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Career pathsCareers in HRHR specialismsLatest NewsThe HR profession

Could you earn 21% more as an HR contractor?

by Jo Faragher 25 Mar 2019
by Jo Faragher 25 Mar 2019

HR professionals who work as contractors could boost their average pay by 21%, according to salary data analysis from CV-Library.

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The job board analysed average salary data from hundreds of thousands of contractor jobs posted on its site, and found the average annual pay for HR contractors to be £39,243 per year, compared to £32,431 for the average annual pay for a permanent professional.

The HR sector makes the top 10 for contractor pay, according to CV-Library, just above marketing where contractor pay is 16.4% above average pay.

The top industries in terms of comparatively high pay for contractors were as follows:

  1. Engineering – 75.5% above average
  2. Social Care – 72.2% above average
  3. Manufacturing – 66.9% above average
  4. Design – 66.8% above average
  5. Construction – 46% above average
  6. Financial Services – 45.1% above average
  7. Legal – 44.8% above average
  8. Accounting – 37.5% above average
  9. HR – 21% above average
  10. Marketing – 16.4% above average
  11. IT – 15.8% above average
  12. Customer Service – 9% above average
  13. Recruitment – 5.9% above average
  14. Administration – 4.7% above average
  15. Education – 3.3% above average

Within HR, the average day rate for contractors was £186.41, although certain roles commanded a lot more.

Change management professionals earned an average of £376.13 per day, while learning and development professionals banked an average of £186.04 per day.

The average day rate for HR business partners was £170.09 per day, and HR advisors earned an average of £130.73 per day.

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Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, said: “It’s no secret that contractors command far higher salaries than the average UK worker and our data shows that HR professionals could be earning up to 21% more than average. That being said, contracting isn’t for everyone, especially if you’re looking for stability and key workplace perks from your employer.”

“High pay and flexibility can certainly be appealing factors, but at the end of the day, it’s up to your own personal preferences and what feels right for you.”

Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

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