Almost one fifth of property professionals feel discriminated against in their job, according to this year’s Estates Gazette Salary Survey.
The survey, in association with Cobalt Recruitment, revealed that 17% of the 1,300 respondents felt marginalised – and in some cases held back in their careers – based on their gender, age, race, sexuality or disability.
Gender came top of the list, with 42% of those who feel discriminated against citing this as the reason.
This was followed by age, which 38% highlighted. More than half (55%) of respondents who selected this option fell into the under-25 age bracket.
David Mann, partner at Tuffin Ferraby Taylor and co-founder of Freehold, the networking group for LGBT real estate professionals, said: “Property still feels a bit like the last bastion of the cliché of the white, middle class, ex-public school male. These statistics highlight why it is not always perceived as an attractive industry for anyone who is particularly different.”
Christopher Mackenzie, UK director of Cobalt Recruitment, added: “We were very surprised to hear that 17% of people feel they have been discriminated against in one form or another at work.
“Though this is a sad reflection of the industry, we hope that highlighting it will help break down the barriers and make people more aware of the situation.”
Following a £5,000 hike in salaries between 2012 and 2013, the increases reported in this year’s survey were minuscule, rising from an average of £47,065 to an average of just £47,228 over the last 12 months.
The results remained positive overall, reflecting a growing market, with two thirds of respondents reporting pay increases. Building surveyors and commercial developers reported the highest average salary increases at 5.12% and 4.38% respectively.
Listen to a debate on workplace diversity:
Click here to read the results of the Estates Gazette Salary Survey 2014
