Employers Hub
Hiring tools that
actually help
Three free calculators built on published UK market pay data — by role and by location — plus practical guidance refreshed every month. No sign-up, no gated results.
33 benchmarked roles across 14 UK locations, from national earnings data and 2026 sector salary guides — reviewed August 2026.
Tool 01
Salary Benchmark Calculator
Published UK market pay by role and location, from national earnings data and 2026 sector salary guides — not just our own adverts. Pick the role and the area, and we show what we've actually advertised locally alongside it.
Felixstowe +2% vs national
The UK's largest container port. Regional pay sits below the national median, but competition for freight, customs and shipping people pushes advertised rates back up to or above it.
Operational roles such as drivers and warehouse staff move less between areas, because the National Living Wage sets a floor. We allow for that.
| Role | Felixstowe midpoint | Typical range | Our adverts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Manager / DirectorSenior Management | £79,600 | £66,300–£102,000 | — | Jackson Hogg Supply Chain and Logistics Salary Guide 2026as at August 2026 |
| Customs / Branch ManagerFreight Forwarding | £57,100 | £49,000–£69,400 | — | HtE Recruitment freight and transport wage guide, uplifted for 2026as at August 2026 |
| Supply Chain / Logistics ManagerSupply Chain Management | £56,100 | £45,900–£69,400 | — | Jackson Hogg Supply Chain and Logistics Salary Guide 2026as at August 2026 |
| Port / Terminal Operations ManagerPort Services | £55,100 | £45,900–£66,300 | — | Published 2026 logistics salary guidesas at August 2026 |
| Operations Manager (freight or transport)Senior Management | £55,100 | £45,900–£66,300 | — | Published 2026 logistics salary guidesas at August 2026 |
| Business Development Manager (freight)Sales & Marketing | £49,000 | £42,800–£59,200 | — | HtE Recruitment freight and transport wage guide, uplifted for 2026as at August 2026 |
| Chartering / Post-Fixture OperatorShipping | £47,900 | £38,800–£63,200 | £30,000 (1 advert) | Published 2026 chartering market comparisonsas at August 2026 |
| Transport Manager (CPC)Transport | £46,900 | £40,800–£56,100 | — | HtE Recruitment freight and transport wage guide, uplifted for 2026as at August 2026 |
| Warehouse / Distribution ManagerWarehousing | £44,900 | £38,800–£56,100 | — | Published 2026 logistics salary guidesas at August 2026 |
| HGV Class 1 Driver (C+E)Driving | £43,500 | £38,400–£52,600 | — | Aspion HGV Driver Salary Guide 2026as at August 2026 |
| Buyer / Procurement SpecialistSupply Chain Management | £40,800 | £34,700–£49,000 | — | Reed procurement and supply chain salary guide 2026as at August 2026 |
| Supply Chain PlannerSupply Chain Management | £40,800 | £34,700–£47,900 | — | CareerMetrics UK supply chain and logistics data 2026as at August 2026 |
| Customs Clearance SupervisorFreight Forwarding | £39,800 | £35,700–£44,900 | — | HtE Recruitment freight and transport wage guide, uplifted for 2026as at August 2026 |
| Senior Freight Forwarder (5 years plus)Freight Forwarding | £37,700 | £33,700–£42,800 | — | HtE Recruitment freight and transport wage guide, uplifted for 2026as at August 2026 |
Usually includes bonus and car allowance; equity appears at the top end of owner-managed businesses.
Market figures are published national data adjusted for location. "Our adverts" is the midpoint of what LME has actually advertised for comparable roles — a local sense-check, not the benchmark itself. Reviewed monthly; last reviewed August 2026.
Tool 02
Package Competitiveness Checker
Pay is only part of it. Enter the whole package and see how it stacks up against published market pay for that role in that area, plus the cheapest changes that would make the biggest difference.
Competitiveness score
50
Middle of the pack. Expect a slower shortlist and more counter-offers.
Market rate for a accounts assistant (logistics) in Felixstowe is £30,100 — above it by £1,900.
Published range £26,500–£33,700 · Published 2026 finance salary guides, as at August 2026
- Base pay26/40
In line with the Felixstowe rate of £30,100.
- Holiday13/15
25 days. 25 plus bank holidays is the local expectation.
- Hours7/10
40 hours a week.
- Pension3/10
3% employer contribution.
- Flexibility1/10
Fixed on site, fixed hours.
- Extras0/15
No extras selected.
Biggest wins
- • Add one visible extra — paid overtime, funded training or healthcare — and say so in the advert.
- • Even a fixed day at home or flexible start times widens the pool noticeably in office-based roles.
- • Lifting the employer pension contribution a point or two is one of the cheapest ways to improve a package.
Tool 03
Cost of Vacancy Calculator
An empty seat is rarely free. This puts a pounds-per-day figure on the one you're carrying right now, split between lost output, overtime and cover.
This vacancy is costing you
£63 a day
£2,855 over 45 days
- Lost output£1,582
40% of the role's value not being delivered over 32 working days.
- Overtime cover£1,273
6 hours a week at time and a half.
- Agency or temp cover£0
No agency cover entered.
This month's guidance
Fresh for August 2026 — retention, engagement, progression and what we're seeing in the local market.
- Employer tip of the month
- Staff retention
- Employee engagement
- Progression plans
- Market update
- Interview & onboarding
- Legal & compliance watch
August 2026
- Employer tip of the month
Revisit Your Job Descriptions This August
Review and update your job descriptions to attract better candidates and set clearer expectations.
Read it ↗ - Employee engagement
Engaging Your Shift Workers in Shipping & Logistics
Discover practical ways to boost engagement for your shift-based teams, from Felixstowe port to Suffolk warehouses.
Read it ↗ - Progression plans
Keep Talent: Build Clear Career Paths
Implement clear career paths to boost staff retention and development in your shipping and logistics business.
Read it ↗ - Staff retention
Keep Your Best People This August
Retaining your skilled logistics and shipping staff is key to stability and growth. This article shares practical steps to help you do just that.
Read it ↗
Rather just talk it through?
Tell us the role and we'll tell you honestly what it takes to fill it — pay, package and timescales — before you commit to anything.