Management · Holland code ECS

Compensation and Benefits Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate compensation and benefits activities of an organization.

Also called: Benefits Manager, Compensation and Benefits Manager, Compensation Director, Compensation Manager, Benefits Coordinator, Benefits Director, Compensation and Benefits Director, Employee Benefits Coordinator.

O*NET 11-3111.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $149,230; Middle half earn $113,170 to $200,610. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 76% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: 0% · Little or no change; 20,900 jobs in 2024, projected 20,900. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Compensation and benefits managers".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Direct preparation and distribution of written and verbal information to inform employees of benefits, compensation, and personnel policies.
Design, evaluate, and modify benefits policies to ensure that programs are current, competitive, and in compliance with legal requirements.
Fulfill all reporting requirements of all relevant government rules and regulations, including the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
Analyze compensation policies, government regulations, and prevailing wage rates to develop competitive compensation plan.
Identify and implement benefits to increase the quality of life for employees by working with brokers and researching benefits issues.
Manage the design and development of tools to assist employees in benefits selection, and to guide managers through compensation decisions.
Administer, direct, and review employee benefit programs, including the integration of benefit programs following mergers and acquisitions.
Mediate between benefits providers and employees, such as by assisting in handling employees' benefits-related questions or taking suggestions.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.9 / 5
Active Learning3.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Personnel and Human Resources4.3 / 5
English Language4.1 / 5
Administration and Management4.0 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.8 / 5
Economics and Accounting3.4 / 5
Mathematics3.3 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic0
Investigative20
Artistic7
Social47
Enterprising100
Conventional78

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

human resources manager · DE Führungskraft im Personalwesen · FR directeur des ressources humaines/directrice des ressources humaines
equality and inclusion manager · DE Beauftragter für Gleichstellung und Inklusion/Beauftragte für Gleichstellung und Inklusion · FR responsable diversité et inclusion
human resources officer · DE Personalberater/Personalberaterin · FR directeur des ressources humaines/directrice des ressources humaines -DRH-
social security officer · DE Sozialversicherungsfachangestellter/Sozialversicherungsfachangestellte · FR conseiller offre de services/conseillère offre de services

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Human resource managers and directors (1136)229,100 employed
Human resources and industrial relations officers (3571)196,000 employed
Careers advisers and vocational guidance specialists (3572)33,700 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Managers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Managers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€96,629
Italy	€96,052
Germany	€90,192
Austria	€82,936
Netherlands	€69,857
Sweden	€60,369
France	€58,740
Ireland	€55,854
Spain	€54,121
Portugal	€39,189
Poland	€19,596

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.30. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (11-3111).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test