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With salary hitting the top slot for reasons to change jobs, 2024 looks set to be a challenging year for HR teams as the economy starts to recover.
HR skills in demand include tech savvy HR analysts, transformation specialists and L&D professionals.

Explore salaries for HR roles in your region.

Role Category Title Region Lower Quartile Median Upper Quartile
CHRO/CPO CHRO/CPO National Average £105,138 £131,422 £166,468
CHRO/CPO CHRO/CPO London £120,000 £150,000 £190,000
CHRO/CPO CHRO/CPO SouthEast £111,111 £138,889 £175,926
CHRO/CPO CHRO/CPO SouthWest £103,448 £129,310 £163,793
CHRO/CPO CHRO/CPO EastEast £107,143 £133,929 £169,643
CHRO/CPO CHRO/CPO WestMidlands £104,348 £130,435 £165,217
CHRO/CPO CHRO/CPO EastMidlands £104,348 £130,435 £165,217
CHRO/CPO CHRO/CPO Yorkshire £100,840 £126,050 £159,664
CHRO/CPO CHRO/CPO NorthEast £100,000 £125,000 £158,333
CHRO/CPO CHRO/CPO NorthWest £100,840 £126,050 £159,664
CHRO/CPO CHRO/CPO Scotland £105,263 £131,579 £166,667
CHRO/CPO CHRO/CPO Wales £99,174 £123,967 £157,025
Human Resources Director Human Resources Director National Average £78,853 £109,518 £140,184
Human Resources Director Human Resources Director London £90,000 £125,000 £160,000
Human Resources Director Human Resources Director SouthEast £83,333 £115,741 £148,148
Human Resources Director Human Resources Director SouthWest £77,586 £107,759 £137,931
Human Resources Director Human Resources Director EastEast £80,357 £111,607 £142,857
Human Resources Director Human Resources Director WestMidlands £78,261 £108,696 £139,130
Human Resources Director Human Resources Director EastMidlands £78,261 £108,696 £139,130
Human Resources Director Human Resources Director Yorkshire £75,630 £105,042 £134,454
Human Resources Director Human Resources Director NorthEast £75,000 £104,167 £133,333
Human Resources Director Human Resources Director NorthWest £75,630 £105,042 £134,454
Human Resources Director Human Resources Director Scotland £78,947 £109,649 £140,351
Human Resources Director Human Resources Director Wales £74,380 £103,306 £132,231
HR Manager HR Manager National Average £48,188 £61,330 £74,473
HR Manager HR Manager London £55,000 £70,000 £85,000
HR Manager HR Manager SouthEast £50,926 £64,815 £78,704
HR Manager HR Manager SouthWest £47,414 £60,345 £73,276
HR Manager HR Manager EastEast £49,107 £62,500 £75,893
HR Manager HR Manager WestMidlands £47,826 £60,870 £73,913
HR Manager HR Manager EastMidlands £47,826 £60,870 £73,913
HR Manager HR Manager Yorkshire £46,218 £58,824 £71,429
HR Manager HR Manager NorthEast £45,833 £58,333 £70,833
HR Manager HR Manager NorthWest £46,218 £58,824 £71,429
HR Manager HR Manager Scotland £48,246 £61,404 £74,561
HR Manager HR Manager Wales £45,455 £57,851 £70,248
HR Business Partner HR Business Partner National Average £52,569 £56,950 £70,092
HR Business Partner HR Business Partner London £60,000 £65,000 £80,000
HR Business Partner HR Business Partner SouthEast £55,556 £60,185 £74,074
HR Business Partner HR Business Partner SouthWest £51,724 £56,034 £68,966
HR Business Partner HR Business Partner EastEast £53,571 £58,036 £71,429
HR Business Partner HR Business Partner WestMidlands £52,174 £56,522 £69,565
HR Business Partner HR Business Partner EastMidlands £52,174 £56,522 £69,565
HR Business Partner HR Business Partner Yorkshire £50,420 £54,622 £67,227
HR Business Partner HR Business Partner NorthEast £50,000 £54,167 £66,667
HR Business Partner HR Business Partner NorthWest £50,420 £54,622 £67,227
HR Business Partner HR Business Partner Scotland £52,632 £57,018 £70,175
HR Business Partner HR Business Partner Wales £49,587 £53,719 £66,116
Senior HR Advisor Senior HR Advisor National Average £39,427 £46,436 £52,569
Senior HR Advisor Senior HR Advisor London £45,000 £53,000 £60,000
Senior HR Advisor Senior HR Advisor SouthEast £41,667 £49,074 £55,556
Senior HR Advisor Senior HR Advisor SouthWest £38,793 £45,690 £51,724
