Demand vs Supply

HR recruiters earn more than their general counterparts – but only on junior levels. By Lee Xieli.

While Singapore HR practitioners are earning more than last year, recruitment specialists out earn their generalist counterparts on junior executive levels, according to the newest salary benchmarking survey by Hudson.

This current tend of paying more for HR talent, regardless of job scope, reflects the difficulty of recruiting good HR talent in an already competitive talent marketplace - with companies enticing candidates with a high premium annual salary package when looking to hire. The shortage of experienced candidates has also forced companies to bolster salaries, causing the rise in the recruiting and training development area.

For instance, a HR recruitment officer with two to five years of experience can earn up to $100K in 2008, which is a $30K increase from last year. On the other hand, the highest salary package a HR generalist officer can get is $80K - which is a paltry $15K increase from last year. The same holds true for a regional recruitment manager who can command a package of up to $250K, which is $50K more than a regional generalist counterpart on a managerial level.

When asked why the annual salary for a HR specialist officer in recruitment and training development is higher than a HR generalist officer, Theresa Hall, manager of Hudson’s HR & legal practice groups says: “Presently, there is a high demand for HR specialists across various HR functions. We have observed slightly higher salaries in the recruitment and training areas where demand is exceeding supply.”

Yet this does not mean that HR generalists are no longer very highly valued, with Hall noting that there are some who move from specialist to generalist roles. “The pool of candidates in specialist roles such as in recruitment and training has also slightly reduced because there is a current trend for candidates opting to return to generalist roles.”

 

As the positions get higher, the salary differentiation starts becoming less significant because there are fewer roles required. This, Hall says, is due to the strong supply of candidates meeting the demand, causing the salaries to even out.

The traffic seems to be moving two ways. In 2007, due to the increase in war for talent in a growing economy, effective talent acquisition, retention and development were high on many organisations’ agendas. Organisations had to quickly improve their compensation and benefits and organisation development strategies in order to compete so HR generalists were moving into C&B and OD functions to fulfil those demands.

However not all moves are driven by the shortage of candidates in these areas or the draw of the higher salary. Hall says, “It is often driven by the candidate’s own genuine interest in developing their skills in these areas, coupled with organisations being more willing to train and develop candidates who may not meet the full requirements for positions in these areas of specialisations.”

 

Salary Information 2006-7 for HR professionals

Singapore $ Annual Package 2007	HR Generalist	Recruitment	Compensation & Benefits	Training & Development
Regional Officer (2 to 5 years)	45K – 65K	50K – 80K	45K – 70K	45K – 75K
Officer (2 to 5 years)	40K – 65K	40K – 70K	40K – 65K	40K – 65K
Regional Manager (6 to 12 years)	85K – 150K	80K – 120K	65K – 130K	80K – 120K
Manager (6 to 12 years)	70K– 120K	70K – 100K	65K – 130K	60K – 80K
Regional Director (15+ years)	160K – 300K	120K – 250K	140K – 240K	110K – 180K
Director (15+ years)	150K – 250K	100K – 200K	120K – 200K	110K – 150K

 

Salary Information 2007-8 for HR professionals

Singapore $ Annual Package 2008	HR Generalist	Recruitment	Compensation & Benefits	Training & Development
Regional Officer (2 to 5 years)	60K – 80K	70K – 140K	60K – 80K	60K – 90K
Officer (2 to 5 years)	50K – 80K	60K – 100K	50K – 80K	60K – 90K
Regional Manager (6 to 12 years)	85K – 200K	150K – 250K	85K – 200K	100K – 150K
Manager (6 to 12 years)	70K– 160K	80K – 150K	70K – 150K	70K – 120K
Regional Director (15+ years)	160K – 350K	150K – 250K	180K – 300K	150K – 270K
Director (15+ years)	150K – 250K	150K – 200K	150K – 250K	150K – 250K

Source: Hudson Human Resources Salary Information