Rises are, on average, just half the rate of current inflation, which is running at 11.1 per cent nationally. New salary data supplied exclusively to the AJ shows that architects’ salaries, though increasingly outstripped by other professions such as law and medicine, are creeping upwards.īut the growth in pay packets is not keeping up with the cost of living. In the current economic climate? Secondly, is architecture becoming a career accessible only to those with independent wealth? Thirdly, can those in the profession, after years of salary stagnation, make ends meet as inflation runs rampant, mortgages rise and energy costs spiral? Cost of living: ‘the brutal truth’ The situation begs the question: Can Emma, and others like her entering the profession, really afford to continue their dreams of working in architecture, especially ‘They have few options and simply can’t afford essentials, such as petrol or heating for their homes.’ ‘It is clear to us that the cost of living crisis is being felt across the industry but those on lower salaries have been impacted the most,’ says Ball. Part 1s and Part 2s account for 33 per cent of the appeals for assistance to the ABS and the remainder are retired. Rob Ball, the society’s chief executive, says there has been a notable increase in the need for financial support from ‘younger members of the architectural community’, though most (47 per cent) of those seeking money are fully qualified architects. What is more, the numbers of people asking the ABS for financial support are even higher, with a 100 per cent increase in appeals in the last quarter of 2022 – a figure the anti-poverty charity says will likely rise. Requests for mental health support are up 15 per cent on last year. The Architects Benevolent Society (ABS) tells the AJ that Emma is not alone. ‘It’s just not rewarding enough for me mentally it has just been exhausting.’ ‘It has caused so much mental pressure and anxiety,’ she says. Off work because of an episode of poor mental health, she tells the AJ anonymously that she is worn down by her economic situation and cannot afford to commute to her studio for three days a week. Emma (not her real name) is currently on sick leave from her London-based practice, where she has worked as a Part 2 architectural assistant for four years.
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