Senior HR Advisor Senior HR Advisor EastEast £40,179 £47,321 £53,571
Senior HR Advisor Senior HR Advisor WestMidlands £39,130 £46,087 £52,174
Senior HR Advisor Senior HR Advisor EastMidlands £39,130 £46,087 £52,174
Senior HR Advisor Senior HR Advisor Yorkshire £37,815 £44,538 £50,420
Senior HR Advisor Senior HR Advisor NorthEast £37,500 £44,167 £50,000
Senior HR Advisor Senior HR Advisor NorthWest £37,815 £44,538 £50,420
Senior HR Advisor Senior HR Advisor Scotland £39,474 £46,491 £52,632
Senior HR Advisor Senior HR Advisor Wales £37,190 £43,802 £49,587
HRAdvisor HR Advisor National Average £35,046 £39,427 £43,807
HRAdvisor HR Advisor London £40,000 £45,000 £50,000
HRAdvisor HR Advisor SouthEast £37,037 £41,667 £46,296
HRAdvisor HR Advisor SouthWest £34,483 £38,793 £43,103
HR Advisor HR Advisor EastEast £35,714 £40,179 £44,643
HRAdvisor HR Advisor WestMidlands £34,783 £39,130 £43,478
HRAdvisor HR Advisor EastMidlands £34,783 £39,130 £43,478
HR Advisor HR Advisor Yorkshire £33,613 £37,815 £42,017
HRAdvisor HR Advisor NorthEast £33,333 £37,500 £41,667
HR Advisor HR Advisor NorthWest £33,613 £37,815 £42,017
HRAdvisor HR Advisor Scotland £35,088 £39,474 £43,860
HR Advisor HR Advisor Wales £33,058 £37,190 £41,322
Learning and Development Learning and Development National Average £48,188 £56,950 £65,711
Learning and Development Learning and Development London £55,000 £65,000 £75,000
Learning and Development Learning and Development SouthEast £50,926 £60,185 £69,444
Learning and Development Learning and Development SouthWest £47,414 £56,034 £64,655
Learning and Development Learning and Development EastEast £49,107 £58,036 £66,964
Learning and Development Learning and Development WestMidlands £47,826 £56,522 £65,217
Learning and Development Learning and Development EastMidlands £47,826 £56,522 £65,217
Learning and Development Learning and Development Yorkshire £46,218 £54,622 £63,025
Learning and Development Learning and Development NorthEast £45,833 £54,167 £62,500
Learning and Development Learning and Development NorthWest £46,218 £54,622 £63,025
Learning and Development Learning and Development Scotland £48,246 £57,018 £65,789
Learning and Development Learning and Development Wales £45,455 £53,719 £61,983
Employee Relations Employee Relations National Average £40,303 £49,940 £56,950
Employee Relations Employee Relations London £46,000 £57,000 £65,000
Employee Relations Employee Relations SouthEast £42,593 £52,778 £60,185
Employee Relations Employee Relations SouthWest £39,655 £49,138 £56,034
Employee Relations Employee Relations EastEast £41,071 £50,893 £58,036
Employee Relations Employee Relations WestMidlands £40,000 £49,565 £56,522
Employee Relations Employee Relations EastMidlands £40,000 £49,565 £56,522
Employee Relations Employee Relations Yorkshire £38,655 £47,899 £54,622
Employee Relations Employee Relations NorthEast £38,333 £47,500 £54,167
Employee Relations Employee Relations NorthWest £38,655 £47,899 £54,622
Employee Relations Employee Relations Scotland £40,351 £50,000 £57,018
Employee Relations Employee Relations Wales £38,017 £47,107 £53,719
HR Assistant HR Assistant National Average £26,284 £28,475 £30,665
HR Assistant HR Assistant London £30,000 £32,500 £35,000
HR Assistant HR Assistant SouthEast £27,778 £30,093 £32,407
HR Assistant HR Assistant SouthWest £25,862 £28,017 £30,172
HR Assistant HR Assistant EastEast £26,786 £29,018 £31,250
HR Assistant HR Assistant WestMidlands £26,087 £28,261 £30,435
HR Assistant HR Assistant EastMidlands £26,087 £28,261 £30,435
HR Assistant HR Assistant Yorkshire £25,210 £27,311 £29,412
HR Assistant HR Assistant NorthEast £25,000 £27,083 £29,167
HR Assistant HR Assistant NorthWest £25,210 £27,311 £29,412
HR Assistant HR Assistant Scotland £26,316 £28,509 £30,702
HR Assistant HR Assistant Wales £24,793 £26,860 £28,926
HR Administrator HR Administrator National Average £25,408 £30,665 £33,294
HR Administrator HR Administrator London £29,000 £35,000 £38,000
