Alongside the launch of their 2026 Salary Survey, Bryony Gibson, director of Bryony Gibson Consulting, shares reflections from the North East public practice market.
Recruitment in public practice rarely moves in straight lines, and the past year has been no exception.
Right now, across the North East, I would describe the market as active but very considered. Firms need good people, often urgently, but recruitment decisions are being taken with greater care, more internal deliberation, and a sharper focus on long-term fit.
That caution is not a lack of ambition. It reflects the wider environment of economic uncertainty, changing regulations, and falling business confidence. Many firms are balancing growth plans with cost control, while also thinking carefully about succession, training investment, and how best to structure their teams for the future.
Against that backdrop, it genuinely pays to get salary positioning right.
We continue to operate in a candidate-driven market in many areas of public practice, particularly at senior, manager, and specialist levels, where supply remains tight. Advances in technology and automation are reshaping the technical base of roles, while clients increasingly expect commercial insight and advisory support. The professionals who combine strong technical ability with keen judgement, communication skills, and confidence working directly with clients are in high demand, and they know it.
However, salary conversations today are far more nuanced than they were even a few years ago.
Money remains a central driver, particularly given ongoing cost-of-living pressures. But it is rarely the only consideration. Increasingly, candidates talk about clarity. Clarity of role, progression, workload, and leadership. They want to understand not just what they will earn, but how their career will develop, and how their working life will feel.
What also stands out is that motivations are not uniform. Different career stages and often different generations place emphasis on different aspects of the overall package. For some, accelerated progression or greater flexibility is key. For others, stability, exposure to complex work, or long-term benefits such as pension contributions carry greater weight. A single, standardised approach to remuneration no longer resonates equally across a multi-generational team.
This is where many firms face a delicate balancing act.
Pitch salaries too low and you risk losing strong candidates early in the process or valued team members who realise they are no longer competitive in the market. Pitch too high, without structure, and you create internal inconsistencies that are difficult to sustain over time.
The most effective firms treat salary benchmarking as a strategic discipline rather than a reactive adjustment. They regularly benchmark against the local market and review how their overall package compares. From hybrid working and pension contributions to bonus schemes and wellbeing support, they think carefully about how roles are evolving.
One of the consistent themes in the North East is that context matters. Roles, expectations, and reward structures can vary significantly between firms of different sizes and ownership models. Broad national averages rarely tell the full story, as a “Manager” role in one firm may look very different in another, both in scope and in reward.
Ultimately, salary is not just a number. It is a signal. It communicates how a firm values expertise, how it views progression, and how seriously it takes retention. In today’s market, it pays to ensure that the signal is clear, competitive, and aligned with the reality of the role and market.
For those who find it helpful to step back and sense-check their position in the regional market, I’ve recently compiled an updated North East Public Practice Salary Guide for 2026. And I’m always happy to share a copy with anyone who would find it useful.