relevant salary data

QUESTION:

Where do I find local, relevant salary data?

ANSWER:

Annually every HR Professional scrambles to do just that, find relevant local salary data. Local areas can be very different but in this age of "Right Sizing" it is becoming more and more difficult to find same or significantly similar positions that will allow you a good match to your existing work force.

We all know that our employees and our managers will challenge us on our salary planning process and question us as to where we received our local salary data.

One of the first steps to finding local relevant salary data is to understand what you are looking for. You need to know your companies compensation philosophy, that is what types of businesses and what local area you are prepared to compete in to get your work force. Once you know the answers to those questions, you will be prepared to channel your efforts to sourcing local relevant salary survey data.

One resource is Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC). HRDC has a variety of services and information for employers. If you visit them at www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca and select Employers and Entrepreneurs button you will find Market and Industry Information Section which contains a variety of links to places like the National Labour Market Information System. The Labour Market Information service provides general and detailed information on local labour markets across Canada. It includes Occupational Profiles and Salary ranges by area. This may give you a snapshot of what is happening in the area around you. It will also allow you to do a job match with your existing positions within your organization.

If you work in a Unionized work place, you will need to be sensitive to any and all represented employers in your area. Collective Bargaining Agreements are public and are available to you. Human Resources Development Canada also produces a Wage Settlements Bulletin and Collective Bargaining Agreement Bulletin that can give you valuable information about what types of increases and settlements are being reached. You can also visit them at http://labour.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca. The Workplace Information Directorate is your source for up-to-date, customized information on industrial relations and collective bargaining. They can also satisfy your specific research requirements. Their resources are used by negotiators, researchers, economists, consultants, journalists, teachers and many others. This is a great way to find out for example what general increases have been given in a variety of sectors and from all over Canada. This information is also valued by non-represented work forces as well.

Another great way to get local survey data is to start you own informal or formal survey group. Each company spends hours upon hours every year contacting companies within their area trying to obtain survey information. Why not put a little effort into making a formal group and meet annually or semi-annually to update the information. This requires someone to drive the effort but it certainly has great rewards and is a lot less time consuming. This is also a great way to interact with your peers and discuss not only survey data but HR challenges and changes.

Of course survey data is available for purchase from a variety of consulting companies and Professional associations. If you are considering purchasing a survey, review it to see if all the questions that you will need an answer to are included. Make sure that the companies that you consider to be in your local area are participants. These surveys can be quite costly and they may provide you with little or no data so make sure you know what you are getting.

Finding relevant survey data at the best of times is a difficult task. Spend the time up front identifying what you are really looking for and you will save yourself plenty of headaches in the end.

Guest Author - Sharon Harper
HR Manager
OxyVinyls Canada