Survey finds it pays to be a manager

By JULIE MIDDLETON

If you bear the title business development manager, sales manager or marketing manager, your pocket is doing better than most.

These roles got the biggest salary increases during the past year, according to a new survey.

The 16th annual TMP Salary Survey, formerly issued under the Lampen name, canvassed 550 employers over 21 industry groups to get a snapshot of hiring and pay trends to the year ended June.

Although those bosses were mostly TMP clients, the recruitment company had a customer list of more than 4500 companies, among them major players such as Telecom New Zealand, Nestle, Ford and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

Among the surveyed companies, salaries went up 4.5 per cent overall in the past year, said Jane Kennelly , the general manger of Lampenalectus Recruitment TMP Worldwide.

She said this reflected "a greater movement of salaries compared to the previous two years".

But roles which attracted the greatest increases included business development manager (up 13.54 per cent), marketing manager (up 8.06 per cent), sales manager (up 7.44 per cent), executive secretary/personal assistant (up 5.6 per cent), marketing assistant (4.73 per cent), and accounts clerk (up 2.78 per cent).

Bosses said the rises were less about keeping up with the cost of living - 33 per cent cited this as the prime reason for rises - than keeping salaries competitive, motivating 66 per cent. The range of non-cash benefits offered by employers had also broadened in the past year.

"We are seeing the introduction of benefits that encourage staff to adopt a balanced approach to their working life," said Ms Kennelly.

"According to this year's respondents, the most popular benefits include flexible working conditions, travel benefits, training and staff welfare such as gym and food allowances."

* The survey also found that although 55 per cent of those surveyed supported the paid parental leave scheme due to be introduced next April, 72 per cent thought the Government should foot the bill.

Just 28 per cent said the responsibility should rest with the employer.

A total of 57 per cent of bosses, which TMP cites as a "significant" number, said 12 weeks should be the limit. A "majority" felt the scheme should not be available before 12 months of service to one employer.

As for the scheme's structure, 40 per cent preferred it was a percentage of a qualifying person's salary with a cap - 14 per cent thought the scheme should follow the same lines, without a cap.

A total of 36 per cent of bosses said the scheme should be standardised regardless of income, and just 5 per cent felt that paid parental leave should be a percentage of household income.