Hays, the specialist recruitment company, conducted a survey of recruitment trends and salaries of qualified workforce across the industries for 2021. The Hays Salary Guide evaluates the salary data collected from more than 20,000 registered candidates and over 6,000 job offers.
“The pandemic affected individual sectors differently, with most needing to make some redundancies, but many were still looking for new staff, with the second half of the year in particular seeing more recruitment take place. Some areas, like in IT or the Life Sciences sector, have seen growth throughout the pandemic and continue to actively seek experienced professionals for their projects.Higher activity of applicants is also evident in some areas of the financial segment, such as controlling and analysis," says Sándor Bodnár, Director of Hays, about the situation on the labor market last year.
A new reality: Remote
working and the hybrid team model
Lockdowns hit the Czech Republic twice last year, both varying in their
intensity and influence on working patterns and recruitment. Moving quickly
from the workplace to home-office wherever possible has been a major challenge
for many companies. Data protection and cyber security are becoming a priority,
given the number of workers in this mode and the overall higher online activity
of the population.
“Digitization and an increase in automation can be seen across all sectors and business areas, and the advent of the pandemic has accelerated its development even more. New roles will continue to emerge, while others will adapt to meet new expectations and business needs of companies. These trends are especially visible in the areas of online marketing and e-commerce, and in the IT field, companies are strengthening their teams with positions focused on machine learning, Cloud and IoT solutions.”, adds Sándor Bodnár from Hays.
Wage stagnation and
a different approach to the benefits offered
“Wages across
sectors stagnated last year. A slight increase of 3 - 10% was evident mainly in
the roles with high demand, a narrow specialization or because of urgency from
the employer, for example on the roles mentioned above. Applicants therefore
looked at other aspects beyond the salary of a role, such as the attractiveness
of the job content itself, the possibility for growth, the offer of courses and
other opportunities for further education or flexibility and stability of the
employer. When considering benefits package, companies have gone in two
directions, either narrowing the range of benefits in order to reduce costs, or
have revived their offer of benefits and adapted them to the current situation.
Currently, benefits such as paid-for tests for Covid-19, financial compensation
when working from home, online psychological consultations etc. can be found
more often.”, says Sándor Bodnár, Managing Director of Hays.
For 2021 experts expect a GDP growth of 3.9%. Companies will therefore put more effort on economical and personnel stabilization.
Situation across the business sectors:
Accountancy and Finance
We can see less job opportunities for experienced finance managers. Many companies have cancelled such jobs and their responsibilities are currently covered by existing teams. On the other hand, the demand for applicants for financial and business controlling, which are essential in companies setting up cost-saving solutions, has increased significantly.
Companies are being more careful when selecting new employees. Therefore, selection processes are being extended and companies are also including assignments / case studies in them to make sure of the qualification of the candidate. There was a sharp decline in wages offered for finance managers, conversely, growth has been seen in highly demanded positions in controlling and analysis, where job seekers may receive wages that are higher by 5-10%. This year companies will continue to look for ways to cut costs, to optimise organisational structure and their recruitment processes.
|
Accountancy and Finance |
2019/2020 |
2020/2021 |
|
Financial Accountant |
40 000 - 50 000 |
40 000 - 50000 |
|
Invoicing |
30 000 - 35 000 |
25 000 - 35 000 |
|
Finance Manager |
100 000 - 150 000 |
100 000 - 150 000 |
|
Business Analyst |
50 000 - 70 000 |
50 000 - 80 000 |
Banking
Last year, the priority of financial institutions was mainly the development of internal digital projects, the optimization of online tools and also effective customer service. There has been an increase in marketing positions in banks, business positions have decreased and their further reduction will probably take place this year as well. The impact of the pandemic on the hospitality and retail segments has sparked a great interest among candidates with experience from these industries to join a career in banking. Companies are therefore facing a large number of responses to junior business positions, but not all job seekers have the necessary personal and professional qualifications for such jobs.
