If you're looking for an inflation-busting pay hike this year, you're out of luck - the 1998 Hays Montrose/ Building salary guide says rises of just 3.5 are the industry average. This year's hays Montrose/building contractors' salary guide shows average pay increases of 3.5 - exactly the same modest rise as last year. Apart from pockets of salary inflation in a few disciplines and in some parts of the country, the overall picture for junior to mid-level contracting staff is less than sparkling. Given that the industry is enjoying a period of relative plenty, cynics might ask where all the money is going. But employers see the salary picture differently, arguing that the industry is simply being prudent in the face of a possible downturn. lain Roden, human resources manager for Bovis Europe, says there has been "some salary movement" recently, but adds that this has been "at a more sustainable level over the last few years. We haven't seen the rampant salary increases of the late 1980s."
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