Viewpoint: New Data Reveals Pay for Compensation and Benefits Professionals
Companies recognize the value of professionals who keep pay and benefits competitive
In today's tight talent market, companies need to ensure they're offering competitive compensation and benefits to attract highly sought-after talent. With unemployment low, the roles of HR professionals will rise to even greater prominence within their companies as businesses seek an edge in attracting and retaining the talent they need to remain competitive.
Overall, organizations that build strong, high-performing HR teams will give themselves an edge as competition for top talent ramps up in 2019. With highly sought-after candidates on the job market for as little as 10 days, accelerating speed to hire and offering exceptional packages of benefits and perks are musts.
[SHRM members-only how-to guide: How to Establish Salary Ranges]
HR National Salaries
The salary ranges shown in the chart below for HR compensation and benefits jobs are taken from the Randstad US 2019 Salary Guide, released in January. The guide is a nationwide directory of compensation data and industry trends for a variety of professions—such as finance/accounting, human resources, engineering, health care and manufacturing/logistics—with salary ranges for nearly 40 HR positions. The guide uses data from Randstad's proprietary intelligence and information from licensed third-party sources, including the Economic Research Institute, a provider of compensation data and analytics.
The chart shows U.S. salary averages throughout 2018 and may not reflect all markets.
| Benefits Positions | Entry Level | Midlevel | Senior Level |
| Benefits assistant/associate | $33,878 - $39,659 | $40,433 - $47,333 | $46,895 - $54,897 |
| Benefits analyst | $50,965 - $60,385 | $59,033 - $69,944 | $67,922 - $80,476 |
| Benefits manager | $80,779 - $98,040 | $92,672 - $112,475 | $106,227 - $128,926 |
| Benefits director | $113,301 - $158,843 | $120,850 - $169,426 | $128,378 - $179,980 |
| Compensation Positions | |||
| Compensation analyst | $57,759 - $69,263 | $69,563 - $83,418 | $81,455 - $97,679 |
| Compensation manager | $87,464 - $106,154 | $102,204 - $124,043 | $118,149 - $143,396 |
| Compensation director | $118,997 - $160,919 | $126,720 - $171,363 | $135,171 - $182,790 |
Benefits, Compensation and HR Information Systems (HRIS) Positions (Combined responsibilities, as is common at smaller companies) | |||
| Benefits and compensation specialist | $49,538 - $59,405 | $57,822 - $69,338 | $66,730 - $80,021 |
| Manager of HRIS, benefits, compensation | $83,260 - $101,051 | $96,975 - $117,696 | $111,979 - $135,907 |
| Director of HRIS, benefits, compensation | $110,893 - $154,640 | $118,580 - $165,378 | $126,390 - $176,272 |
Source: Randstad US, 2019 Salary Guide.
Check the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for anticipated wage growth for compensation and benefits professionals.
Jim Link is the chief HR officer at Randstad North America, a provider of outsourcing, staffing, consulting and workforce solutions. The salary data is © Randstad, all rights reserved, and is used with permission.
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