A new survey has found that HR professionals are taking home an average salary of £23,583 which is below the UK average.
With Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, as compiled by Ezra, finding that the UK average is circa £25,000, it appears that those in the people function are taking home six per cent less than average pay.
Not all bad news
Yet, it’s not all bad news. Ezra research found that some average HR pay packets sit above average pay for the region.
For example, in the North East, the average HR professional currently earns £22,483, two per cent higher than the regional average earnings of £22,106.
It’s also in the North East that HR pay has rocketed over the last few years – with wages growing 15% over the last five-year period.
In the West Midlands – home to cities such as Wolverhampton and Birmingham – HR pay has jumped 13% in the last five years whilst Scotland has also seen an increase of over ten per cent.
This is in contrast to average worker pay across other sectors which appears to be dropping drastically in some of these areas.
However…
In Wales the average HR pay gap – between the average HR professional and average worker – is large.
On average, HR can expect to take home 17% less than the average worker – with wages circa £18,000.
The South East and East Midlands are also home to some of the largest HR pay deficits, with a 16% difference between the average earnings on offer in the sector and the wider average income for both regions.
Top tier earnings
However, for those that manage to get to the apex of the HR profession, earnings are substantial.
According to payscale.com, the median wage for an HR Director is £70,000 with many earning over £100,000.
In London, the average is £82,000 whilst in Birmingham the average is £59,331.
Unsurprisingly, for those that have been in the role longer pay does shoot up. Those in the role for over ten years can expect pay to be circa 20% more than when they started the role.
Below is a table highlighting the pay averages by region.
Pay averages by region
Location | 2015 | 2020 | Salary Difference | |||
Average Salary | Average HR Net Salary | Average Salary | Average HR Net Salary | Increase in HR Salary (2015 to 2020) | HR Net Salary vs Wider Regional Average (2020) | |
North East | £19,714 | £19,546 | £22,106 | £22,483 | 15.0% | 2% |
West Midlands region | £19,973 | £18,441 | £23,639 | £20,864 | 13.1% | -12% |
Scotland | £21,161 | £20,513 | £24,028 | £22,851 | 11.4% | -5% |
London | £27,743 | £27,715 | £32,655 | £29,428 | 6.2% | -10% |
Yorkshire and the Humber | £19,417 | £20,346 | £22,747 | £21,027 | 3.3% | -8% |
East of England | £23,171 | £23,484 | £26,159 | £24,221 | 3.1% | -7% |
North West | £20,148 | £21,826 | £23,120 | £22,385 | 2.6% | -3% |
Wales | £19,319 | £18,462 | £21,869 | £18,161 | -1.6% | -17% |
South East | £24,241 | £23,863 | £27,468 | £22,948 | -3.8% | -16% |
East Midlands | £20,148 | £20,503 | £23,333 | £19,571 | -4.5% | -16% |
South West | £20,160 | £24,518 | £22,684 | £20,399 | -16.8% | -10% |
United Kingdom | £21,818 | £22,884 | £25,123 | £23,584 | 3.1% | -6% |
