Human Resources 2016 Salary Guide

China’s economic slowdown means traditional industries will be affected without further investment. Therefore, greater numbers of HR professionals will shift away from traditional industry towards Internet/e-commerce businesses. Increasingly, HR professionals are also moving from generalist into specialist roles, such as HR Centre of Expertise (COE), HR Business Partner (BP) or HR Shared Service Centre (SSC).

 
In the Shanghai market, 80% of HR professionals are female. Traditionally, these workers originated from support and administrative functions which are typically female dominated. Male professionals occupied mainly technical or commercial roles. However, in recent years, male professionals have come to realise that HR can also impact and influence business growth through talent and organisational development. HR has transformed and is no longer seen as a solely administrative or supporting function. There is greater gender balance now.
 
Apart from the executive level, 99% of HR professionals are native Mandarin Chinese speakers. As greater numbers develop and grow within the market, there is an adequate supply of local talent. Therefore, at the moment we do not foresee a shift towards hiring international talent.
 
After more than 3-5 years at a company, middle to senior level HR professionals will often find opportunities for an international posting. Typically, this would be in a specialist role at global or regional headquarters.
 
Contract roles are in limited supply across Shanghai’s HR market. Whilst the recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) function is developing rapidly, most companies still have their own internal talent acquisition structure and set up.
 
For 2016, salaries will steadily increase in most companies. However, this is expected to be slightly lower than last year, at around 6-8%. For high demand roles, such as HR Business Partner or Organization Development, professionals can expect a salary increase of at least 20-25% when changing employers.