EdenFX

At edenfx we hold the specific salary market data for the previous 14 years and work with our clients to ensure their roles are market tested and salary appropriate to the positions.

In addition to our valid and interpretable data, we always enjoy the annual Safeguard Salary Survey and use this to support our data.

So what’s been happening 2019 – 2020, Peter Bateman reports.

PETER BATEMAN (Editor Safeguard) analyses this year’s incomes survey and finds last year’s income stagnation has been replaced with an increase for most – but there might be a catch.

Our thanks to the more than 450 people who took part in this year’s survey. As always, the survey was limited to New Zealand-based people working as H&S practitioners, occupational health nurses, occupational hygienists, or in human factors/ergonomics provided most of their work was H&S-focused.

On the income front, good news: last year’s median income for full-timers of $96,230 (which was $3000 less than the previous year) has gone up to $104,000 this year. Men and women appear to have both benefited, with male full-timers going from $103,060 to $112,300, while female full-timers went from $90,510 to $97,410.

Groups who reported a median income jump of at least $10,000 since last year include people:

Aged 30 to 39 (up $12K)

Aged 50 to 59 (up nearly $12K)

With a post-graduate diploma (up $12K)

In Auckland (up $14K)

In Wellington (up $19K)

In Christchurch (up $12K)

The catch? This year only 4.4% of respondents were members of the NZOHNA, a generally lower paid group, compared to 14.3% last year. Their absence might have pushed the numbers up. Similarly, the proportion of respondents with at least ten years’ experience has risen from 48 to 52%, while those working for the very largest organisations rose from nearly 15 to nearly 20%. All these factors may have inflated the overall median figures.

Regarding discernible trends beyond income, the proportion of respondents who have been made redundant in the last two years has remained unchanged, despite a considerable number of respondents to the question about the impact of Covid-19 saying they have been given the chop.

Similarly, the question about recruitment from outside New Zealand shows only a small drop, perhaps surprising given that just about anyone who isn’t a citizen or permanent resident hasn’t been able to enter the country since March.

Survey respondents’ views on the impact of Covid-19 make for fascinating reading. It looks like some people have been rushed off their feet, while some consultants have had little work. Our edited selection of the best appears on the following pages. Apologies to those whose words didn’t make the cut – we have tried to include a representative selection but couldn’t fit everyone in.

THE SUMMARY DATA (N = 456)

The most common response is in bold
GENDER SPLIT
Male	45.8%
Female	54.0%
Prefer not to say	0.2%
AGE RANGE
Under 30	4.4%
30-39	15.9%
40-49	28.4%
50-59	36.1%
60-69	14.8%
70+	0.4%
HOW LONG IN H&S ROLES?
3 years or less	12.6%
4 – 9 years	35.5%
10 years or more	52.0%
HIGHEST FORMAL H&S QUALIFICATION?
H&S rep training	4.0%
Certificate (eg NZQA)	21.8%
Diploma	37.0%
Bachelor’s degree	3.5%
Post-grad diploma	22.7%
Master’s or PhD	5.1%
No H&S qualification	5.6%
TO WHICH PRACTITIONER BODIES DO YOU BELONG?
AIHS (formerly SIA)	1.1%
HFENZ	0.4%
HRNZ	2.0%
HSPNZ	0.9%
IOSH	11.4%
NZIHSM	0.2%
NZISM	66.4%
NZOHNA	4.4%
NZ Occ Hygiene Soc	2.6%
NZ Safety Council	3.1%
None	23.7%
(The numbers add to more than 100 because some people belong to multiple bodies)
ARE YOU A MEMBER OF THE HASANZ REGISTER?
Yes	15.4%
No	84.6%
DO YOU WORK FULL TIME?
Yes	90.5%
No	9.5%
THE FOCUS OF YOUR WORK LIES IN WHICH INDUSTRY SECTOR(S)?
Agriculture/forestry/fishing	12.8%
Construction	31.8%
Education	6.3%
Government (local or central)	23.4%
Healthcare	8.8%
Hospitality	2.3%
Manufacturing	28.2%
Mining/oil & gas	5.4%
Not-for-profit	2.7%
Retail/wholesale	6.8%
Transport	16.7%
Utilities	13.7%
WHERE IN NZ ARE YOU BASED?
Auckland	26.4%
Hamilton	6.2%
Tauranga	6.8%
Wellington	12.3%
North Island (elsewhere)	21.4%
Christchurch	14.3%
Dunedin	3.1%
South Island (elsewhere)	9.5%
WHAT PROPORTION OF TIME DO YOU ESTIMATE YOU SPEND ON EACH TYPE OF RISK?
Catastrophic risks (eg explosions)	12%
Work-related safety risks (eg falls, machinery, vehicles)	41%
Work-related physical health risks (eg noise, dust, chemicals, lifting)	25%
Work-related psychosocial health risks (eg bullying, sexual harassment)	14%
Personal health-related safety risks (eg impairment, hearing/eyesight,
heart health)	12%
WHAT OTHER ROLES DO YOU ALSO HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR?
Office administration	26.2%
Environment	49.3%
HR	15.6%
Quality	28.5%
ACC/rehab	55.6%
Security	13.3%
WHO DO YOU REPORT TO?
Someone in a more senior H&S role	26.9%
An operational/line/regional manager	12.6%
HR	8.2%
CEO/GM/Director	40.8%
Not applicable (self-employed)	8.8%
Other role	2.9%
ARE YOU IN THE SAME ROLE WITH THE SAME ORGANISATION AS 12 MONTHS AGO?
Yes	75.1%
No	24.9%
HOW MANY PEOPLE WORK IN YOUR ORGANISATION IN NZ?
1 – 19	12.8%
20 – 99	14.1%
100 – 499	31.7%
500 – 999	10.6%
1000 – 1999	9.9%
2000+	20.9%
HAS YOUR ORGANISATION BEEN ASSESSED BY A SAFEPLUS ASSESSOR?
Yes	12.8%
No	73.4%
Not sure	13.9%
FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, HOW LIKELY ARE YOU STILL TO BE WORKING IN H&S?
Very likely	52.9%
Quite likely	33.3%
Not very likely	11.9%
Certainly not	2.0%
SINCE 2018 HAVE YOU BEEN MADE REDUNDANT FROM A H&S ROLE?
Yes	7.7%
No	92.3%
IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS, HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED IN RECRUITING FOR AT LEAST ONE H&S-RELATED ROLE?
Yes	45.6%
No	54.4%
IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS, HOW MANY H&S-RELATED ROLES HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED IN RECRUITING? (Of those who replied Yes above)
One	43.8%
Two	38.5%
Three	7.2%
Four or more	10.6%
DID YOU FILL AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE ROLES WITH A CANDIDATE FROM OUTSIDE NEW ZEALAND?
Yes	16.4%
No	83.6%
ON AVERAGE, HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO FILL THOSE ROLES?
2 months or less	52.9%
3 to 4 months	31.7%
5 to 6 months	8.2%
More than 6 months	7.2%

