Our consultants are sometimes asked for advice on the career progression opportunities available in our region in comparison to those in London. As professional recruitment consultants for the eastern region, we have extensive experience of the region’s recruitment market and the employment trends in the area. Here are just some of the reasons why we believe our region provides not only excellent career progression opportunities but also fantastic places to work.

The opportunities

Our region is home to a diverse range of businesses. Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk are home to everything from large, national and international companies through to thriving SMEs, family-owned businesses and innovative start-ups. There are award-winning businesses and organisations listed in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For within sectors including Energy, Digital and Technology, Financial Services, Life Sciences, Food and Agriculture, Tourism and Advanced Manufacturing. This business diversity provides a wealth of exciting challenges and opportunities for our candidates and these companies are looking to recruit talented people at all levels who will help to shape and grow the business. In our last financial year, we supported 2,340 candidates in the region to find their next professional role and we are currently recruiting for nearly 400 different professional job roles, many of which are exclusive vacancies not advertised elsewhere.

The benefits

Choosing to work in the East of England can enhance your career progression, rather than hold it back in any way. Typically, larger organisations in the UK’s major cities are more likely to offer roles with very specific and narrow set of responsibilities. Whereas the diversity of business size and sectors in our region means we see more organisations providing employees with the chance to gain a more rounded experience, take on more responsibility, and the opportunity to develop new skills as the business grows. Like many organisations in our region, such as our strategic partners which include Birketts LLP and Grant Thornton, we are passionate about developing the region’s talent pipeline. There are numerous opportunities for people to gain additional support to progress their careers including our Women’s Leadership Programme, Board Ready Talent Scheme, Finance Leadership Programme and HR Development Programme.

The employers

Working with clients across the Eastern region, our consultants have seen an increase in organisations developing their workplace cultures. Through our Best Employers Eastern Region initiative and sponsorship of local Best Employer awards, we support and promote employers across the region who are committed to creating positive working environments which bring out the best in their people. One of the priorities we look for when judging these awards and accreditations is the organisation’s talent strategy and its approach to learning and development and supporting employees to progress. 

The million-dollar question

The larger size of the market means it is inevitable that some businesses in London will be able to offer higher salary packages, but when travel and cost of living are in consideration, the net gain is not always positive. Salaries in the eastern region are competitive and should be considered alongside the considerably lower cost of living. The latest statistics from our free salary comparison tool www.comparemysalary.co.uk shows that the average salaries in our region range from £24,500 for office support roles through to £42,500 for Technology roles. We have also seen an increasing trend in organisations in our region offering more attractive benefit packages. Considering people spend the majority of their waking hours at work, additional lifestyle benefits such as extra annual leave, flexible working and wellbeing initiatives can all make a big difference to day-to-day life as well as people’s own engagement levels and motivation to progress. Compare My Salary shows that the top benefits available to employees in our region include flexible working, additional annual leave and company paid training, alongside benefits which impact on the overall remuneration package such as health insurance, life insurance and free car parking.

Contact us for more information about current job vacancies and career progression opportunities in our region.