Average UK industry salary rises to £33,123
Survey shows industry wages are on the rise, but women still lag behind men by a serious distance
The average salary for a member of the UK games industry is currently £33,123 per annum, according to a new report. And while the average UK salary for those based in the UK has risen by over ten percent, there's still a large gap between the wages of men and women within the industry.
The figures are based on a survey conducted by MCV and completed by 975 members of the global games industry. 597 of these were based in the UK.
"Take into account all the answers from all games industry personnel around the world and the median average rockets up to £34,263 from 2011's £28,932 (and the mean is up too, at £38,179 from £35,902)," states the report.
The average UK salary reflects a rise of more than 10 per cent from last year's ££30,667, but alarming, also showed a massive division across the genders. The average salary for men is £33,088, and just £30,254 for women.
Looking at the results across different age ranges, the problem becomes more significant as time passes. Between 18 and 25 a female in the industry actually, on average, earns slighty more than her male counterpart, £25,277 to his £24,727.
In the 30-44 bracket that changes, and by some margin, as the average salary for women climbs to £38,1780, but £41,896 for men. At ages 45 and above the difference is a staggering £11,000, with men earning an average of £59,807 and women just £48,750.
According to the survey his is a result that is not mirrored by the global market.
"This is not a trend in line with the global market where, in fact, women in games on average earn more than men. Our statistics show the average global games yearly salary for a woman is £35,016, while for men it is £34,537," says the report.
There were also some interesting variations across the country, with the highest average salary (perhaps unsuprisingly) found in London at £37,177, and the lowest in the North East, at £24,839.
MCV also broke down the average salaries by industry. A games retail store manager can expect an average salary of £19,722 per annum, while the role of senior PR executive commands are £36,500. In the publishing sector senior management salaries stayed the same as last year, at an average of £71,429. Meanwhile the average yearly salary for someone editing a magazine or games website is now £25,000.