UK project managers have seen their average salaries climb by 10% over the past year, reaching £52,500, according to the Association for Project Management’s (APM) latest Salary and Market Trends Survey 2025.
This marks a significant increase from the 2023 average of £47,500 and places project management professionals well above the UK’s average gross annual earnings for full-time employees, which the Office for National Statistics reports as £37,430.
The survey, conducted by YouGov and involving more than 3,800 project professionals between October and November 2024, highlights that project managers working in energy, utilities and consultancy are the highest earners, with an average salary of £62,500. Project managers in construction, built environment, business and professional services, IT and financial services follow closely, each with an average salary of £57,500.
London remains the top region for high salaries, with 30% of respondents in the capital earning £70,000 or more. By contrast, just 9% of project professionals in the North East earn £70,000 or more.
The good news is that job satisfaction remains high across the profession, with 80% of respondents expressing contentment in their current roles.
Financial optimism among project professionals has rebounded, with 66% rating their economic prospects for the next year as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, a significant jump from 51% in 2023. ““A career in project management can be financially rewarding, as our latest survey shows, and it is positive to see the marked rise in average salaries, as well as increasing levels of job satisfaction and optimism,” said Professor Adam Boddison OBE, Chief Executive of APM, “While our research represents a snapshot of attitudes from the end of 2024, we are confident that despite recent economic and political pressures in the UK that the future of the project profession remains bright. It remains important for businesses to invest in their project teams and to support the growing professionalisation of the role, ensuring that demand for qualified project professionals is met. Achieving long-term stability will require a sustained commitment to professional standards, investment in capability, to ensure project professionals continue to prosper and that project delivery remains a key driver of success.”
Read the full APM Salary and Market Trends Survey 2025 here.