OVERALL INCOME

This data includes only respondents working full time. N = 411
WHICH BEST DESCRIBES YOUR EMPLOYMENT STATUS?
Employee	92.2%
Self-employed	7.8%
WHAT IS YOUR ANNUAL BASE PERSONAL INCOME BEFORE TAX? (DO NOT INCLUDE ALLOWANCES)
Under $50,000	2.2%
$50,000 – $59,999	2.9%
$60,000 – $69,999	6.1%
$70,000 – $79,999	10.0%
$80,000 – $89,999	13.4%
$90,000 – $99,999	12.4%
$100,000 – $119,999	19.5%
$120,000 – $139,999	12.2%
$140,000 – $159,999	8.5%
$160,000 – $179,999	5.1%
$180,000 – $199,999	2.7%
$200,000+	5.8%
WHICH BENEFIT(S) DO YOU RECEIVE?
Company vehicle	41.6%
Superannuation scheme	38.5%
Time off for study/CPD	49.5%
Health insurance	41.2%
ARE YOUR SERVICES ROUTINELY CHARGED OUT TO EXTERNAL CLIENTS?
Yes	13.4%
No	86.6%
(For those who answered Yes above; N=55)
WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL HOURLY CHARGE RATE?
Average	$134/hour
Median	$120/hour

MEDIAN BASE INCOME

An average is meaningless in this context. Instead we have used the median, calculated as the middle value in an ordered list. Only where N is 20 or more has a value been calculated. NOTE: this data includes only respondents working full time
CATEGORY	N	BASE INCOME ($)
Overall	411	104,000
By gender
Male	195	112,300
Female	215	97,410
By age group
30-39	64	105,830
40-49	117	109,170
50-59	157	106,000
60-69	54	102,500
By time in H&S
3 years or less	49	82,000
4 – 9 years	146	94,410
10+ years	216	118,000
By H&S qualification
Certificate	89	90,000
Diploma	154	100,320
Post-graduate diploma	95	120,000
By industry sector
Ag/forestry/fishing	51	104,000
Construction	121	108,000
Education	25	96,000
Healthcare	29	104,000
Government	99	99,170
Manufacturing	108	105,200
Mining/oil & gas	20	130,000
Retail/wholesale	25	106,670
Transport	68	105,290
Utilities	57	117,780
By location
Auckland	109	120,000
Hamilton	26	93,890
Tauranga	26	98,330
Wellington	54	119,000
North Island (elsewhere)	88	92,140
Christchurch	57	105,260
South Island (not Chch, Dunedin)	37	88,890
By professional body membership
IOSH	48	131,670
NZISM	277	104,760
By HASANZ Register membership
Member	64	105,550
Non-member	347	103,380
By number of people in organisation
1 – 19	42	104,280
20 – 99	53	92,000
100 – 499	134	99,330
500 – 999	46	113,080
1000 – 1999	45	113,330
2000+	91	118,330

COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS SURVEYS

YEAR	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
No. of respondents overall	456	456	446	488	479	328
% aged under 50	48.7	49.5	48.6	50.8	52.0	52.1
% with high H&S qualifications (degree/postgrad dip or above)	36.9	28.5	34.4	29.1	32.6	34.2
No. of respondents (full time)	411	410	414	441	436	296
Median income – overall full time	104,000	96,230	99,500	95,865	88,410	87,390
Median income – male full time	112,300	103,060	109,130	106,840	94,310	95,430
Median income – female full time	97,410	90,510	90,000	86,070	80,160	78,970

 

PETER BATEMAN

 

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