24 Mar 2023

Survey shows London vets are the big winners, but gender pay gap remains 

SPVS salary survey reveals veterinary surgeons working in the capital enjoyed 47% pay rises last year – compared with 9% for the rest of the country – and that men still earn 22% more than women.  

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James Westgate

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Survey shows London vets are the big winners, but gender pay gap remains 

Image © Jevanto Productions / Adobe Stock

London vets were the biggest winners in last year’s pay stakes after enjoying median pay rises of 47%, according to the latest SPVS salary survey.    

The survey, which received more than 1,800 responses, showed salaries for vets working in the capital rose to £68,950, while median pay for vets based elsewhere rose at a below inflation rate of 9% from £48,325 to £52,693.

Covering everything from basic earnings, bonuses, dividends and overtime, to benefits such as accommodation, car allowances and pensions, 79% of respondents to this year’s survey were female.

Gender gap

However, responses showed that, despite a similar percentage of men and women undertaking further training, a much higher percentage of men convert these skills into a position of leadership or management, and that men are still paid 22% more than women.

Authors of the survey stated that this figure is due to the number of vets responding who have been qualified for more than 15 years – a group among which the gender pay gap is most stark.

They added: “It is worth noting that 22% of women in this category gave their job title as junior/associate veterinary surgeon compared to only 6% of men.

“This apparent gender disparity is, therefore, likely due to career progression rather than true gender pay gap.”

More than 94% of respondents were in veterinary practices and 60% of these in mainly small animal businesses, but practices across the sector have reported a fall in the amount of overtime being worked by staff.

Results for 2022 showed a large change in overtime working, with only 51% of vets and nurses working overtime as opposed to 78% in 2021.

Other highlights

Other highlights included the following:

  • The new graduate salary package has increased by 3% to £33,600 and the new graduate basic salary has increased by a similar percentage to £32,000.
  • Qualified vet nurses saw median salary packages increase by 13% from £27,000 to £30,500. For student nurses, this figure was 4%.
  • Locum vets’ daily median rates increased by 21% to £425 and hourly rates increased by 22% to £50. Night working locum rates increased by 50% to £750 per night.
  • Locum nurses’ median daily rates increased by 38% to £199 and hourly rates increased by 18% to £23.50.

SPVS members have access to the full survey online. For more information about SPVS and other member benefits, visit its website.