HR Administrator HR Administrator SouthEast £26,852 £32,407 £35,185
HR Administrator HR Administrator SouthWest £25,000 £30,172 £32,759
HR Administrator HR Administrator EastEast £25,893 £31,250 £33,929
HR Administrator HR Administrator WestMidlands £25,217 £30,435 £33,043
HR Administrator HR Administrator EastMidlands £25,217 £30,435 £33,043
HR Administrator HR Administrator Yorkshire £24,370 £29,412 £31,933
HR Administrator HR Administrator NorthEast £24,167 £29,167 £31,667
HR Administrator HR Administrator NorthWest £24,370 £29,412 £31,933
HR Administrator HR Administrator Scotland £25,439 £30,702 £33,333
HR Administrator HR Administrator Wales £23,967 £28,926 £31,405
Head of Talent Head of Talent National Average £70,092 £87,615 £96,376
Head of Talent Head of Talent London £80,000 £100,000 £110,000
Head of Talent Head of Talent SouthEast £74,074 £92,593 £101,852
Head of Talent Head of Talent SouthWest £68,966 £86,207 £94,828
Head of Talent Head of Talent EastEast £71,429 £89,286 £98,214
Head of Talent Head of Talent WestMidlands £69,565 £86,957 £95,652
Head of Talent Head of Talent EastMidlands £69,565 £86,957 £95,652
Head of Talent Head of Talent Yorkshire £67,227 £84,034 £92,437
Head of Talent Head of Talent NorthEast £66,667 £83,333 £91,667
Head of Talent Head of Talent NorthWest £67,227 £84,034 £92,437
Head of Talent Head of Talent Scotland £70,175 £87,719 £96,491
Head of Talent Head of Talent Wales £66,116 £82,645 £90,909
Talent Manager Talent Manager National Average £52,569 £61,330 £65,711
Talent Manager Talent Manager London £60,000 £70,000 £75,000
Talent Manager Talent Manager SouthEast £55,556 £64,815 £69,444
Talent Manager Talent Manager SouthWest £51,724 £60,345 £64,655
Talent Manager Talent Manager EastEast £53,571 £62,500 £66,964
Talent Manager Talent Manager WestMidlands £52,174 £60,870 £65,217
Talent Manager Talent Manager EastMidlands £52,174 £60,870 £65,217
Talent Manager Talent Manager Yorkshire £50,420 £58,824 £63,025
Talent Manager Talent Manager NorthEast £50,000 £58,333 £62,500
Talent Manager Talent Manager NorthWest £50,420 £58,824 £63,025
Talent Manager Talent Manager Scotland £52,632 £61,404 £65,789
Talent Manager Talent Manager Wales £49,587 £57,851 £61,983
Talent Advisor Talent Advisor National Average £39,427 £43,807 £48,188
Talent Advisor Talent Advisor London £45,000 £50,000 £55,000
Talent Advisor Talent Advisor SouthEast £41,667 £46,296 £50,926
Talent Advisor Talent Advisor SouthWest £38,793 £43,103 £47,414
Talent Advisor Talent Advisor EastEast £40,179 £44,643 £49,107
Talent Advisor Talent Advisor WestMidlands £39,130 £43,478 £47,826
Talent Advisor Talent Advisor EastMidlands £39,130 £43,478 £47,826
Talent Advisor Talent Advisor Yorkshire £37,815 £42,017 £46,218
Talent Advisor Talent Advisor NorthEast £37,500 £41,667 £45,833
Talent Advisor Talent Advisor NorthWest £37,815 £42,017 £46,218
Talent Advisor Talent Advisor Scotland £39,474 £43,860 £48,246
Talent Advisor Talent Advisor Wales £37,190 £41,322 £45,455
Talent/Rec Coordinator Talent/Rec Coordinator National Average £26,284 £30,665 £35,046
Talent/Rec Coordinator Talent/Rec Coordinator London £30,000 £35,000 £40,000
Talent/Rec Coordinator Talent/Rec Coordinator SouthEast £27,778 £32,407 £37,037
Talent/Rec Coordinator Talent/Rec Coordinator SouthWest £25,862 £30,172 £34,483
Talent/Rec Coordinator Talent/Rec Coordinator EastEast £26,786 £31,250 £35,714
Talent/Rec Coordinator Talent/Rec Coordinator WestMidlands £26,087 £30,435 £34,783
Talent/Rec Coordinator Talent/Rec Coordinator EastMidlands £26,087 £30,435 £34,783
Talent/Rec Coordinator Talent/Rec Coordinator Yorkshire £25,210 £29,412 £33,613
Talent/Rec Coordinator Talent/Rec Coordinator NorthEast £25,000 £29,167 £33,333
Talent/Rec Coordinator Talent/Rec Coordinator NorthWest £25,210 £29,412 £33,613
Talent/Rec Coordinator Talent/Rec Coordinator Scotland £26,316 £30,702 £35,088
Talent/Rec Coordinator Talent/Rec Coordinator Wales £24,793 £28,926 £33,058

