Analysis of Office for National Statistics data revealed that in 2018, the average UK earner working full-time received a bonus of just over £2k. This figure includes earners that did not receive a bonus.
The findings, from Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment revealed that, despite this high average bonus level, there are still large discrepancies between men and women, younger and older workers, as well as the type of occupation an individual works in.
In 2018, the average male bonus was £2,613 compared with an average of £1,158 for women. Likewise, those aged 22–29 saw average bonuses of £1,234 compared with middle aged workers – those aged 40–49 – who received an average of £2,879. However, bonuses did tail off for older workers, with those aged 60+ only receiving an average of £1,252.
“The trends in UK bonuses suggest that the highest amount of incentive pay comes from male workers in the capital during the latter stages of their career,” explained Robert Scott, managing director at Aaron Wallis Recruitment. “The regional difference within the UK for incentive pay is striking where a full-time private sector worker in London receives on average over three times the bonus of all other regions in the UK.”
Unsurprisingly, corporate managers and directors take home the highest average annual bonus at just under £8,000. After this, professional services under business, media, public service and science tend to do well, averaging just over £2,000 a year in incentive pay. However, those working in the service sector, such as health professionals, administration personnel and transport operatives, were least likely to receive significant bonuses.
Looking over a 15-year period, the analysis showed that bonuses in the private sector had still not recovered from the recession in 2008, with the average full-time earner taking home 20 per cent less incentive pay.
“One limitation of this study is that the highest bonuses will have skewed the data, where a large amount of incentive pay goes to the people at the top end of the scale,” added Scott.
