Business and Financial Operations · Holland code CES

Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists

Conduct programs of compensation and benefits and job analysis for employer. May specialize in specific areas, such as position classification and pension programs.

Also called: Benefits Analyst, Benefits Specialist, Compensation Analyst, Compensation Specialist, Benefits Consultant, Compensation and Benefits Analyst, Compensation and Benefits Specialist, Compensation Consultant.

O*NET 13-1141.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $78,210; Middle half earn $60,890 to $100,400. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 86% 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: +5% · Faster than average; 107,000 jobs in 2024, projected 112,700. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists".

What the work involves

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

Administer employee insurance, pension, and savings plans, working with insurance brokers and plan carriers.
Ensure company compliance with federal and state laws, including reporting requirements.
Develop and administer compensation programs, such as merit or incentive pay.
Research employee benefit and health and safety practices, and recommend changes or modifications to existing policies.
Evaluate job positions, determining classification, exempt or non-exempt status, and salary.
Prepare occupational classifications, job descriptions, and salary scales.
Consult with, or serve as, technical liaison between business, industry, government, and union officials.
Perform multifactor data and cost analyses that may be used in areas such as support of collective bargaining agreements.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.9 / 5
Speaking3.9 / 5
Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
Writing3.4 / 5
Active Learning3.4 / 5

Knowledge areas

Personnel and Human Resources4.2 / 5
English Language4.0 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.8 / 5
Mathematics3.8 / 5
Administration and Management3.6 / 5
Economics and Accounting3.3 / 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.

Realistic5
Investigative40
Artistic7
Social44
Enterprising73
Conventional80

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
social security administrator · DE Beauftragter für die soziale Sicherheit/Beauftragte für die soziale Sicherheit · FR administrateur sécurité sociale/administratrice sécurité sociale
human resources officer · DE Personalberater/Personalberaterin · FR directeur des ressources humaines/directrice des ressources humaines -DRH-
occupational analyst · DE Arbeitsanalytiker/Arbeitsanalytikerin · FR analyste professionnel
employment agent · DE Arbeitsvermittler/Arbeitsvermittlerin · FR conseiller à l’emploi/conseillère à l’emploi
relocation officer · DE Relocation-Specialist · FR agent au relogement/agente au relogement

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Human resource managers and directors (1136)229,100 employed
Careers advisers and vocational guidance specialists (3572)33,700 employed
Human resources and industrial relations officers (3571)196,000 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 “Professionals”. 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, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

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 +1.44. 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 (13-1141).

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