Covid-19 has been a driving force behind major business decisions for 12 months now. All firms have faced tough decisions about furloughing or even axing staff. The construction industry and more specifically architecture have been no exception.

Last year Atkins cut 280 jobs, BDP made 70 people redundant, while Sheppard Robson, Pascall & Watson, Grimshaw and Glenn Howells Architects were among others that reduced their headcounts.

With this in mind it is perhaps not surprising that the 2021 Consultant Salary Survey, produced by recruitment specialist Hays on behalf of Building Design (see tables below), found that even staff with secure jobs were weighing up their options. Losing talent is something the industry must protect against if it doesn’t want to find itself with a harmful skills gap. This is particularly significant given the proportionately worse impact the pandemic has had on the younger generation.

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