The NBTA Foundation, the education and research foundation of the National Business Travel Association (NBTA), has released results of the 2009 Travel Management Compensation and Benefits Survey. The report, based on the responses of 274 corporate travel and meetings managers working in the United States and Canada, shows the average base salary of respondents increased 2.1 percent this year, while the total compensation, including salaries and bonuses, declined 5.6 percent from last year to $91,954…
The NBTA Foundation, the education and research foundation of the National Business Travel Association (NBTA), has released results of the 2009 Travel Management Compensation and Benefits Survey. The report, based on the responses of 274 corporate travel and meetings managers working in the United States and Canada, shows the average base salary of respondents increased 2.1 percent this year, while the total compensation, including salaries and bonuses, declined 5.6 percent from last year to $91,954.
NBTA Foundation Chair Fay Beauchine commented, “As travel managers face more challenges than ever before in today’s dynamic business landscape, compensation in this weak economy seems to be stagnating. While base pay has slightly increased, additional compensation such as bonuses or commissions has declined, despite the fact that corporate travel managers are taking on more responsibility than ever. And still, more than half remain satisfied with their return.”
The average year-over-year salary adjustment among respondents also varied by job title:
- Vice Presidents saw a salary increase of 8.7 percent to $121,900
- Directors, a 6.8% decrease to $130,053
- Managers, a .3% decrease to $89,359
- Supervisors, a 4.3% increase to $62,792
- Coordinators/Specialists, a 14.2% decrease to $51,348
Average compensation showed a clear correlation to sales volume of the employing company, with total compensation tending to increase with increasing company sales volumes. Respondents working for companies with annual sales of less than $100 million made 39 percent less on average than those working for companies with more than $5 billion in sales.
Additionally, travel managers with CCTE Certification and/or GLP Designation earned 8.9% and 10.2% respectfully more than their peers without either certification.
Nearly 72 percent of survey respondents report that neither their position nor department has been affected by job cuts due to the recession, and some believe they are valued now more than ever in this cost cutting economy. However, nearly 22 percent report that their department has already been downsized in the last 10 months.
Beauchine added, “The business travel industry will look back on 2009 as one of its most turbulent years, and travel managers will take what they’ve learned in recent months and apply those lessons going forward to continue to save costs even as the economy begins to recover. We know that corporate travel is crucial in conducting business around the world, which is why despite recent hardships, travel managers are optimistic about their careers and satisfied with their levels of reward.”
The report is designed to allow individual travel managers to compare their compensation levels and benefits to those of their peers. The report provides detailed data on respondents’ gender, job titles, professional certifications, years of experience, and more.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
