Want a bigger pay increase for 2009? Forget about it!

Forget about asking for a higher salary increment this year, as HR practitioners' salary increments are likely to range from 0 to 10%. Furthermore, if you are a talent management or a resourcing specialist, you may just find yourself out of a job too.

In a recent 2008 Q4 HR Salary and Economic Outlook Report, The Chapman Consulting Group says HR practitioners salary increments will likely to fall in the band of 0 to 10%. For the fourth quarter of the year, an HR regional head based in Singapore can expect to earn between S$280,000 to S$400,000, while a country head can earn anywhere between S$240,000 to $350,000.

However, while Matthew Chapman, managing director of The Chapman Group says HR practitioners should not dispair, as HR practitioners have seen dramatic salary increases in the past years and this decrease is just a way of normalising the market.

For people to receive a large salary increment when they change jobs, HR practitioners need to encompass one of the following factors, Chapman says. One of which is if the person was severely underpaid before, or if the company has a budget which would allow for a large increment. Another reason would be if the HR practitioner would possesses exceptional value such as strong business knowledge or specialist knowledge in HR and is highly sought after.

Furthermore, with companies tightening their budgets, Chapman predicts that companies may soon be re-evaulating and scaling back on HR positions which are "nice to have", such as resourcing practitioners and talent management/succession planning practitioners. Even operational functions may not be spared the axe, he adds.

While Chapman says he has yet to see widespread retrenchments in this field, he adds, "It is not to say that if you a recruitment person that your position will be cut. But it is fair to say when companies look at their hiring budgets for the future, if times don't improve, they might cut back on these positions," Chapman says.

And because HR is a cost centre, it becomes important for HR to demonstrate value to the business. "But when there is extra headcount, or too many people or people who aren't adding value, that is when you've got things to be worried about."

However, if companies do scale back, the ratio of HR practitioners to employees in a company will increase. They may be asked to extra roles or business units "until times improve and when companies feel safe in making investment in other people".

So is this a good time for HR practitioners to think about jumping ship now? Chapman says unless practitioners are unhappy with their current job, it is best for "staying stable with your career right now". Plus, for employees who are looking to move, they should exercise greater caution and conduct greater due diligence before they accept a job offer. Some of the questions to ask prospective employers include, "What is their strategy? Is HR being impacted by some of the recent events? If you're a team manager, what does your team look like?"

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