Wages stagnated last year and the same situation will persist this year. The range of benefits remains attractive and varied, despite austerity measures - flexibility, a cafeteria system and attractive bonus schemes dominate.
|
Banking |
2019/2020 |
2020/2021 |
|
Credit Analyst |
50 000 - 75 000 |
50 000 - 75 000 |
|
Internal Audit Specialist |
50 000 - 90 000 |
50 000 - 90 000 |
|
Personal Banker |
28 000 - 38 000 |
28 000 - 38 000 |
|
Relationship Manager - SME |
35 000 - 45 000 |
35 000 - 45 000 |
Administration,
HR and Law
Due to the massive transition by companies to remote
working, the need for administrative staff and office support in general has
decreased. Therefore, dismissals have been frequent across companies, and
existing employee contracts have not been extended.
HR positions were among the more frequently available last year. HR staff have been closely working with other departments to transition employees to home office and create programmes for successful onboarding and online training. Their task was to ensure the overall wellbeing of employees in the new situation, and to create new standards for a safe return to offices and the subsequent working practices within these offices. Wages across most positions have stagnated over the past two years. This year will not be any different, and no general changes can be expected in the remuneration of positions in the sector.
Recruitment has remained relatively active within the legal services sector. Companies are mainly looking for junior candidates with knowledge of English and German. Since there are very few such candidates available in the market, companies can tailor their financial packaged offered based on the abilities of the candidate. For 2021, we can expect a very slight increase of wages, however, it is likely that this increase will not exceed 5%.
|
Administration / HR / Law |
2018/2019 |
2020/2021 |
|
Team Assistant |
28 000 - 45 000 |
28 000 - 45 000 |
|
HR Administrator |
30 000 - 40 000 |
30 000 - 40 000 |
|
Office Manager |
40 000 - 60 000 |
40 000 - 60 000 |
|
Call Centre Operator |
22 000 - 30 000 |
25 000 - 35 000 |
|
Junior Lawyer / corporate |
35 000 - 60 000 |
35 000 - 60 000 |
Sales and Marketing
The impact of the restrictive measures varied mainly depending on the area of business operation. In general, companies have strengthened their e-commerce teams - online sales have helped them to cover the drop in sales from closed brick-and-mortar stores. Outside the marketing area, experienced salespersons with knowledge of the given area of business were also on demand, primarily for acquisition activities. Wages for such roles workers grew very slightly, up to a maximum of 3%. There were no redundancies in the commercial sector. Applicants are strongly motivated by the strength of the employer's brand, which will be a priority for them this year as well, as wages will not rise further.
|
Sales and Marketing |
2019/2020 |
2020/2021 |
|
Sales Representative / FMCG |
30 000 - 50 000 |
30 000 - 50 000 |
|
Sales Representative / Technical |
35 000 - 65 000 |
35 000 - 65 000 |
|
Sales Representative / IT |
40 000 - 55 000 |
40 000 - 55 000 |
|
E-commerce Manager / FMCG |
35 000 - 60 000 |
40 000 - 100 000 |
Retail
Different situation is with retailers. Many companies have not been able to avoid laying off employees, with global brands reducing the number of brick-and-mortar stores, choosing instead to focus on further stabilising their businesses or strengthening their e-commerce channels. Traders lack tourists, especially in the luxury and premium segments, where foreign customers represent a majority of their sales volume.
