Average Purchasing Agent Salary in United Kingdom for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Purchasing Agent salary for 2024 in United Kingdom and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the British pound. To keep things simple, we are using the GBP currency code instead of the currency symbol £.

How Much Does a Purchasing Agent Make in United Kingdom?

A Purchasing Agent working in United Kingdom will typically earn around 51,800 GBP per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 27,400 GBP to the highest average salary of 81,700 GBP.

Average Annual Salary
51,800 GBP
Average Monthly Salary
4,316 GBP

Lowest Annual Salary
27,400 GBP
Lowest Monthly Salary
2,283 GBP

Highest Annual Salary
81,700 GBP
Highest Monthly Salary
6,808 GBP

These are average salaries for a Purchasing Agent in United Kingdom and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Purchasing Agent to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Purchasing Agent salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Purchasing Agent Salaries in United Kingdom

So we've looked at the average salaries a Purchasing Agent will earn in United Kingdom. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Purchasing Agent can earn between 27,400 GBP and 81,700 GBP on average in United Kingdom. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Purchasing Agent in United Kingdom is 55,200 GBP. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 55,200 GBP, and 50% of the population earn more than 55,200 GBP.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Purchasing Agent salary in United Kingdom, 25% of the population are earning less than 35,300 GBP while 75% of the population earn more than 35,300 GBP.

75% of the population earn less than 68,200 GBP, and 25% of the population earn more than 68,200 GBP.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Purchasing Agent Salary by Experience Level in United Kingdom

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average purchasing agent salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Purchasing Agent in United Kingdom that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 29,100 GBP.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Purchasing Agent salary would increase to 39,800 GBP.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Purchasing Agent, the average salary would be 53,800 GBP.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 66,200 GBP.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Purchasing Agent with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 71,400 GBP.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Purchasing Agent with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 75,800 GBP.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
29,100 GBP
2-5 Years +29%
39,800 GBP
5-10 Years +38%
53,800 GBP
10-15 Years +24%
66,200 GBP
15-20 Years +7%
71,400 GBP
20+ Years +7%
75,800 GBP

Purchasing Agent Salary by Education Level in United Kingdom

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Purchasing Agent in United Kingdom based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Purchasing Agent in United Kingdom with a high school education can earn an average salary of 39,800 GBP.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Purchasing Agent in United Kingdom with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 58,200 GBP.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Purchasing Agent in United Kingdom with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 78,200 GBP.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
39,800 GBP
Certificate or Diploma +43%
58,200 GBP
Bachelor's Degree +38%
78,200 GBP

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United Kingdom is around 29,600 to 88,700 GBP and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Purchasing Agent Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United Kingdom, a male purchasing agent will earn an average of 55,200 GBP, while a female purchasing agent will earn around 51,400 GBP.

This means that a male purchasing agent earns approximately 7% more than a female purchasing agent for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United Kingdom

Male
55,200 GBP
Female -7%
51,400 GBP

Purchasing Agent Average Pay Raise in United Kingdom

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Purchasing Agent in United Kingdom is around 10% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United Kingdom is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 10 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Purchasing Agent in United Kingdom can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United Kingdom for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United Kingdom.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
3%
Energy
6%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
3%
Travel
6%
Construction
9%
Education
3%

Purchasing Agent Bonus and Incentive Rates in United Kingdom

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Purchasing Agent is a moderate bonus based job, with 58% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

42% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus
58%
No Bonus
42%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United Kingdom earn approximately 7% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
72,700 GBP
Private Sector -7%
68,200 GBP

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Purchasing Agent

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Purchasing Agent in United Kingdom.

