It’s a natural place to go and the demand is there.”

Then there’s New Zealand. According to UKTI, the construction sector is showing positive signs of increased economic growth, with building consents rising to NZ$801m from a low point of NZ$695m in May 2009. The biggest construction opportunities in the country at the moment are the Christchurch Earthquake Rebuild and projects in the National Infrastructure Plan. Following the earthquakes in September last year and February this year, it has been estimated that 10,000 new homes will need rebuilding. UKTI has said that international expertise will be welcomed, especially during the early stages of this rebuild. The New Zealand government has allocated NZ$7.5bn to go towards five key infrastructure projects: broadband, electricity transmission, regulatory reform, road building and the Rugby World Cup 2011.

Canada’s success is based more on the sheer volume of PPP work available - CA$340bn will be spent this year alone on capital construction in the second largest country in the world and UK expertise is welcomed. Michael Kitt, executive vice president of Canadian real estate group Oxford Properties, says: “We find doing business with the UK very comfortable. They are either very Canadian or we’re very British.”

And the lifestyle of those living in Canada has topped a survey by NatWest International on the best places in the world for British expats to live - for two years in a row. The healthcare and education systems are top notch, business is booming compared and those high salaries are the icing on the cake.

I used to know Jim Bradby (Cyril Sweett) when i worked at Davis Langdon & Everest.

Well we used to talk on the phone anyway. He wasn't a " international development director" then, he was a quantity surveyor