The average 2012 base salary for "corporate travel and
meetings managers working the United States and Canada" increased 3.4
percent year over year to $85,488, according to a Global Business Travel
Association Foundation survey released Wednesday.
Total compensation, including bonuses, among the 529 survey respondents
averaged $93,232.
While this year's respondents reported average compensation
levels below the $101,736 average in last year's survey, GBTA attributed the
decline not to falling wages, but a different respondent base in each survey.
The GBTA Foundation in its report highlighted several
correlations related to travel buyer compensation, some of which were not
surprising. Among those, respondents with greater seniority, longer duration of
employment and higher age on average garnered higher wages. So too did
respondents who oversaw higher travel budgets.
Average compensation for director-level respondents
increased 4.1 percent year over year to $140,650, while increasing 3.3 percent
to $92,407 for managers and 2.7 percent to $60,157 for coordinators. Respondents
averaged a 46-hour workweek, though respondents with more senior titles on
average spent more time on the clock.
Sixty-three percent of respondents contended they "are
very satisfied or satisfied with their compensation," according to GBTA.
"Not surprisingly, satisfaction levels increase as salary level
increases."
Of the respondents, 77 percent were women, according to
GBTA, yet a higher proportion of men held more senior roles. "Coordinators (89 percent) are much more likely than
directors (60 percent) and managers (78 percent) to be women," according
to GBTA.
Eighty-seven percent of respondents held responsibility for
administering corporate travel programs, while the same number negotiated with
travel vendors, and 84 percent held responsibility for developing and
administering travel policy.
While 61 percent of respondents indicated that "more
than half" of their time was spent on "travel management," the foundation
highlighted a variety of responsibilities held by respondents. "Travel
managers also have responsibilities in other areas such as event planning (43
percent), evaluating new technology (79 percent) and developing strategic meetings
management programs (38 percent)," according to GBTA.
Finance (25 percent), purchasing (20 percent), strategic
sourcing (11 percent), administration (10 percent) and operations (9 percent)
were the most common departments through which respondents reported.
Meanwhile, respondents on average indicated that 2012
domestic T&E budgets increased 12 percent year over year, while the average
international T&E budget was up 7 percent.