UK game developer salaries on the rise, survey claims

The average UK developer salary has risen by more than the national average for the first time in five years, according to a TIGA survey.

The trade body conducted the report with Aon Hewitt, and claimed salaries rose by 3.4 per cent, higher than the national average of 3.1 per cent.

Its survey showed that developers in the West Midlands could receive salaries up to 21 per cent higher than the regional average, while salaries in the South East could be 17 per cent higher. Development jobs in the North West meanwhile could net employees 11 per cent more than the local average.

According to the report, the median salaries for jobs in programming and technical development rose by 4.2 per cent, with QA salaries increasing by 3.5 per cent. Salaries for jobs in design rose by 2.8 per cent.

Job turnover was also said to have declined, dropping from 13.5 per cent in 2013 to 12.8 per cent in 2014. The national average turnover rate is said to stand at 14 per cent.

Develop’s own recent Salary Survey revealed that the average salary for a UK developer was up by just over £600 to £30,000 compared to the previous year, a rise of around 2.2 per cent. Our survey showed that the average global developer salary was down, but still higher than the UK alone at £32,500.

TIGA’s survey focused on ten organisations in the UK game development sector, with data from 1,298 employees, 348 of which are matched to “business support functions”. All data was collated by October 1st, 2013. Develop’s Salary Survey meanwhile took feedback from developers across the country, from indies up to the top paid execs.

Both surveys however show an overall rise in UK game development salaries on average, though individual salaries for studio roles differ year-on-year.