Belief that junior doctors are underpaid has fallen since their pay award last year
How much a particular job pays is often part of the attraction for those wanting to do it, but it also plays a role in how the occupation is perceived in society. For many, there are occupations that receive more than they deserve and others which don’t receive a salary that matches their contribution to society. So, which jobs’ salaries do Britons think are most above and below what they should be?
Of the 30 jobs we polled, male professional footballers are seen as the most overpaid, with 93% of Britons feeling they get paid more than they should, including 86% who feel they are overpaid by a lot. Company directors, MPs and bankers are also seen as being overpaid by more than three quarters of Britons (76-78%).
Actors are seen as overgenerously remunerated by 57% of Britons, while 51% place barristers in the same category. The public also tend to see accountants (47%) and train drivers (43%) as overpaid, though a third of Britons (32-34%) feel either occupation is paid about the right amount.
At the other end of the pay scale, 83% of Britons feel that care workers are underpaid, with more than seven in ten saying so of cleaners (78%), nurses (74%) and shop assistants (72%) as well. Ambulance staff deserve a raise for 66% of the public, while farmers and factory workers aren’t getting a fair wage according to 61% and 55% of the public respectively.
Around half of the public (48-51%) feel that teachers and firefighters aren’t paid enough, though roughly three in ten (28-33%) feel either job get the pay they deserve.
Of the jobs polled, it is tradespeople who are overall seen as receiving the fairest wage, with 50% of Britons saying they are paid about the right amount, while roughly similar numbers say they are overpaid (19%) and underpaid (23%). Nearly half of the public (46-48%) also feel that builders and bus drivers are paid about right.
Professions where Britons are more divided include both civil servants and journalists, with around a third (34-35%) feeling they are overpaid and 28% believing they are paid about right. The public are also somewhat split over police officers, with 35% feeling they are fairly paid and 42% feeling they’re underpaid.
Which jobs do Britons think contribute to society?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Britons’ perceptions of various jobs’ pay linked to how much that job is perceived to contribute to society. Among the 30 occupations polled, there is a clear correlation, with the jobs most seen as contributing a great deal to society tending to be seen as being overpaid, and vice versa.
For instance, among the jobs most seen as being underpaid, around three quarters of Britons (75-76%) feel nurses and ambulance staff contribute a great deal to society, with 64% saying the same of care workers. Nearly half of the public (46%) see cleaners as contributing a great deal to British society, with 40% saying the same of shop assistants.
By contrast, just 4-7% of Britons feel that the top ‘overpaid’ professions, i.e. bankers, company directors, male footballers and MPs, contribute a huge amount to British society.
But it’s not a perfect correlation. While nearly half of Britons (45%) see senior doctors as contributing a great deal to society, they also tend to be seen as overpaid (+14 net score). On the other hand, just 9% see professional female footballers as being major contributors to society, but the public tend to see them as being underpaid (-14 net score), a key contrast to professional male footballers.
Although not right at the top of list for being overpaid among the professions polled, journalists are near the bottom for perceived contributions to society. Six in ten Britons (59%) say that journalists contribute little to nothing to British society, with only 6% of the public feeling they contribute a great deal to the country.
By contrast, while the public tend to feel tradespeople are paid about the right, they are one of the jobs seen as making the strongest contribution to society, with 93% of Britons believing they contribute at least a fair amount, including 53% saying they contribute a great deal to Britain.
Have strike-ending pay increases changed attitudes towards certain jobs?
Some of the professions polled have been involved in strikes over pay in recent years, in some cases successfully negotiating major pay rises with the new Labour government.
Perhaps the most high-profile deal was junior doctors, now known as resident doctors, who were given a pay rise equivalent to an average increase of 22% over two years. This has likely played a key role in the shift in attitude towards their salaries.
While nearly half of Britons (46%) still feel resident doctors are underpaid, this is a fall from 59% in 2023, with a belief they are paid about the right amount increasing from 17% to 30%, alongside one in eight Britons (12%) now feeling they are overpaid.
This pattern can be also seen in some other professions which have been on strike in recent years, with a belief that barristers, civil servants, postal workers or train drivers are underpaid falling by between 10 and 13 points between 2023 and today.
However, there are some exceptions. Despite also striking and receiving pay rises in recent years, the proportion of Britons saying nurses are underpaid is virtually unchanged since 2023, though the proportion saying they are underpaid by a lot has fallen from 50% to 39%.
Which jobs do you think are underpaid or contribute a great deal to society? What do you think about work in general, and everything else? Have your say, join the YouGov panel, and get paid to share your thoughts. Sign up here.
Photo: Getty
