The salaries of people working in purchasing and procurement have remained higher on average than equivalent level positions in other areas of business such as marketing, HR, sales, finance and IT.

A survey of 1200 purchasing professionals conducted by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply showed that senior and middle-ranking purchasing professionals were paid more than the UK average, with an average salary of £34,803 rising to £96,000 for those at director level.

Buyers holding professional CIPS qualifications were the highest paid, earning on average £5,000 more than those without qualifications. Procurement professionals also reported being happy in their work, with 51 percent reporting good or excellent job satisfaction.

Karen Heslop, Senior Recruitment Consultant at specialist supply chain recruitment agency DLC Recruitment, said “as businesses focus on tightening their finances, supply chain and purchasing professionals will continue to be in high demand across all industries as they are capable of delivering the significant savings that companies need to achieve.”

“It’s also no surprise that buyers with CIPS qualifications still command higher salaries than those without. Employers recognise the benefits that professionally qualified staff can bring to their organisation, and are prepared to pay a premium to recruit professionally qualified purchasing staff.”