July 2022 BIM Salary Guide

As the sun set on a hotbed of industrial action last month, the Government’s warnings over a wage-price spiral were gaining much coverage. And a similar conservative attitude is evident in the market forces for BIM talent, as July’s BIM Salary Guide attests.

 

Despite increasing upward pressure from a still-growing gap between supply and demand, and worrying predictions for cost of living increases, salaries remain stubbornly static in Digital Construction. There is a general lack of confidence in the industry and the uncertain geopolitical climate is doing nothing to assuage a nervousness that is paralysing digital progress, as boards tighten the reins on investment in people and technology.

 

Be careful what you wish for

This comes at a time when the drive for digital progress in construction is finally gathering momentum. Seasoned BIM professionals have long lamented the lack of impetus from clients driving BIM in project requirements, claiming that a greater demand for BIM would unlock investment in digital literacy throughout the supply chain. However, we are now beginning to see this call being answered, with end-clients recruiting for their own Information Manager roles and placing this function at the centre of sustainable infrastructure use.

 

In parallel, BIM requirements for new projects are becoming more commonplace, but the irony is that firms do not have the expertise to deliver them properly. We have reported previously on the challenges around attracting and developing new BIM talent, which means fighting for existing BIM skills. This is becoming increasingly aggressive in some quarters, with desperate vultures gazumping just-placed candidates and skewing salary expectations for the inexperienced.

 

Fortune favours the brave but only fools rush in

Although good news for the available strong candidates – BIM Coordinators and BIM Managers looking for salaries between £20,000 and £70,000 can secure at least three interviews and offers within a week of applying – this is leading to a split in the industry between the winners and the losers.

 

The few firms with a strong pipeline and foresight are forging ahead with firmwide digital transformation agendas, securing BIM talent at significant cost. Others are finding themselves haemorrhaging BIM skills as they are unable to retain employees without flexibility to increase salaries across teams.

 

Will this lack of digital competency mean losing work? Not if the alternative strategy pays off: an increasing trend in outsourcing BIM shifts the risk away from company overheads back into the comfort zone of project costs. There is evidence that this approach may be proving more cost-effective than in-house resource for some,  especially those making use of independent BIM Experts. Consultancy firms are currently driving the main demand for BIM, with almost 50% of roles advertised on the BIM Job Board from the Advise sector this month.

 

The future is tight

It remains unclear whether this redistribution of BIM skills is sustainable. Will employers need to pay a premium to head-hunt scarce talent when industry confidence returns? Or will we finally begin to see firms making better use of newly-qualified digital construction professionals?

 

The latest report from the CLC’s Product Availability working group predicts that labour shortages and the cost of retention will overshadow the current pressure from material supply issues: “Recruitment, retention and related wage inflation continue to present serious concerns across UK construction and may supplant product availability issues in 2023 among the key risks facing the industry,”

 

Will we continue to see growth in BIM roles beyond construction? If so, the BIM talent of the future might be looking outside of the industry for better options for personal growth and prospects. Good Digital Employers wanting to attract the best will need to make sure they are offering the progression and development opportunities to compete.

 

View the full July BIM Salary Guide data and watch this space for an update in October…