The economic downturn has kept the lid on pay for HR jobs in the US, much as
it has for the rest of the workforce, according to research.
A new survey reveals that HR professionals in the US received pay increases
of, on average, less than 2 per cent over the past year.
The 2002 Human Resource Management Compensation Survey – considered the
leading source of pay information for the HR profession in America – includes
data provided by 1,100 US employers, who have more than 10.3 million employees
collectively.
The survey covered nearly 46,000 HR professionals in 109 HR jobs, ranging
from top management to clerical HR positions.
Among 12 of the most common jobs in HR, pay nudged up slightly for 11 of the
12, for an average increase of 1.7 per cent. The largest change was for senior
compensation analysts and general recruiters, both of which saw a 4.2 per cent
pay increase over 2001 pay levels.
Susan R Meisinger, SHRM president and CEO, said: "Like many
professions, HR is feeling the effects of the current economic reality, as
evidenced by the small increases in pay for HR positions.
"However, in recent years, compensation for HR professionals at all
levels has been increasing steadily as a result of the growing complexity and
strategic nature of many HR roles today. We can expect to see continued
increases in pay as the economy recovers."
The survey was conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting in conjunction
with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