Salary guidance

Salaries typically fall between the lower and upper quartiles depending on candidate availability, demand for those skills, level of experience, industry sector and the size of the business or organisation.

Lower quartile
The band under which 25% of salaries are paid. The entry point for the job role
Median
The midpoint salary for the job role
Upper quartile
The band above which 25% of salaries are paid. For experienced professionals operating at expert level.

Key observations

 

2024 looks set to be a challenging year for HR teams as the economy starts to recover. The number of employees considering a job move has hit it’s highest point since ‘the great resignation’ of 2021.

With surveys suggesting between 40-60% of the working population considering a job move in the year ahead, the impact of losing large numbers of existing talent could have profound effects on meeting organisational strategic goals.

Already under pressure, HR departments will be expected to adopt new technologies to improve efficiency and measure performance, whilst attracting new talent and developing and retaining existing employees.

Skills Shortages

Despite a quiet job market over the past 12 months, a skills shortage still persists and will affect the ability of organisations to attract and retain talent, as well as to innovate and compete. HR teams will be expected to adopt a combination of strategies to bridge the skills gap:

Delivering learning and development (L&D) programs that upskill and reskill existing employees, as well as provide them with career development and progression opportunities.

Implementing a strong talent attraction strategy that leverages employer branding and social media.

Assessing longer term future skills requirements and producing skills gaps analysis.

Employee Retention

As the UK labour market becomes more competitive and dynamic, retention will become more challenging. Establishing accurate up to date salary and benefits information based on real time data will help support retention strategies. Understanding trends in workplace culture and environment and providing an attractive, positive environment will all help to retain key employees.

The current trend of bringing employees back to the office is deeply unpopular amongst employees and may play a part in retention rates in 2024 as the number of available jobs improves. The average hybrid environment has increased from 2 days a week in the office to 3 days a week in the office in the past 12 months.

Adoption of AI and Automation

Another trend that will shape HR in 2024 will be the adoption of AI and automation to deliver routine tasks, such as onboarding new recruits, screening candidates, scheduling interviews, providing feedback and repetitive HR administrative tasks.

As AI is incorporated across the organisation, HR professionals will need to adopt a strategic and responsible approach to AI and automation implementation, ensuring that it aligns with the business objectives and values, and that it respects the rights and interests of all stakeholders. The Ashdown Group study of the impact of AI on the workforce found that employees are moderately fearful of their jobs, especially in less senior posts and that organisations are not addressing the retraining needs of the employees or communicating the wider business strategy for the adoption of AI. Integrating the smooth implementation of AI into the workplace will increasingly become an HR responsibility.

HR Data Analytics

The use of data analytics is growing within HR teams, supporting decision-making, measuring outcomes, and driving improvements. Processing, and interpreting data from various sources, such as employee surveys, performance reviews, applicant tracking systems and HR systems. We expect demand for, and subsequently the salaries for, HR data analysts to grow with the increased use of data within the HR function.

Increase in HR specialists

There has been an increase in HR specialists operating as consultants within business. Chief people officers, setting the strategic direction of an organisation, HR transformation specialists, Learning and Development consultants and HRIS experts have all seen an increase in demand. We expect these areas of expertise to remain in high demand through 2024 with the adoption of new technology and challenges of retention predicted.

