UK reward metrics · Pay

What percentage of UK organisations have pay-for-skills maturity in place?

Source lumi HRBase 249 organisationsFieldwork 2026 H1

24.1%in place

24.1% of organisations in the lumi HR community have pay-for-skills maturity in place; a further 40.6% have it partly in place (base: 249 UK organisations, 2026 H1).

Figures describe organisations in the lumi HR community, not a random sample of UK employers.

How the base splits

In place 24.1% Partly in place 40.6% Not in place 35.3%
Share of the 249 organisations assessed, 2026 H1. Organisations answering not applicable or don’t know are excluded from the base.

What organisations answered

Pay-for-skills maturity: share of organisations by answer
AnswerShare of organisations
Not at all35.3%
Limited use in niche roles40.6%
Moderate use in some functions18.9%
Widely used across the organisation5.2%

Definition

Extent to which pay is differentiated based on scarce skills/certifications. See the methodology for how the base is built, how not-applicable answers are handled, the public floor, and which organisations are excluded.

Cite this figure
Source: lumi HR, UK Reward Metrics, September 2026, lumihr.co.uk/metrics/pay-for-skills-maturity
Last updated 19 September 2026 · Data licence: CC BY 4.0 for the figures in the CSV download.

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