Do you have to move jobs to get a substantial pay rise or progression in print, packaging or signage?

It’s one of the most common questions I get asked in this industry.

The short answer. Most of the time, yes.

And I’m not just saying that as a recruiter. I’m saying it because I hear the same story from account managers, production leaders, estimators and salespeople across the sector. People aren’t always looking for a new job because they’re unhappy. Often, it’s because they’ve stopped moving forward.

One packaging sales manager put it like this: “I’d grown our biggest client by 40 per cent in two years. But every time I brought up progression, I was told the structure didn’t support it. In the end, I had to leave to get the step up. It was frustrating, but I couldn’t sit still any longer.”

She’s not alone. In print, packaging and signage, it’s common to see experienced people overlooked simply because they’re reliable. They do a great job, cause no fuss, and get taken for granted. That’s when they start looking elsewhere.

I spoke to a signage project manager recently who had taken on line management and budgeting responsibility over the last 18 months, with no change in title or pay. “They said I was on the radar,” he told me, “but I’d been hearing that for a year. Moving gave me the recognition they wouldn’t.”

From the outside, it looked like a jump. From his point of view, it was overdue recognition for the work he was already doing.

The same pattern crops up in commercial print. I spoke to a production controller who said: “We hadn’t had a proper pay review in years. When I asked, it was always next quarter, next review, next something. I got a £7k rise by moving and a clearer path to studio manager. I wish I’d done it sooner.”

On the employer side, the view’s often different. One operations director in wide format signage told me: “We did want to promote her. But doing it properly meant a restructure, and we couldn’t move fast enough. She left and got what we should’ve offered. Our loss.”

That’s the real challenge. It’s not always that businesses don’t value people. Sometimes they’re just not set up to move at the pace of their talent. Which means the only way up is often out.

So do you have to move jobs to get a substantial pay rise or career progression in print, packaging or signage?

If you’ve already had the conversations. If you’ve taken on more but your title and pay haven’t moved. If the promises keep getting pushed back. Then yes, a move is often the only way to reset your value.

But not always.

Some employers in this space are getting it right. I work with a print group that reviews salaries and responsibilities twice a year. They map clear pathways into senior roles. People stay because they see what’s next. Not just what’s now.

Another packaging client recently restructured an entire department to retain two team leads. They looked at the market, saw where they were falling short, and fixed it before anyone handed in a notice. That’s rare. But it’s what good looks like.

On the candidate side, I had this message from a client services exec in POS and display: “I stayed because they listened. I didn’t want to move, I just wanted to grow. They gave me that. It’s not always about chasing the money.”

And that’s the point.

It’s not always about salary. It’s about being seen. Being backed. Being offered a proper path forward.

If you’re in print, packaging or signage and feeling like things have stalled, don’t wait for someone else to make the first move. Start by getting a sense of your value. You don’t have to act on it tomorrow. But you do need to know where you stand.

Next steps

If you’re wondering whether it’s time to move or whether your current business could give you more, let’s talk. No pressure. No big sales pitch. Just a straight conversation about your options in this industry and what’s realistic right now.

And if you’re hiring, ask yourself this. If someone on your team left tomorrow, would you pay more to replace them? If the answer’s yes, don’t wait.