You’ll get the biggest payrises if you pursue these 10 careers (spoiler: banking isn’t one of them)
Fancy a payrise? It might be time to change careers – because new figures have identified the 10 jobs where people get the biggest salary increases as they progress up the ladder. And despite its high-paying reputation, banking isn't one of them…
According to the list, those working in retail can expect the biggest payrises as they progress through their careers. While they tend to start off with a relatively low salary of £15,000, after eight years' experience, they can expect to have bumped that up by 247 per cent, to £52,000.
Likewise, database engineers start on a salary of £17,700, but after eight years, are likely to be earning £58,638.
Read more: Your next big payrise isn't due until 2020
| Starting salary | After eight years | Increase | |
| Retail representative | £15,000 | £52,000 | 237% |
| Database engineer | £17,700 | £58,638 | 231% |
| Game artist | £11,950 | £37,495 | 214% |
| Account executive | £24,000 | £65,000 | 171% |
| Auditor | £29,000 | £59,430 | 105% |
| Designer | £25,688 | £50,000 | 95% |
| Recruiter | £22,000 | £42,000 | 91% |
| IT executive | £29,000 | £55,000 | 90% |
| Marketing engineer | £28,000 | £52,000 | 86% |
| Front end engineer | £28,000 | £50,000 | 79% |
A sectoral breakdown of the 18,000-odd jobs studied by Glassdoor is more eyebrow-raising – according to the research, those working in the arts can expect a 124 per cent payrise after eight years, while people who start out on £27,000 in telecoms will more than double their salary after eight years.
“When you’re thinking about a new career, it’s tempting to be drawn to the highest paying roles, but it’s even more important to understand how pay can progress in an industry throughout your career," pointed out Diarmuid Russell, head of international at Glassdoor.
Unless, of course, you start on £88,000. In which case, carry on…
Read more: These are the 18 highest-paying jobs in London's finance sector
| Starting salary | After eight years | Increase | |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | £15,500 | £34,750 | 124% |
| Telecoms | £27,000 | £55,000 | 104% |
| Accounting and legal | £32,000 | £65,000 | 103% |
| Business services | £26,000 | £48,350 | 86% |
| Finance | £40,000 | £73,040 | 83% |
| Property | £22,000 | £40,000 | 82% |
| Consumer services | £18,000 | £32,000 | 78% |
| Media | £27,500 | £48,000 | 75% |
| IT | £34,000 | £57,500 | 69% |
| Restaurants, bars and food | £13,600 | £22,923 | 69% |