Senior HR roles are paying more than junior roles

A new study shows that the pay of HR directors has increased faster than other HR roles over the last year.

Incomes Data Research found that most HR directors experienced a substantial salary increase. Their median salary rose by 20,9%, from PS111.982 in 2020 to PS135,381 for 2025.

IDR’s study also revealed that the pay of HR function heads had risen by 8.7%. The median salary rose from PS73.246 in 2017 to PS79.600 in 2025. IDR’s latest median wage rise is 3.2%, compared to the 8.7% increase for HR function heads.

The pay growth of less senior roles are much lower. The median salary for HR advisers has increased modestly by 1.5% from PS40.303 in 2024, to PS40.902 in 2020. Pay for HR assistants, however, has remained largely the same at PS25,000.

The pay increase for HR directors is a significant factor in the widening of the pay gap between these senior roles and those at the next lower level, usually HR function heads. In 2024 the difference between median salaries was PS38 736. The latest figures reveal that the gap has grown by 44%, to PS55781.

The survey also asked participants to rate the current state of HR recruitment and retention.

Employers are generally not facing significant challenges with regards to recruitment and retention.

Alyssa Withers is a researcher at IDR. She said that “where recruitment difficulties exist, they tend to be linked to senior roles, with 17% of respondents saying recruitment of HR Directors as’very hard’.”

The survey sample indicated that the retention of HR Directors was not a major problem.

It is possible that the difficulty in recruiting new employees may be a part of the reason why the pay for HR directors has increased so much over the last year. Recruiters may have been forced to raise pay to make their role more appealing to potential employees.

There may also be other factors involved. Nine out of ten respondents stated that retention is “not a concern” for the HR function heads.

IDR said that the results showed a strong trend in salary increases at the top levels of the functions, while the pay of more junior roles remained unchanged over the last year.

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