The average compensation for U.S. travel buyers in 2016
increased 1.8 percent year over year to $114,000, according to a Global
Business Travel Association survey of 303 buyers.
That rise is largely in line with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics'
numbers for compensation growth for U.S. workers. Though the increase is modest,
nearly three-quarters of travel buyers in the survey are satisfied or very
satisfied with compensation levels. Only 8 percent are unsatisfied, the same as
in GBTA's 2015 survey.
Source: GBTA's 2016 Compensation and Benefits survey
Money was a big motivator, as "very satisfied"
buyers earn 31 percent more than the others. Benefits like reimbursement for
conference attendance, stock options and childcare discounts also make buyers
more likely to fall among the very satisfied.
Unsurprisingly, GBTA found that a buyer's average salary rises
with experience, education, title and the size of travel spend he or she manages.
For example, buyers managing less than $10 million in annual travel spend
earned an average of $88,000 a year, while buyers managing more than $50
million in spend earned $147,000. Entry-level buyers earned $74,000, and
executive-level buyers earned nearly $200,000.
Earlier this year, BTN published its own annual
Salary Survey & Report, which found average travel buyer compensation
had increased 5.5 percent to $118,479. See the 2015 and prior years' BTN Salary Surveys here.