The CIPS & Hays Procurement Salary Survey. Has found procurement professionals wanting to earn the highest salaries need to be male and work in the private sector. The annual snapshot report compares average salaries by sector and gender. It shows that the highest salaries continue to be paid in the private sector at $143,200 on average. The public sector follows, with average salaries of $128,000. The lowest salaries are seen in the charity and not-for-profit sector at $120,500.
The survey also shows that women continue to earn less than men. On average, men earned $149,600 while women earned $114,100. Thus, men earn 31 per cent more than women. This represents an increase in the gender pay gap of seven per cent compared with 2018.
In other findings, 67 per cent of those responsible for recruitment said they had struggled to find the right procurement professionals over the past 12 months. That’s an increase of nine per cent on the 2018 result.
When asked to identify the challenges faced when recruiting procurement talent, a lack of sector skills and experience and candidate salary expectations topped the list, both cited by 46 per cent of respondents. This was followed by a lack of technical skills (42 per cent), budget restraints (35 per cent), organisational fit (31 per cent), competition from other employers (28 per cent) and a lack of soft skills (26 per cent).
The survey also highlights the importance of influencing and communication soft skills, which employers say are important for procurement professionals at all levels if they are to do their job well. Also important are leadership skills, internal stakeholder management skills, the ability to raise the profile of procurement, supplier relationship and management, and negotiation skills.
The CIPS/Hays Procurement survey was completed by over 3,000 professionals globally.
The findings are available at https://www.hays.com.au/CIPS.
