Rebounding from last year’s slump, average training salaries swelled 4 percent to $78,623 in 2012-2013, according to Training magazine’s Annual Salary Survey of nearly 1,500 readers. The average increase in salary in the last 12 months (not including a promotion or change of employer) dipped slightly from 2.81 percent in 2011-2012 to 2.74 percent in 2012-2013. Some 45 percent of respondents said their salary was low relative to their responsibilities, while another 46 percent said it was equitable. Only 9 percent (up from 7 percent last year) believe they are well paid relative to their responsibilities. Some 55 percent (up from 51 percent in 2011) of respondents said they received a bonus in 2012, and 58 percent are eligible for one this year. The average cash bonus was $10,089, up from $9,536, in 2011-2012.
Only 3.2 percent said employers asked them to take a pay cut, the same as in 2011-2012. Some 47 percent of respondents said their organization cut budgets in the last 12 months, 3 percent less than in 2011-2012. Travel was slashed by 41 percent of respondents vs. 43 percent in 2011-2012. Some 18 percent froze salaries vs. 21 percent in 2011-2012. And 8.2 percent eliminated bonuses compared with 9.7 percent the year before. Employee layoffs increased a bit, from 24 percent to 26 percent.
Most training professionals continue to enjoy what they do for a living, with 73 percent saying they wouldn’t choose another career if they could do it all over again. Of those who preferred other careers, answers ranged from acupuncturist, interior designer, lawyer, and engineer to entrepreneur, professional gambler, Old Testament scholar, and CEO of Exxon-Mobil.
Download a PDF of the 2013 Salary Survey below.