July 2023

From mid-2022 to mid-2023 growth hiring in the HR job market has fallen, leading to fewer roles being available. Salary increases have remained stable at 7%, but new talent acquisition salaries are falling.

Shifting priorities

Since the middle of 2022, growth hiring has diminished, leading organisations to shift their focus from talent attraction strategies to retaining and developing their existing teams through upskilling and people-centric initiatives. This change in priorities reflects a strategic emphasis on nurturing and maximizing the potential of the current workforce.

Role of HR

The role of HR has been crucial in managing rapidly changing work environments brought about by the pandemic. HR leaders have been at the forefront of supporting and coaching employees, implementing people-centric programs, and demonstrating the positive impact of engaged and happy teams on productivity and profitability.

Employee feedback and workforce planning

HR departments have embraced strategic workforce planning over the last few years, using employee feedback, market data and competitor workforce analyses to map out how the development of future skills will align with business objectives. These proactive efforts have resulted in substantial savings for companies, particularly in employee attrition, over the past three years.

HR Salaries

HR recruitment has declined over the past year, paralleling the broader trend across sectors. At the same time, availability of candidates has improved, leading to an employer-led market in terms of salary negotiations. Consequently, financial rewards for existing teams have diminished, with fewer companies addressing the cost of living crisis through inflation-matched pay increases or one-time support payments in 2023.

The average salary increase across mainstream HR roles has remained stable in 2023 at 7%.

In line with a fall in demand, talent acquisition salaries have suffered as many large employers such as Microsoft and Amazon shed employees. This lack of demand has impacted salaries - the role of head of talent in particular has seen a 10% decrease in advertised salaries compared to the height of 2022.

Future challenges

The challenge for HR leaders in the upcoming year will be to maintain innovation while accommodating flexible working practices. Many businesses are seeking to return to office-based work amidst a subdued job market, but full-time office work is unpopular with employees. HR teams will need to contend with the risk of employees leaving as the job market picks up in 2024, potentially leading to talent attrition.

Learning and development

To cope with the skills shortage, many employers have turned to hiring less experienced individuals and implementing training plans to bridge the gaps. This strategy allows organisations to develop talent internally and ensure a skilled workforce in the long term. [Provide link to relevant article]

New technology adoption

Learning and development will become more of a priority for HR departments as businesses invest more in training and put their people at the heart of their growth strategies. Demand for this will increase as more organisations work to upskill people to meet changing business goals.

January 2023

There has been a gradual tail off in the number of new HR roles advertised since July 2022.

The fastest drop in demand has been for talent acquisition teams, with demand falling since March, a reflection of a slowdown in growth planning.

The biggest growth has been within employee engagement and learning & development roles to support retention and develop existing talent in the face of a skills shortage.

Salaries have remained flat for the second half of 2022. We predict salaries will track inflation through 2023 and the demand for HR professionals to soften.

The biggest growth has been in employee engagement roles and learning and development roles to support retention and develop existing talent in the face of skills shortages.

Post-Covid, businesses have almost universally sought to humanize their interaction with employees, driving up engagement with the goal of maintaining happy, inclusive and productive remote teams. As the pressures of high costs, inflation and a recession continue to bite in 2023, businesses will shift to having a greater focus on maintaining profits. HR will face a growing challenge of maintaining the human-first element within the organisation as these changes take place.

There will be a focus on using evidence-based data to prove the value of HR initiatives, and attempting to prove that profits and a human-first approach can co-exist in a tougher economic environment. But whether this data is readily available, and whether HR teams will be able to access the data they need, remains to be seen. We may see the rise of the HR data analyst in 2023 as a result.

In the face of potential budget cuts, business leaders will once again turn to HR teams to retain and maintain the productivity of existing employees. Investing in existing talent, upskilling, and coaching will continue as a feature of the next 12 months.

The next 12 months will be especially challenging for HR, and with teams already running at full tilt for the past three years there is a real danger of burnout as the department is asked to do more with less.

Investing in existing talent, upskilling and coaching will continue as a feature of the next 12 months.

Bespoke salary report

If you would like to find out more about how your salaries compare to others in the HR market, we offer our clients bespoke individual salary reports for a precise salary assessment, based on industry, geography, competition, job role and company size.

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