Job Title Category Salary
Asset Management Associate Purchasing and Inventory 63,200 GBP
Asset Protection Associate Purchasing and Inventory 61,300 GBP
Asset Protection Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 65,800 GBP
Assistant Buyer Purchasing and Inventory 59,700 GBP
Buyer Purchasing and Inventory 103,600 GBP
Capacity Planner Purchasing and Inventory 68,900 GBP
Category Leader Purchasing and Inventory 66,100 GBP
Category Management Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 70,000 GBP
Category Manager Purchasing and Inventory 78,200 GBP
Channel Services Representative Purchasing and Inventory 69,700 GBP
Contracts Manager Purchasing and Inventory 74,700 GBP
Contracts Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 63,500 GBP
Demand Planner Purchasing and Inventory 71,800 GBP
Demand Planning Manager Purchasing and Inventory 80,700 GBP
Distribution Assistant Purchasing and Inventory 59,000 GBP
Distribution Associate Purchasing and Inventory 56,100 GBP
Distribution Manager Purchasing and Inventory 127,600 GBP
Inventory Analyst Purchasing and Inventory 63,000 GBP
Inventory Control Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 32,900 GBP
Inventory Control Manager Purchasing and Inventory 84,800 GBP
Inventory Management Associate Purchasing and Inventory 65,700 GBP
Inventory Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 61,600 GBP
Logistics Engineer Purchasing and Inventory 57,100 GBP
Master Planner Purchasing and Inventory 65,200 GBP
Material Handler Purchasing and Inventory 41,300 GBP
Material Planning Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 51,900 GBP
Merchandise Manager Purchasing and Inventory 75,900 GBP
Procurement Administrator Purchasing and Inventory 75,800 GBP
Procurement Agent Purchasing and Inventory 51,400 GBP
Procurement Analyst Purchasing and Inventory 81,400 GBP
Procurement Assistant Purchasing and Inventory 47,200 GBP
Procurement Associate Purchasing and Inventory 65,900 GBP
Procurement Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 29,200 GBP
Procurement Engineer Purchasing and Inventory 64,300 GBP
Procurement Manager Purchasing and Inventory 132,000 GBP
Procurement Officer Purchasing and Inventory 29,300 GBP
Procurement Process Analyst Purchasing and Inventory 74,100 GBP
Procurement Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 60,800 GBP
Production Planner Purchasing and Inventory 71,700 GBP
Project Buyer Purchasing and Inventory 80,000 GBP
Purchaser Purchasing and Inventory 96,500 GBP
Purchasing Assistant Purchasing and Inventory 35,000 GBP
Purchasing Manager Purchasing and Inventory 130,500 GBP
Purchasing Officer Purchasing and Inventory 60,500 GBP
Purchasing Supervisor Purchasing and Inventory 83,800 GBP
Shipping and Receiving Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 30,800 GBP
Shipping Coordinator Purchasing and Inventory 64,900 GBP
Stock Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 32,900 GBP
Stock Regulator Purchasing and Inventory 38,000 GBP
Storage Manager Purchasing and Inventory 78,500 GBP
Store Keeper Purchasing and Inventory 32,600 GBP
Stores and Logistics Coordinator Purchasing and Inventory 65,800 GBP
Supply Chain Analyst Purchasing and Inventory 93,800 GBP
Supply Chain Coordinator Purchasing and Inventory 69,400 GBP
Supply Chain Development Manager Purchasing and Inventory 114,900 GBP
Supply Chain Director Purchasing and Inventory 134,100 GBP
Supply Chain Manager Purchasing and Inventory 132,000 GBP
Supply Planner Purchasing and Inventory 60,100 GBP
Warehouse Assistant Purchasing and Inventory 23,600 GBP
Warehouse Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 27,300 GBP
Warehouse Executive Purchasing and Inventory 107,700 GBP
Warehouse Lead Purchasing and Inventory 73,500 GBP
Warehouse Manager Purchasing and Inventory 114,300 GBP
Warehouse Supervisor Purchasing and Inventory 79,600 GBP
Wholesale Buyer Purchasing and Inventory 100,700 GBP

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United Kingdom, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Aberdeen 57,100 GBP
Abingdon 48,600 GBP
Armagh 54,700 GBP
Bangor 49,400 GBP
Belfast 55,300 GBP
Birmingham 64,900 GBP
Bradford 59,100 GBP
Brighton 56,800 GBP
Bristol 60,900 GBP
Cambridge 55,700 GBP
Canterbury 50,700 GBP
Cardiff 57,800 GBP
Chester 52,300 GBP
Coventry 57,100 GBP
Derby 53,800 GBP
Derry 49,800 GBP
Dundee 52,800 GBP
Durham 52,000 GBP
Edinburgh 60,500 GBP
Exeter 54,300 GBP
Glasgow 58,500 GBP
Gloucester 49,700 GBP
Hartlepool 48,500 GBP
Inverness 50,000 GBP
Kingston upon Hull 60,200 GBP
Kirkwall 47,400 GBP
Leeds 61,700 GBP
Leicester 58,200 GBP
Lincoln 49,700 GBP
Lisburn 51,500 GBP
Liverpool 64,300 GBP
London 63,900 GBP
Manchester 58,800 GBP
Newcastle 54,900 GBP
Newport 57,100 GBP
Newry 51,800 GBP
Norwich 56,100 GBP
Nottingham 59,500 GBP
Oxford 52,300 GBP
Peterborough 54,600 GBP
Plymouth 59,500 GBP
Poole 53,800 GBP
Portsmouth 54,700 GBP
Ripon 45,900 GBP
Salisbury 51,400 GBP
Sheffield 60,600 GBP
Somerset 58,500 GBP
Southampton 55,500 GBP
St Davids 47,400 GBP
Stirling 51,300 GBP
Stromness 45,700 GBP
Strontian 46,700 GBP
Swansea 55,500 GBP
Truro 45,800 GBP
Wakefield 46,700 GBP
Wells 48,000 GBP
Winchester 48,300 GBP
Wolverhampton 54,100 GBP
York 53,300 GBP

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United Kingdom.

City Average Salary
England 97,400 GBP
Northern Ireland 50,500 GBP
Scotland 78,200 GBP
Wales 50,700 GBP

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