Back in 2015 we published one of our most popular articles to date reporting on the highest paying recruiter salaries in the industry. We couldn’t believe some of the incredibly high salaries top-performing recruiters were able to rack in.
Fast forward to today, a number of key dynamics within recruiting have shifted. The unemployment rate in the US in 2015 was 5%; today’s economy boasts an unemployment rate of 3.9%. This may seem trivial, but the effects on employees and employers are exponential. With the demand much greater than the supply, employees have a lot of bargaining power when it comes to salary.
At the same time, many organizations have moved their recruiting teams in-house, leveraging intelligent tools to power their recruitment strategies. This has transformed recruiters into strategic business partners, empowered by a data-driven approach to drive the business forward. Transformed as well is the job description for today’s recruiters. More than ever before organizations seek out recruiters that possess not only the people skills traditionally associated with recruiting, but the technical know-how to go along with it.
That’s why we weren’t too surprised to find that the highest paying salaries have increased since 2015. Using Paysa and Glassdoor salary data sourced from employees, companies and recruiters, we’ve put together the numbers for the most lucrative recruiting gigs in 2019. If you’re a Senior Technical Recruiter, Technical Recruiter, or Technical Sourcer, find out how your income compares:
Senior Technical Recruiter - US national average base salary in 2019: $67,017
In 2015 some serious outliers stood out when it came to salary figures for a Senior Technical Recruiter. These included TEKSystems and SAIC who paid their Senior Technical Recruiters a handsome sum of $163,000 and $123k respectively (including bonuses and commission sharing).
4 years later, large tech companies dominate the leaderboard. On top is Salesforce, with a reported average salary of $134k, closely followed by Uber, where their Senior Technical Recruiters can expect an average pay of $126k including commissions. The salaries for recruiters over at Amazon aren’t too shabby either – up to $100k to be exact. SAIC and TEKSystems are still treating their recruiters to a nice paycheck, $97k and 90k respectively, but this seems to be a slight downtick from our earlier findings. Keep in mind, though, this is self-reported salary data dependent on the reliability of its contributors.
Leveraging Paysa’s location data, we found that *surprise surprise* the Bay Area is home to some of the highest paying salaries in the nation:
Source: Paysa
Technical Recruiter - US national average base salary in 2019: $57,070
When we took a look at the top salaries for Technical Recruiters in 2015, TEKSystem again took the lead by shelling out up to $163k for their recruiters. Other honorable mentions included Amazon with an average salary of $83k, NuTech at $81k, and ICONMA with a salary range of $56k - $72k.
Looking at today’s figures, these numbers have grown. If you are a Technical Recruiter at Facebook, you can expect to rack in as much as $133k a year. At Google, that number is a pretty $108k. Once again, Amazon has made it into the mix by offering their Technical Recruiters $81k and are closely followed by Kelly Services at $61k.
The numbers are clear, if you want to claim one of these incredible salaries, (and are ready to shell out for rent) – head to the Bay Area. Decent salaries can also be found in areas of Washington as well:
Source: Paysa
Technical Sourcer - US national average base salary in 2019: $76,367
Back in 2015, earning a spot on the sourcing team at Google meant an average hourly salary of $47.30/hr, or a range of $76-116k for salaried sourcers.
In 2019, these numbers are even more impressive. Today’s technical sourcers at Google can expect to make an average of $101k including commissions and bonuses, with the most experienced sourcers (10-14 years) making up to $123k. At Facebook, the pay for sourcers is just as competitive at an average of $105k in total.
Interestingly, the average reported base salaries for Technical Sourcers ($76,367) via Glassdoor exceeded both those of Technical Recruiters ($57,070) and Senior Technical Recruiters ($67,017).
There are many possible explanations for this, but in particular talent organizations with a stand-alone sourcing team in place are often found in highly-competitive markets. With the competition for talent so tight, these organizations cannot afford to rely solely on active applicants. Rather, by building out a passive recruitment strategy, they are able to get in front of the right candidates at the right time. This means investing in a sourcing team and paying them well.
If these skyrocketing salaries tell us anything, it’s that there has never been a more exciting time to be a recruiter. As organizations become increasingly aware of the importance of recruiting, the competition – and thusly the compensation – for high-performing recruiting talent will only grow. The best thing you can do to make yourself a competitive candidate for these high paying gigs? Continually educate and empower yourself with the latest and greatest in recruiting technology. Get started with training programs like our own Entelo Academy.
