Money money money
Don’t leave the shores before understanding how much HR work is valued in other countries. By Lisa Cheong
Whether you relocate to other countries for work or personal reasons, how much can you expect to earn as a HR director in another Asian country?
As a benchmark, Matthew Chapman, managing director of The Chapman Consulting Group says a regional HR director of a large multinational company in Singapore can expect to earn $400,000 base – excluding discretionary payments such as variable bonuses and stock options.
“Most of the HR directors in the market would fall in the $250,000 to $350,000 bracket,” Chapman adds.
But based on his discussions with HR practitioners, a HR regional leader in Hong Kong can expect to earn HK$1.4 million to HK$2 million. A regional HR business partner head can also expect to earn HK$1 million to HK$1.3 million, and a country HR business head earns in the vicinity of HK$840,000 to HK$1 million.
Chapman also says a regional HR leader of an MNC in China can bag RMB900,000 to RMB1.3 million yuan, while a HR director only in charge of the local territory earns between RMB 730,000 to RMB 1.1million. A regional HR business partner can command a salary of RMB 560,000 to RMB 760,000 and a local HR business partner will see a pay cheque of RMB 520,000 to RMB 640,000.
But in India, the question of international experience plays a critical factor in determining how much a HR practitioner is paid. For “international” standard HR directors, (often returning Indians), he or she could be looking at a US$150,000 to US$200,000 base equivalent. Whereas a domestic HR director who has no international experience can expect to earn between US$50,000 to US$80,000, says Chapman.
And in Vietnam, where Chapman says the market for top quality is tight and salaries are expeted to rise, an average HR director of an multinational company can expect to earn between US$45,000 to US$80,000. “However, like in India, internationally experienced and qualified candidates can earn up to US$200,000 base,” Chapman adds.
