human resources.

Between keeping up with new compensation and benefit demands from today's job seekers to finding talent amid ongoing shortages and even navigating the uncharted waters of company culture in hybrid and remote environments, today's HR pros have a lot on their plates. See 2023's biggest HR trends, challenges and opportunities here — plus up-to-date HR salaries for dozens of today's key HR roles.

As HR leaders look to emphasize the “H” in HR through enhanced wellness benefits and people-first cultures, the value of data analytics is at risk of getting left behind. Ninety percent of companies said their CHROs have communicated that people analytics are a core component of their HR strategy — but only 42 percent said that their companies currently have a data-driven culture for HR.

Given the raft of today’s talent challenges, using advanced analytics can help HR leaders hire more effectively, reduce turnover and enhance employee engagement. Employers that make data a priority will have to adjust their candidate profiles accordingly to bring in talent with the right skills for data collection and analysis. With qualified talent in short supply, these emerging roles would be well-suited targets for employers to address through upskilling and reskilling. Retraining employees to take on these new roles can help them advance in their careers while positioning HR to succeed in the new digital landscape.

With inflation rates through the roof and costs of living rising right alongside them, talent will understandably be looking to offset those factors through increases in pay. For those looking to hire, this may translate to candidates asking more than expected once it comes time to negotiate. If meeting those figures isn’t possible for your organization, prepare to get creative with advanced benefits, flexible options and other levers to offset not meeting candidates’ salary demands. It’s not a foolproof plan, but in a talent marketplace this competitive, employers can’t afford to leave anything on the table.

A worthwhile goal to work toward to offset rising wages and inflation is delivering on employee expectations around equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDI&A). Eighty percent of employees say they want to work for a company that values diversity, equity and inclusion. What’s more, workers who are satisfied with their company’s EDI&A efforts are more likely to be happy with their jobs and compensation. Staying up to date on the latest EDI&A trends, engaging in inclusive workforce programs and revamping your company’s approach to EDI&A can improve talent outcomes during times of scarcity and inject your workforce with the diversity of perspectives it needs to stay competitive.

For employers that went remote or hybrid as a result of the pandemic, it’s no secret that company cultures have become a challenge to maintain. Without daily in-person interactions and water-cooler talk, it may be hard to even identify what your company’s culture actually is. This is why 59 percent of respondents to an HR survey identified culture as their organization’s biggest challenge since COVID-19.

This distance has also made it more difficult for leaders to spot and address culture issues before they snowball into even bigger problems. That’s a dangerous blindspot to leave unaddressed, considering that toxic workplace cultures are over 10 times more likely to drive employees away than compensation. To build and maintain strong, positive company cultures in 2023 and beyond, HR leaders will have to be proactive during onboarding and throughout the employee lifecycle, using all-hands meetings, lunch-and-learns, cross-functional events and more to bring workers together, share ideas and foster the culture your company desires.

The pandemic brought employee well-being sharply into focus, but with the worst of it seemingly behind us, employers can’t afford to go back to “business as usual” and take employee health for granted. In fact, a study found that more than a third of workers are “overutilized” at work — meaning they’re simply working too much and too long — and workers most likely to succumb to burnout spend 79 percent of their days in this “overutilized” state.

To counteract this tendency toward overwork, HR leaders may want to consider setting boundaries on things like times when it’s acceptable to send work emails or chats and implement other initiatives that promote healthy work habits and improve work-life balance. Flexibility around scheduling and remote and hybrid work can also aid in improving employee well-being. Considering that 33 percent of employees would rather be unemployed than unhappy in a job, employers can’t afford to neglect well-being. Doing so risks igniting a retention crisis at a time when qualified talent is already hard to find.

Let's review the national averages for salaries across the country.

The variance percentages can be applied to the national averages to calculate the salaries in your area.