Now is the time to be an HR professional – as the C-Suite is realizing just how critical the function is to the viability of the organization, according to Namely's HR Careers Report 2018.
"For those considering a career in human resources, job prospects have never been better," the authors write. "After a year of high-profile HR nightmares at companies like Uber and Thinx, the field's importance has never been more apparent."
Indeed, for those companies that have elevated the top HR position to the C-Suite, the average Glassdoor rating is 3.84, versus an overall average Glassdoor rating of 3.3. — suggesting that investing in HR leadership does positively impact the company overall, the authors write.
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The report also cited Labor Dept. statistics showing how the demand for HR professionals is expected to increase 10% over the next decade. Commensurate with this rising demand will likely be rising salaries – as of now, the median income for an HR generalist is $106,910.
Namely pulled information from its HR platform database of more than 1,000 mid-sized companies and 150,000 employees, to glean insights about salaries, demand across geographies and HR department structures.
Key findings include:
- HR teams at companies with 100 or fewer employees lean nearly 60% female. As businesses grow, they appear to approach a more even gender distribution.
- Mid-sized companies tend to invest in HR leadership once the company has grown to a certain size. The median size of companies with a C-level HR role is 277 employees.
- Once companies hit the 100 employee mark, the average HR salary is nearly 10% higher than smaller companies. But companies with 101 to 300 employees make 3 percent more than their counterparts at companies with over 300 employees. Once companies have over 300 employees, it's likely that their department headcount will grow—and with it, comes the addition of more entry-level HR professionals who might round down the average HR salary.
- Across Namely's database, the average HR salary is $98,048. Connecticut, Washington DC, and California clocked in as the highest-paying states for HR professionals, with New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle taking the title of highest-paying cities.
"This comes as no surprise, considering that these jurisdictions have some of the countries most complex employment laws — from 'ban the box' legislation in Connecticut to the $15 minimum wage in California," the authors write.
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Katie Kuehner-Hebert
Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.