Decline in wages is present mainly in Prague, particularly in senior roles like Area Managers, where the current financial offer is approximately 5-7% lower than it has been previously. Planned expansions have been postponed to this year, which could bring a new recovery and new jobs to the sector. But everything will depend on the further development of the pandemic.
|
Retail |
2019/2020 |
2020/2021 |
|
Shop Assistant |
21 000 - 50 000 |
22 000 - 50 000 |
|
Store Manager |
28 000 - 60 000 |
28 000 - 60 000 |
|
E-commerce Manager |
45 000 - 150 000 |
45 000 - 150 000 |
|
Brand Manager |
40 000 - 75 000 |
40 000 - 75 000 |
Life Sciences
Recruitment also slowed down in pharmaceutical companies in the beginning of the year 2020, but it was relatively lively in the area of medical equipment. Especially in the second half of the year, new positions were opening, especially digitally focused, but also educational. Companies prefer experienced candidates rather than juniors and graduates. Wages in the sector grew slightly on certain roles, especially for experienced traders and e-commerce specialists, by an average of 5%. A similar trend is expected this year.
|
Farmacie |
2019/2020 |
2020/2021 |
|
Medical Sales Representative Rx |
40 000 - 60 000 |
40 000 - 60 000 |
|
Medical Sales Representative / OTC |
35 000 - 45 000 |
35 000 - 45 000 |
|
Medical Sales Representative / Diagnostic |
45 000 - 55 000 |
40 000 - 55 000 |
|
Marketing Manager |
100 000 - 130 000 |
100 000 - 120 000 |
IT and Telecommunications
There was a certain slowdown in the IT labour market at the end of 2019 already. Companies rationalized their recruitment strategies and, with the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, intensified their efforts. The sector has been admirably resilient to the unexpected changes, the number of jobs available declined temporarily, but employers' demand remained higher compared to candidates available. There was a drop down of vacancies for project managers. On the other hand, number of jobs for developers, experts in cloud solutions, machine learning or security remained high or even increased. The trend of hiring IT experts from outside the EU has been completely disregarded, primarily due to traveling obstacles. Wages usually remain unchanged, any increases are minimal and only on an individual basis.
A number of roles in the sector show a drop down in the maximum levels of wages offered.
|
Information Technology /Telco |
2019/2020 |
2020/2021 |
|
Java/.NET Developer |
60 000 - 140 000 |
60 000 - 140 000 |
|
Programmer / Analyst (graduate) |
35 000 - 65 000 |
35 000 - 65 000 |
|
DevOps Engineer |
60 000 - 180 000 |
60 000 - 140 000 |
|
Analyst / Security Specialist |
40 000 - 90 000 |
60 000 - 110 000 |
Manufacturing & Engineering
The slowdown in the industry was seen as early as the beginning of 2020, and fully erupted with the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis in the Czech Republic a couple of months later. The hardest hit areas in the first phase were those businesses involved in the supply chain of Asian companies, and then those that were somewhat dependent on Italy and Spain in Europe. The most affected area was in the automotive industry, where all suppliers were affected by the crisis. The only exception in the automotive industry has been in Research and Development centres, where there is continued interest in highly qualified candidates from both the Czech Republic and abroad. We have already seen an increase in the need for automation over the last few years. This year’s coronavirus crisis has amplified this need, and so we are seeing ever-increasing demand for candidates, especially in the positions of PLC programmers, PLC test engineers and automation technicians. The majority of companies have had to lay off employees, especially in low-level production positions. In many companies, there has been a reduction in working hours or cancelled shift work. Companies in the pharmaceutical, food and service sectors were performing the best. As employers strive to reduce wage costs, the amount of they’re willing to offer a candidate has become a key factor in the selection process. There may be a slight increase in wages in specialised positions at R&D centres or in automation-focused positions this year.
|
Manufacturing & Engineering (3-5 yrs exp.) |
2019/2020 |
2020/2021 |
|
Production Engineer |
50 000 - 75 000 |
50 000 - 75 000 |
|
Quality Engineer |
50 000 - 80 000 |
50 000 - 80 000 |
|
PLC Programmer |
43 000 - 80 000 |
43 000 - 80 000 |
|
R&D Designer |
50 000 - 80 000 |
50 000 - 80 000 |
Logistics
Wage growth in the logistics and purchasing sector has stagnated over some time, and in some cases, wages are actually declining. This hit carriers and companies dealing with external logistics the hardest in the sector.Some employers, like carriers, manufacturing companies linked to the automotive sector or storage providers, had to make redundancies for cost-saving reasons and reorganise their businesses when these positions were cancelled. The situation has been different for companies focusing on medical equipment, pharmaceuticals or FMCG, which have actually increased their capacities and recorded growth, both economically and in terms of number of employees they have.
