Let’s face it – 2025 hasn’t given us much to celebrate so far. The government continues to talk about its ambition to grow the economy, yet its actions often seem to contradict those aims. Rather than reducing taxes to stimulate growth and support businesses, we’ve seen tax rises – and it appears there may be more to come in the next Budget.
Below is a concise summary of hiring conditions, sector trends and realistic salary bands across Norfolk & Suffolk.
Market Snapshot
Despite softer vacancy volumes, employers are benefitting from bigger shortlists, faster turnarounds and more realistic salary expectations.
- In the last 12 months hiring demand has cooled, vacancies have continued to fall as we see more candidates enter the market following restructures/redundancies.
- The estimated number of vacancies in the UK fell by 44,000 (5.8%) on the quarter, to 718,000 in May to July 2025.
- This is the 37th consecutive period where vacancy numbers have dropped compared with the previous three months, with vacancies decreasing in 16 of the 18 industry sectors.
- Total estimated vacancies were down by 145,000 (16.8%) in May to July 2025 from the level of a year ago, and 77,000 (9.7%) below their pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) January to March 2020 level.
- Hybrid working remains the default across most office roles. We’ve noticed a few clients have returned to five days on-site, but once induction is complete we recommend a structured hybrid model – typically 2–3 days in the office, flexing around customer needs and month-end peaks.
Sectors – Where demand is strongest vs weakest
| Doing Well / Investment Momentum | Under Pressure |
| Life sciences & agri‑tech (Norwich Research Park – investment partner announced Oct 2024).
Port of Felixstowe 5G roll‑out Jul 2025 – mega‑ship maiden call Aug 2025. |
Automotive manufacturing (Lotus – significant job cuts announced late Aug/early Sep 2025).
Has stated they will keep their manufacturing base in Hethel for now at least. |
| Advanced Engineering & Tech at Hethel Engineering Centre – Phase 4 progressing as planned. | High street retail & hospitality |
| Energy & offshore wind O&M (Great Yarmouth O&M campus piling Jan 2025). Sizewell C – Final Investment Decision confirmed in Jul 2025 | Sectors that rely on non-essential consumer spending (e.g. retail and leisure) are uneven, and slower sign-offs are making hiring take longer. |
| A11/A47 (Snetterton Innovation Park approved Mar 2025) and A14 corridor growth underpin back‑office/ops support. | Smaller, privately owned businesses remain cost‑conscious – some admin work absorbed by existing teams and Ai. |
| Construction (civils & energy-linked): Workflows remain healthy, driven by offshore wind and related maintenance activity; fit-out work is steady where clients have the cash flow. | Housebuilding and non-essential refurb jobs have slowed, with projects delayed while firms secure funding and wait for planning approval. |
Business Parks & Hubs
- Norwich Research Park – expansion pathway backed by new investment partner (Oct 2024).
- Hethel Engineering Centre – sustained high occupancy; Phase 4 expansion case (May 2025).
- Snetterton – Innovation Park approved (Breckland Planning Committee, Mar 2025).
- Adastral Park/Innovation Martlesham (Ipswich/Martlesham) – active tech cluster.
- Felixstowe/Harwich – private 5G network deployed (Jul 2025) and mega‑max vessel call (Aug 2025).
Practical Guidance for Employers
- Offer Stage – pre-close at stage two, verbal offer same day, written within 24 hours, include a start-date window, and confirm onboarding plan to minimise fallout.
- Retention from day one – set a 30/60/90 day plan, assign a systems or reporting area of ownership, and book a skills review within the first quarter.
- Adopt pragmatic AI platforms to speed up processes & procedures to free up more time to work on core business needs. If you are yet to fully explore Chatgpt or other LLM platforms then Big Sky is offering a Free 20 minute beginners course via Zoom – email us to arrange a convenient time.
| Book your free AI session |
Salary Survey (2025) – Norfolk & Suffolk
Bands reflect typical permanent salaries across Norfolk & Suffolk. Packages vary by sector, systems and scope.
Industry Finance Roles
| Role | Typical Salary Range (£) |
| Bookkeeper | £25,000 – £34,000 |
| Credit Controller/Supervisor | £26,000 – £36,000 |
| Credit Manager | £36,000 – £46,000 |
| Management Accountant | £38,000 – £50,000 |
| Finance Business Partner | £48,000 – £65,000 |
| Systems Accountant | £42,000 – £57,000 |
| Project Accountant | £42,000 – £55,000 |
| Financial Controller | £58,000 – £78,000 |
| Finance Director/CFO | £80,000 – £120,000 |
Practice Roles
| Role | Typical Salary Range (£) |
| Semi‑Senior | £25,000 – £34,000 |
| Senior Auditor | £31,000 – £44,000 |
| Accounts Senior | £29,000 – £42,000 |
| Tax Senior | £32,000 – £48,000 |
| Tax Manager | £50,000 – £70,000 |
| Assistant Manager | £39,000 – £50,000 |
| Manager | £48,000 – £70,000 |
| Partner | £80,000 – £130,000 |
- Ranges reflect typical base salaries. Benefits, bonus and car allowance vary by employer.
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Sources (click to open):
- ONS – Vacancies & jobs (Aug 2025): ONS bulletin (Aug 2025)
- Norwich Research Park – Vengrove investment partner (Oct 2024): UKRI news | NRP site
- Hethel Engineering Centre – Phase 4 expansion case (May 2025): NSU PDF
- Snetterton Innovation Park – approval (Mar 2025): Breckland Council
- Felixstowe/Harwich – 5G deployment (Jul 2025) & mega‑ship maiden call (Aug 2025): Port of Felixstowe (5G) | Port of Felixstowe (ONE Intelligence)
- Great Yarmouth – O&M campus piling works (Jan 2025): Great Yarmouth BC
- Sizewell C – Final Investment Decision (Jul 2025): Sizewell C (official)
Big Sky Additions – Accountancy Search & Selection | 01603 516 254 | enquiry@bigskyadditions.co.uk | www.bigskyadditions.co.uk