UK reward metrics · Pay

What is UK organisations' starting-salary positioning policy for new hires?

Source lumi HRBase 212 organisationsFieldwork 2026 H1

57.1%Below midpoint (minimum to mid)

57.1% of organisations in the lumi HR community answered “Below midpoint (minimum to mid)” on starting-salary positioning policy (base: 212 UK organisations, 2026 H1).

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

How UK organisations answered

Below midpoint (minimum to mid) 57.1% Anywhere in range 14.2% No policy 28.8%
Starting-salary positioning policy (base: 212 organisations, 2026 H1). Percentages percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding.
Starting-salary positioning policy: share of organisations by answer
AnswerShare of organisations
Below midpoint (minimum to mid)common57.1%
Anywhere in rangerare14.2%
No policyalternative28.8%

Common, alternative and rare describe how each answer sits against the community: the most chosen answer is common; an answer chosen by fewer than one in five organisations is rare.

Definition

Captures where new hires are typically placed within the pay range, from below the midpoint to anywhere in range. 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/starting-salary-positioning-policy
Last updated 19 September 2026 · Data licence: CC BY 4.0 for the figures in the CSV download.

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