A study of job satisfaction and pay within the environmental and sustainability professions has uncovered evidence of a burgeoning pay gap within the industry.
Analysis conducted by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) found that, after the age of 25, female environment and sustainability professionals earned an average of £7,000 a year less than men during the year.
This equates to a gender pay gap of more than 12% and Tim Balcon, chief executive at the IEMA, said more needed to be done to prevent the issue from worsening.
“Work needs to be done by business to bridge the gender pay gap however; there really is no room for any form of inequality in such a modern and diverse profession that represents the very best professional values,” he said.
Average earnings for environment and sustainability professionals last year stood at £43,812, almost two-thirds (58%) above the national average wage of £27,600. Wages also increased by an average of 4.4% each year, ahead of the national average raise of 2%.
The report did however also find that professionals in environmental and sustainability fields reported record high job satisfaction.
The IEMA has claimed that 82% of its members are satisfied with their career, a record high percentage for the profession and above the Office for National Statistics’ national average of 77%.
The study found that the primary reasons for the high satisfaction were increasing salaries and employer support for continual professional development, as well as the rewarding nature of the work.
Tim Balcon, chief executive at the IEMA, said: “The number of our members who feel very happy with their careers is up 11% in just one year which I think is proof that this is a profession that is heading in the right direction, and fast.
“UK PLC is seeing the value and opportunity in boosting environment and sustainability performance and is suitably rewarding the professionals responsible for keeping their business in business,” he added.
