In the first salary survey of its kind, Birchwood Knight invited speechwriters to complete a short online questionnaire between the 12 September and 28 October 2013. Speechwriters were approached from across the spectrum – from those writing for royalty and CEOs to those working for politicians and faith leaders. Of the 58 respondents; 29 work in the private sector, 25 in the public sector and 4 in other types of organisations.
The findings revealed the extent of the pay gap between the private and public sector. The survey also provided an insight into the demands on a speechwriter’s time, the amount of time they spend writing speeches and the number they are expected to produce.
Key findings from the survey include:
- 68% of speechwriters in the public sector earn less than £50,000 a year. In contrast, 79% of respondents working in the private sector earn more than £50,000, and this includes 10% earning more than £100,000.
- The biggest group of public sector speechwriters by salary were paid less than £40,000, with 44% of respondents falling into this bracket.
- By contrast this was the smallest salary group among those in the private sector, with only 7% earning up to £40,000. The largest group among private sector speechwriters - at 17% - was those earning between £80,000 and £90,000.
- The majority of speechwriters produce fewer than 49 speeches per year. However, 28% of public sector speechwriters write 50 or more speeches per year, compared with 10% in the private sector.
- The results also showed that half of speechwriters spend over 50% of their time writing speeches, with 21% spending 75% of their time or more speechwriting.
If you would like to discuss the results please contact Wayne Reynolds on 020 3435 7272. For more information visit the Birchwood Knight website.