Despite doctors being seen as a pivotal key worker in the fight against COVID-19, they are paid less than train drivers who are paid the highest salary out of this new group.
Research from Glassdoor discovered that train drivers on average are paid £3,190 more than doctors.
Glassdoor found key workers get paid:
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- Train Driver, average median annual base pay: £54,959 in London £54,974 outside London
- Doctor, average median annual base pay: £51,769 in London £43,867 outside London
- Paramedic, average median annual base pay: £35,253 in London / £31,550 outside London
- Social worker, average median annual base pay: £35,085 in London £32,701 outside London
- Firefighter, average median annual base pay: £34,261 in London £31,353 outside London
- Teacher, average median annual base pay: £31,868 in London £30,913 outside London
- Prison guard, average median annual base pay: £30,000 in London £29,207 outside London
- Bus driver, average median annual base pay: £29,040 in London £24,459 outside London
- Police community support officer, average median annual base pay: £26,956 in London £25,882 outside London
- Postman, average median annual base pay: £23,863 in London £22,416 outside London
- Delivery driver, average median annual base pay: £21,044 in London £20,148 outside London
- Care assistant, average hourly base pay: £8 per hour in London £16,000 outside London
John Lamphiere, Vice President and managing director of EMEA at Glassdoor said:
Key workers are rightly being praised as heroes for their dedication and work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with many on the front line helping to support patients with the virus. As such, more scrutiny is being placed on what they earn vs. what they are worth to the nation. You’d be forgiven for wondering why many key workers earn below the national average, whereas many jobs that are not critical right now pay much, much more.
This was announced by Matt Hancock, Health Secretary at the daily Downing Street Coronavirus briefings on the 23/04/20.
Glassdoor calculated these figures using Office for National Statistics (ONS) Employee Earnings in the UK: 2019.
Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.
Everyone has an important part to play in tackling the current pandemic but this level of inequality is worrying particularly for roles which require degrees and years of education and professional training compared to others and the sometimes mortgage equivalent level of debt doctors, teachers and other professionals are emerging with from university to perform this work. We should write off the university debts for teachers, Doctors, nurses and other key worker professionals helping us through this crisis
Yes, and we should take a look at what other people (non key-workers) get paid.
There are huge distortions. Many people whose work would not be much missed earn far more than any of the key workers. It would be a good thing if there could be a national reset of pay scales.
For example, how much does a minor TV presenter get paid – or a cameraman?
How much is a senior manager paid in a non-essential industry?
Why does anyone get paid more than anyone else?
Which brings us to the idea of Universal Basic Income.
In a future where automation and robotics mean less work for more people, UBI would ensure everyone had enough to support themselves and then they can choose whether to fill in a few hours for the sake of being able to afford higher expenditure.
All of society could gain from people being able to educate themselves or just make music if that is what they are good at.
Let this crisis be our teacher – We can learn what makes a wholesome society.
I expect that many train drivers work for 45 years plus and longer hours with shift working. I don’t expect many leave university in their late 20’s and then need to leave work in their mid 50’s with a 1 million £ pension pot.It is the whole remuneration package over a full working life that should be measured
Mark, interesting comments thank you.
My eldest boy is a Junior Doc now aged 28, and like almost all his contemporaries he had the top results at GCSE and A level, of his entire Grammar school, followed by 5 years of Med School training and then constant re-training of himself and of others below his level.
When he arrived at Med School he thought he was the ‘bees knees’ in terms of academic ability, but very quickly realised he was matched and even outdone by everybody there. They represent the ‘cream’ of our professionals academically, come from many nations to study here, and often leave here to return to their native soil for higher pay. But they believe in what they do, dedication and caring at a high level.
In addition for my eldest boy, and many others, an ‘Intercalated’ extra year is taken between the 5 years to gain a second related degree -within 12 months! (in his case an emergency and trauma medicine BSc with a 1st class honours, plus taking weekends to pass a specialist practical course at his own expense in emergency medicine for major incidents, in which he gained the award for best in class). Proud dad?, to be sure!
And Mark, a typical junior doc would leave Uni at age 23 having started straight from A levels, not late 20’s (and in any case work is work whether academic or manual) after 5 years on intensive study- day and night. in both my sons cases (other son is an NHS Physio now) straight from training at ages 21 and 23 into Covid19 Critical Care wards, seeing multiple deaths daily and holding the hands of those dying with no relatives by their side. And with sparse ‘psycho’ help to recover from the mental effects of this.
And your idea of most Doctors retiring in their mid fifties with a £1M pension pot is, I’m afraid, a ludicrous fallacy, spread by the likes of the infamous Murdoch’s Daily Mail and The Telegraph. Check out the stats yourself online if you believe that to be true! Always wise to check stats in conjunction with any news item from any source.
Med school itself is about as far away from a ‘first lecture at 11 am still hungover, last at 3 pm and then hit the bar for a pint’ type of Uni that you can get! It’s intensive stuff, cramming their brains to overflowing daytime and note writing up evenings (as if their schooling hadn’t done that already to get the school results to enter Med school in the first place).
I am sure train drivers do a grand job, our lives are in their hands too, with intense concentration required, and we need more trains, and their drivers, but their pay is already significantly out of proportion here, both within the UK against other trades and in comparison to all other European nations train drivers, partly I suspect because their Unions are so militant and their strike action so effective-holding the UK to ransom and disrupting millions. Again, Google the stats, only Denmark approaching the UK highest level.
This is not to say that Doctors do not strike, and recently the significant falls in their real time pay over 12 years or so, (an estimated drop of 35% say the BMA for juniors!- and juniors can be in their 40’s even) has led to several disputes, and is ongoing behind the scenes without success to date. The disparity in their pay is extreme. The only Govt response is to attempt to tighten the rules for when they can strike and what services need to still be running-set at a level which because of staff shortages is already the normal everyday level of cover!
My eldest worked for 18 months in Adelaide, only just recently returned to the UK to marry, in Emergency/trauma there during the latter part of Covid here and when it was taking hold in Oz after strict lockdowns. They actively sought our experienced medics then, and still do (with leaflets at picket lines offering posts in Oz).
When he returned to now work in the West Country (further training for 2 years to become an Anaesthetist) he revealed that he and his partners salaries combined back here in the UK (his partner is also a junior doc) equate to just one of their salaries in Oz. Not a surprise then that docs are being attracted abroad in greater numbers whilst our waiting lists increase here. Of my sons housemates and good pals at Med school, only he of 6 remains in the UK to practise Medicine. What a dreadful waste of the UK educational system!! Austerity and fear of inflation rules in the Tory mind above all else. A blinkered approach sadly.
So Mark, how many train drivers are attracted by salaries overseas?
And how many British families are broken up by their bright young children leaving to live and raise their children the other side of the planet, enjoying double the salary, great weather, beaches, surfing, and a 9-5 5 day week with no overtime expected – only voluntary, which is unheard of here. (mind you, there is some surfing in Cornwall, still with the risks of sharks though, if you can bear the water temp!)