Becoming professionally registered as an engineer can significantly boost your pay, a survey has suggested.
The 2026 Salary Survey by the Engineering Council, in partnership with trade magazine The Engineer, has found that professionally registered engineers and technicians continue to command significantly higher salaries than their non-registered peers.
The annual salary snapshot concluded that professional registration – so becoming CEng, IEng or EngTech – is still an important career choice for many engineers and technicians, with more than 40% of respondents choosing to pursue it.
Registration was particularly strong in the energy sector (70%) and in rail, civil and structural engineering sector (65%). The academia and manufacturing sectors present significant potential for increased engagement.
On pay, the survey showed that, although registered professionals earn £9,000 more on average than those who are not, only a quarter (23%) of respondents associated registration with higher pay. There was therefore an opportunity for the profession to highlight the value of registration.
The 2026 survey, conducted between January and mid-March this year, received 652 responses from engineering professionals working across 12 sectors.
The responses indicated steady pay growth, stable job satisfaction and a rising appetite for career change and international mobility, said the council.
It revealed that more than half of respondents were happy in their current role. It also highlighted growing interest in new career paths, with 71% saying they would consider moving into a different sector, and 48% of respondents being open to working overseas.
Engineering Council chief executive Paul Bailey said: “I was pleased to note that 43% of respondents were professionally registered, an indication perhaps of the way that registered engineers and technicians tend to be highly engaged and committed to advancing the profession.
“Encouragingly, the data shows that those respondents who are professionally registered, ie those who have demonstrated a commitment to responsible engineering, ethical behaviour, and professional standards, earn, on average, £9,000 more than their non-registered peers.
“However, it is interesting that less than a third of respondents believe that professional registration increases earning potential. This is a perception that the Engineering Council and the wider profession need to address, as ethical, competent, and trustworthy engineers remain essential to the long-term wellbeing of both people and the planet,” Bailey added.
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