Change managers are at the top of the earning table, according to market research. HRM looks at what other HR roles are worth and which skills are most in demand.
Change managers in Wellington earn up to $300,000 a year, taking the top earning spot for HR jobs in Auckland and Wellington, according to the Robert Walters Half Yearly Market Update.
HR directors in the capital came a close second, earning up to $280,000, while Auckland HR directors made up to $250,000.
Next in line were HR managers, making up to $180,000 in Wellington and up to $160,000 in Auckland.
The update showed that the HR recruitment market in Auckland has been strong so far this year, with consistent levels of recruitment across a variety of industries, from insurance to manufacturing.
“The reason for this was a number of restructures making new roles available, as well as a churn in the market as business confidence grew and professionals started to look for their next step and challenge in their career,” it said.
Recruitment levels are expected to continue at the same rate for the rest of the year and the hardest positions to fill are expected to be HR advisor contractors, as they usually preferred permanent positions over contract roles, and learning as development specialists, as many changed their career paths due to recession cutbacks.
The market update also identified that methods like psychometric testing would make some recruitment processes take longer than expected.
The Wellington market also showed steady improvement, with a trend towards hiring contractors predicted until the general election has been decided in September.
Candidates with “strong and varied” organisational development and learning experience will be in high demand, as will HR generalists who operate as strategic business partners.
Paul Robinson, the director of Randstad New Zealand, said the demand for HR professionals appeared to come in “peaks and troughs” and there was more opportunity for permanent and fixed-term roles as opposed to contracting positions.
“Naturally, opportunities in Wellington are focused in the public sector, but there is also plenty of opportunity in the information technology and manufacturing sectors.
“Looking at the IT sector in particular, there are SMEs out there that are growing so fast that they can't keep up from the people and capability side of things. These companies are looking to bring people on board even at an HR coordinator level to begin with to help take care of their HR processes. There is also a large demand for HR professionals at business partner level and it's a real skill-short area across all industries."
HR salaries this year
HR directors in the capital came a close second, earning up to $280,000, while Auckland HR directors made up to $250,000.
Next in line were HR managers, making up to $180,000 in Wellington and up to $160,000 in Auckland.
The update showed that the HR recruitment market in Auckland has been strong so far this year, with consistent levels of recruitment across a variety of industries, from insurance to manufacturing.
“The reason for this was a number of restructures making new roles available, as well as a churn in the market as business confidence grew and professionals started to look for their next step and challenge in their career,” it said.
Recruitment levels are expected to continue at the same rate for the rest of the year and the hardest positions to fill are expected to be HR advisor contractors, as they usually preferred permanent positions over contract roles, and learning as development specialists, as many changed their career paths due to recession cutbacks.
The market update also identified that methods like psychometric testing would make some recruitment processes take longer than expected.
The Wellington market also showed steady improvement, with a trend towards hiring contractors predicted until the general election has been decided in September.
Candidates with “strong and varied” organisational development and learning experience will be in high demand, as will HR generalists who operate as strategic business partners.
Paul Robinson, the director of Randstad New Zealand, said the demand for HR professionals appeared to come in “peaks and troughs” and there was more opportunity for permanent and fixed-term roles as opposed to contracting positions.
“Naturally, opportunities in Wellington are focused in the public sector, but there is also plenty of opportunity in the information technology and manufacturing sectors.
“Looking at the IT sector in particular, there are SMEs out there that are growing so fast that they can't keep up from the people and capability side of things. These companies are looking to bring people on board even at an HR coordinator level to begin with to help take care of their HR processes. There is also a large demand for HR professionals at business partner level and it's a real skill-short area across all industries."
HR salaries this year
| Role | Permanent salary per annum NZD | |
| Generalist | Auckland | Wellington |
| HR director | 150-250K | 150-280K |
| HR manager | 95-160K | 120-180K |
| HR business partner | 90-130K | 90-130K |
| HR consultant | 80-110K | 85-120K |
| HR analyst | 60-90K | 60-100K |
| Specialist | ||
| Change manager | 130K+ | 130-300K |
| Organisational development manager | 100-140K | 90-120K |
| Remuneration manager | 95-150K | 100-150K |
| Learning and development manager | 95-135K | 110-175K |
| Recruitment manager | 85-130K | 90-130K |