CSR is dominated by women and happy workers

The 2008 CSR Salary Survey revealed that eight out of 10 of those working in CSR in the UK were happy in their jobs and 97 per cent of them would recommend corporate responsibility as a career.

The study conducted by Acona consultancy together with recruitment consultancy Acre Resources and Ethical Performance newsletter, found that more women than men worked in corporate social responsibility – 62 per cent compared to 38 per cent. However, women occupied only 49 per cent of director level jobs and accounted for only 33 per cent of those earning £100,000 a year or more. Women in CSR were over-represented among jobs that commanded salaries of £40,000 or under –accounting for 78 per cent of those in that bracket.

Levels of job satisfaction applied more or less equally, whether respondents were working in-house for a company or as a consultant, although the median salary figure in this year's survey found that you could earn more working within a company than for consultants – £45-50,000 compared to £35-40,000, respectively.

The survey, which polled 354 UK-based CSR practitioners in November and December 2008, also found that 15 per cent of respondents actually felt more secure in their jobs, despite the recession, than they did last year, while 55 per cent felt just as secure. Around 30 per cent, however, described themselves as “less secure”.

Paul Burke, senior partner at CSR consultancy Acona, said the results showed made it likely that those working in the sector have “a deep personal interest in and commitment to CSR and the opportunity to make a difference”.

“Both personal observation and anecdotal evidence [show] that those working in the sector are overwhelmingly happy with their lot,” added Andy Cartland, managing director at CSR and sustainability recruitment agency Acre Resources.