Millennials are feeling the pinch - this, we know. Although a recent report showed that many people are content earning under £30,000 in certain jobs, the reality is that this isn’t enough for everybody to live on.

The housing crisis is preventing people from getting on the property ladder. Household living costs have increased by about 2.4% since 2018. And let’s not even get started on the price of train tickets. Along with the rise in the daily cost of living, the minimum wage has recently been bumped up to £8.21 per hour and – for most of us – average salaries have also increased over the last decade.

Some careers have shown much better results than others, but which ones are they?

According to research by Compare the Market, taxi drivers (72%), TV engineers (68%) and marketing and sales directors (66%) are the top three careers that have seen the biggest increase in salaries.

Not far behind are senior educational professionals (62%), IT directors (60%), advertising and PR directors (59%), veterinary nurses (52%), taxation experts (50%), musicians (50%) and civil servants (44%).

The report based its findings on an analysis of earnings data by the Office of National Statistics from 2008 and 2018, to discover how salaries have changed for over 200 occupations and industries.

It also studied how location impacts salary increase, finding that Northern Ireland has experienced the biggest rise (27%) in salary average since 2018. Worryingly, London is the only region where salaries have actually decreased.

So, which careers have been affected the most by this decrease?

Energy plant operatives (14%) saw the biggest drop, closely followed by moulders and die casters (12%), chemical scientists (10%) and other construction operatives  (10%).

Then, we have doctors (8%), other process operatives (8%), lab technicians (7%), metal making process operatives (6%), glass and ceramics process operatives (3%) and finance and investment advisers (2%).

Earlier this year, another study found that working-class women are paid nearly 40% less than men. And, more research proved that women with post-graduate degrees still earn less than men without one. So although this new report doesn’t break down the salaries by gender, it safe to assume that the gender pay gap is prevalent throughout most - if not all - the careers listed.

Whatever field you work in and what salary you are on, it’s always important to ask for a pay rise if you feel you deserve one.

To give some fresh inspiration, here are five quick tips from CV-Library for asking for a pay rise:

1. Schedule in a meeting with your boss with the agenda set as a pay review

2. Come prepared with examples and arguments of why you deserve it; organisation is key

3. Be confident in your arguments but don’t appear arrogant; this can deter your employer

4. Don’t be afraid to negotiate, it can’t hurt to try your luck meeting them half way

5. Be prepared to be told ‘no’, you won’t always get a pay rise the first time you ask, but there are other aspects you can negotiate on, like holiday or workplace perks.

See the full Rise and Fall of UK Salaries report here.

Images: Getty