The Business of Architecture

INDIVIDUALS

ARB register grows by 7%

Average earnings up by 125%

Compared with inflation rise of 79%

The total number of architects has changed little. In 1989 the number on the ARB (then it was ARCUK) Register was just under 30,000; twenty years later the figure is about 32,000. A remarkably stable number, considering how workloads have mushroomed. The profession has seen rising earnings, across all groups. The rise in average earnings (125 per cent) has increased by one and a half times the rate of inflation (79 per cent).

Number of Architects Working Full-time, 1989-2009

While the number of architects in full-time employment has changed little, there are now fewer Sole Principals and public sector architects than in 1989.

  Architects’ Unemployment Rates, 1989-2009

Unemployment has become significant again, after a long period of very low unemployment rates.

Architects’ Average Earnings by Employment Sectors, 1989-2009

All types of architects have seen rises in average earnings. Over the twenty years, the smallest rise is recorded by local authority architects, and the largest by private in-house architects. There has been no change in the relative earnings of architects, so Sole Principals and Private Practice Salaried continue to earn less than Principals in Partnership and Private In-House architects.

Average Earnings of Male and Female Architects, 1989-2009

The gap between male and female architects has been present for most of the last twenty years. Perversely, the gap was actually smaller in 1989 than in 2009.

Data Source: Architects Earnings 2009/10

This research is split into four sections - to view a section click on a link below:

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