HR jobs ranked by pay
We grouped 3,614 HR job postings that publish a pay range into 8 role families and took the middle of each range. The ranking below is by median: half of the postings in a family pay more, half pay less.
| HR role | Median | 25th percentile | 75th percentile | Pay ranges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HR Leadership | €158,600 | €129,100 | €202,500 | 138 |
| HRIS & People Analytics | €90,000 | €74,500 | €125,900 | 115 |
| Learning & Development | €84,600 | €59,500 | €113,600 | 247 |
| Culture, EX & DEI | €82,400 | €63,000 | €110,700 | 84 |
| HRBP & Generalist | €68,300 | €49,800 | €94,500 | 814 |
| Payroll & Rewards | €61,900 | €42,000 | €100,900 | 715 |
| Recruiting & TA | €61,800 | €42,000 | €101,200 | 1,263 |
| People Ops & Admin | €49,600 | €38,600 | €73,900 | 238 |
Specialists out-earn generalists
Below leadership, the best-paid HR work is specialist work. HRIS & People Analytics has a median of €90k and Learning & Development €84.6k, against €68.3k for HR business partners and generalists. These specialist roles ask for skills that are scarce in HR: systems administration, data and reporting, and programme design.
Recruiting is the largest HR job family, with 1,263 postings with pay, and also one of the widest: the middle half of recruiting ranges runs from €42k to €101k, because the family spans coordinators, agency recruiters and heads of talent.
The same roles in North America, the EU and the UK
Where you work changes the answer more than which HR role you hold. The table shows each role family's median in the three markets with the most postings; a dash means fewer than 20 postings with pay.
| HR role | North America | EU | UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR Leadership | €164,200 | — | — |
| HRIS & People Analytics | €103,500 | — | — |
| Learning & Development | €94,500 | €55,000 | €49,100 |
| Culture, EX & DEI | €93,400 | — | — |
| HRBP & Generalist | €87,800 | €52,500 | €53,600 |
| Payroll & Rewards | €91,300 | €40,500 | €46,200 |
| Recruiting & TA | €90,000 | €45,000 | €39,800 |
| People Ops & Admin | €64,400 | €40,300 | €43,600 |
Frequently asked questions
›What is the highest-paying job in HR?
HR Leadership: heads of people, HR directors and chief people officers have a median advertised pay of €158,600 a year. Among individual-contributor roles, HRIS & People Analytics pays the most, at €90,000.
›How much does a recruiter earn?
Recruiting and talent acquisition postings have a median of €61,800 a year across all markets, and €90,000 in North America.
›Which HR specialisation is best paid outside leadership?
HRIS & People Analytics, followed by Learning & Development. Both pay more than HR business partner and generalist roles, which have a median of €68,300.