TLC Cambridge Salary Survey

A new way to keep in touch with local pay rates

How much should you be paying your employees? Does the local market differ from national or regional ones? The Learning Collaboration (TLC) – the organisation formed by HR Directors of local firms under the auspices of the Cambridge Network to help local companies access professional training and development – is offering employers a new way to keep in touch with local pay rates through its Cambridge Salary Survey.

 

This survey, which ran for the first time in March 2007, is designed purely for the Cambridgeshire area. It includes a wide range of functions including high-tech engineers and scientists as well as those in manufacturing, administration and support roles.  The results are available to participants both in hard copy and on-line so they are always easily accessible.

 

‘Although we participate in national surveys, the TLC one gives me an accurate reflection of the local Cambridge market which is quite different to either East Anglia or London, especially given the concentration of high tech jobs’ commented Bill Parsons, Executive VP of HR at ARM Holdings Plc.  

 

The survey was established following discussions at the ‘Rewards Special Interest Group’ meetings of TLC members, which highlighted the need for good, objective information about pay rates for the Cambridge area.  The survey is carried out on behalf of TLC by Alan Jones and Associates, a consultancy that specialises in salary and benefits surveys.

 

The initial survey in March was limited to the membership of TLC. However, this was then audited and amended and it is to be relaunched this month (September 2007) and offered to a wider participation within Cambridge.

 

Because the survey is independent of TLC, complete confidentiality of the input data is assured.  Each company contributing to the survey receives a customised copy of the results which feeds back their own position against the survey group. Participants also have access at all times to the results on-line through the Alan Jones confidential website.

 

The cost of participating in the survey is dependent upon an organisation’s number of employees.

 

‘As a growing company within Cambridge competing in the local talent pool, it is important to understand the market.  This survey gives access to the monthly updated information at a price that as a start ups and SME’s we cannot afford to miss’ commented Sue Gibson, HR Director of DisplayLink (UK) Limited

 

Functions in the survey

The jobs in the survey cover benchmark jobs in key functions:

  • IT
  • Finance
  • HR and training
  • Facilities
  • Marketing
  • Purchasing
  • Secretarial/administration
  • Health and safety
  • Maintenance
  • Manufacturing
  • Stores/warehouse
  • QA/AC and laboratory

 

There are also additional functions in TLC’s survey which are particularly suited to the organisations based in and around Cambridge. These include:

 

  • Research scientists
  • Software engineers
  • Embedded software engineers
  • Electronics design engineers

 

 

In each function there are either a number of specific job roles (with detailed job descriptions) or levels within the function to help with job matching and survey data analysis.

 

Organisations already participating in the survey include: Abcam, ARM, Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR), DisplayLink, Domino Printing Sciences, Grant Instruments, Inca Digital, Kodak, Napp Pharmaceuticals, Screen Technology and Xaar.

 

To find out more – please contact Claire Bossom, Operations Manager of TLC on either claire@thelearningcollaboration.com or 01223 422361