The latest BIM Salary Guide shows salaries continuing the upward trend we saw in November. This is driven partly by long-awaited pay rises beginning to materialise in order to retain existing talent, after a period of pandemic induced stasis. The other key driver that is becoming more and more apparent on the ground is the lack of BIM talent.

Although demand continues to outpace supply, increases are modest because of the continuing uncertainty, validated by the recent arrival of Omicron, and the need to balance the books – both of which are dampening the appetite to increase salaries. This seems to be a particular constraint within architecture and design teams, where salaries are not moving to the same degree as the other sectors. This will increase the difficulty in attracting talent to these firms; as other sectors have always historically offered higher salaries, the gap is now widening.

Regional salaries are showing the most increases due to the rise in projects from the Northern Powerhouse. These are also being driven by fledgling trends we have seen in remote working for forward-thinking businesses privileged enough to support it. Many non-site-based roles are now delivered remotely, so the need to commute to London to get the highest salary is no longer necessary – at least not every day. Professionals who used to spend three or four hours a day commuting are now enjoying a more productive and fulfilling work/life balance – and earning as much as they did in the pre-Covid era. Therefore, regional employers are recognising a new imperative to salary-match their London counterparts in order to attract local talent and so we begin to see regional variation narrowing.

Digital Construction Consultancies are at the forefront of this shift, with little if any variation in salaries across the UK as the majority of their client work is delivered remotely. This growing sector is capitalising on the increasing demand for outsourcing and digital transformation support. So we are seeing many more opportunities for experienced BIM professionals in this area. With a more directly measurable contribution to revenue and a lower-risk business model, these Consultancies have more flexibility to pay their teams more and are becoming an increasingly attractive prospect for BIM talent.

This shift in the BIM talent marketplace is putting pressure on Contractors, who have traditionally offered the highest salaries to secure skills. Although there is also financial pressure to minimise increases in overheads, new projects – with budgeted requirements for BIM skills – are increasing recruitment demands for project-based BIM Coordinators and, to a lesser extent, more expensive BIM Managers. Some large firms are increasing their focus on training up graduates to manage salary growth internally but are already experiencing losses through headhunting of less experienced staff, a phenomenon which will only increase without an equal focus on retention.

What next?

With construction industry growth predicted to continue in 2022, the demand for more, and better, BIM will increase. We have already begun to see the market disruption created by the growth in Digital Construction Consultancies and there are other new entrants to the demand side, offering yet more choice for talented BIM professionals: end-user clients like Data Centre developers and operators; real estate developers; and the public sector who increasingly need digital construction skills to optimise their assets.

Unless there is a corresponding increase in the supply of BIM talent, it will become harder to find – and retain. Firms will need to pay competitive salaries but also focus more on what matters most to employees. From our quick Christmas Poll, over 50% say this is no longer about salary but about flexible work-life balance and career progression.

BIM now finds its place under a digital umbrella alongside Data Science, Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automation, Digital Twins, Software Development and more. Long gone is the linear career journey of the BIM Technician and this is an exciting time for those passionate about Digital Construction, who will have more and more choice about how and where to deploy their skills and aptitudes in 2022 and beyond.