Better prospects in the provinces

There are few professions these days where employment is virtually guaranteed, fewer still where a bigger salary is on offer in a cheaper, more attractive part of the country. Such is the situation with optometry and dispensing according to our latest piece of research into workplace habits (see News).

The research, sponsored by Specsavers, paints a fascinating picture of the employment landscape. Salaries have risen but strange anomalies exist. Pay packets in areas such as central London are among the lowest in the land, while cheaper areas to live offer higher rewards. Despite larger numbers of professional staff being trained, they are not moving to the regions in sufficient numbers and this has pushed up salaries around our coasts and held them down in the cities.