New jobs are often advertised with a lower basic salary than last year, by a maximum of 5%. Experienced Buyers are currently the most sought-after job profiles in the sector, where demand remains relatively stable and wage offerings tend to be stable as well. In 2021, we do not expect wages to grow, but also more importantly, even not to decline.
|
Logistics & Purchasing |
2019/2020 |
2020/2021 |
|
Purchasing Assistant |
37 000 - 45 000 |
35 000 - 43 000 |
|
Purchasing Coordinator |
39 000 - 50 000 |
38 000 - 48 000 |
|
Logistics Manager |
85 000 - 180 000 |
80 000 - 160 000 |
|
Logistics Specialist |
30 000 - 50 000 |
28 000 - 50 000 |
Construction & Property
Construction companies lack unqualified construction workers, may lead to a delay within the entire construction process. There is still demand for experienced construction managers and people for the preparation stages, or specialists in the technical security of buildings. The closure of retail branches or entire shopping centres has transferred a huge volume of purchases to the online environment, and e-commerce is thus on the rise. This has meant increased demand for storage premises. In the case of the residential market, a significant topic will be the demand in Prague, the Central Bohemian region and probably in Brno and its immediate vicinity as well. In the office market, the importance of first-class projects that offer exceptional technologies, equipment, services and locations will grow. This will result in ongoing demand for acquisition experts and experienced project managers or technicians who specialise in interior installations and conversions - so-called ‘fit-outs. Wage growth will not happen this year, as the second wave of the pandemic may hit the market harder than the first wave.
|
Construction & Property |
2019/2020 |
2020/2021 |
|
Construction Manager |
40 000 - 70 000 |
35 000 - 60 000 |
|
Budgeting |
35 000 - 60 000 |
35 000 - 60 000 |
|
Property Manager |
60 000 - 90 000 |
55 000 - 90 000 |
|
Technical Director |
70 000 - 130 000 |
70 000 - 120 000 |
Shared Services Centres
March 2020 saw a temporary freezing of the labour market for shared services centres and a suspension of recruitment processes. Organisations primarily tied to the segments most affected by the pandemic have not avoided lay-offs. The austerity measures applied by companies meant that wage growth stalled, mostly due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Wages have remained at the same level as in the previous year. The number of vacant jobs is lower than it was at the beginning of last year. Job seekers who are currently unemployed are now willing to accept a compromise with job offers and are often willing to reduce their wage demands if this may increase the likelihood of finding a new job more quickly. The 2021 may bring an increase in job opportunities again, including newly opened positions. However, the speed at which vacant positions are offered and the number that we will see, will be closely related to the further development of the pandemic.
|
Business Services / AP/AR¹ |
2019/2020 |
2020/2021 |
|
Junior |
35 000 - 40 000 |
35 000 - 40 000 |
|
Specialist |
38 000 - 45 000 |
38 000 - 45 000 |
|
Senior |
45 000 - 55 000 |
45 000 - 55 000 |
|
Team Leader |
55 000 - 85 000 |
55 000 - 85 000 |
|
¹ Wages include bonuses for knowledge of another language, apart from English |
About Hays
Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe, Latin America and Asia. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 30 June 2020 the Group employed c.10,400 staff operating from 266 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2020:
– the Group reported net fees of £996.2 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £135.0 million;
– 17% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 26% in Germany, 23% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 34% in Rest of World (RoW);
– the temporary placement business represented 59% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 41% of net fees;
– IT is the group’s largest specialism, with 25% of net fees, while Accountancy & Finance (15%) and Construction & Property (12%), are the next largest
– Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA