Antal Salary Report: Professionals and Managers Earn Two Times More Than Rank-and-File Employees
- Employees can make optimistic professional growth plans for 2018. Poland's stable economy gives them a feeling of security and numerous new investments are opening up attractive career development paths. As a result, stiffening competition over highly-qualified and experienced employees leads to wage increases. In order make the most out of the current market conditions, candidates should consider contacting recruiting companies specializing in specific sectors. Recruiters are able to provide assistance in career planning, recommend the best job offers and share information concerning salaries – says Artur Skiba, Antal Chairman.
Salaries of professionals and managers are growing twice as fast as the average salary in the companies sector
According to the "2017 Antal Salary Report", the average gross monthly salary earned by professionals and managers in Poland was PLN 11 662. Salaries offered to candidates grew by 14% year-on-year (2016: PLN 10 223). Never in the history of our surveys (since 2011) have we seen such rapid growth. What is more, professionals and managers with at least 2 years of seniority earn 2.5 times more than rank-and-file employees. According to the data of the Central Statistical Office of Poland, the average salary in the companies sector in October 2017 was PLN 4 574.35 (+7.4% year-on-year).
The salary range of professionals and managers is very wide, which is a result of many factors. On the one hand, employers take various variables into consideration when making salary decisions. Some of those variables include: company size, industry and region. On the other hand, each employee has their own unique competencies, personal traits, achievements and experience. In the end, it is those individual characteristics, such as foreign language skills, certificates, team size and scope of responsibility, that determine how much each employee earns.
The IT industry leads the pack in terms of salaries
IT professionals and managers earn the most, with an average monthly gross salary of PLN 12 600 (+16% year-on-year). The pharmaceuticals sectors placed second, with an average gross salary of PLN 12 879 (+4% year-on-year), followed by finance and accounting – PLN 10 861 (+20%). The average gross salary of senior managers has exceeded PLN 20 000 this year and is now at PLN 21 413 gross (+11% year-on-year).
Finding the right fit is crucial
Job-change decisions (or, in fact, decisions to not change jobs) continue to rely on base salaries, as stated by 4 in 10 respondents of the "Job-Seeking Activity Among Professionals and Managers in 2017" survey. However, Antal experts point out that non-financial incentives, fitting to the employees' age, life stage and interests, should become a bigger part of remuneration strategies. Different perks may have different value to different types of candidates.
- There is growing candidate interest in perks. Before any decisions are made, however, you have to determine what your employees see as valuable. Professionals and managers no longer consider private health care or fitness cards as attractive bonuses. They would rather get something that fits their interests. Thus, parents of very young children will appreciate day care facilities provided by the company, younger employees taking their first steps in the labour market wish to have access to new technologies and frequent team-building events, whereas more fitness-oriented people can be offered wellness programs – says Małgorzata Pukropek, Manager, Antal HR Consulting.
Employers should also closely examine their base and bonus remuneration systems. – Employers do not necessarily have to pay out bonuses in cash. Providing interesting perks that fit the interests of individual employees could be a worthwhile alternative. Plus, more often than not, that approach proves more efficient from the employer's standpoint – adds Małgorzata Pukropek.
