Landing a job in ‘HR’ over ‘Personnel’ could mean a 10 per cent pay difference; says a new survey by the Hay Group.

The survey of 10,000 HR professionals in over 400 UK organisations also found that a strong correlation between industry sector, professional title and pay exists.

Of 120 organisations that call their departments ‘Personnel’, 62 per cent were either in the public sector or were until recently. While, in contrast, of the 305 organisations who call their departments ‘Human Resources’ 80 per cent were in the private sector.

Reflecting on these sectoral differences, Ben Frost of the Hay Group said: “The Personnel job description is much more common in the Public and the Retail sectors, both of which traditionally pay below the average for management level employees. In comparison, very few companies in the Oil, FMCG and Pharmaceutical sectors, which tend to pay above average, call their functions ‘Personnel’.”

The findings come at odds to a recent Hay Group snapshot survey which suggested almost six out of ten HR professionals believe job title doesn’t affect pay.

Frost advises: “In short, when it comes to looking for the next job, our advice would be to look for an ‘HR’ rather than a ‘Personnel’ role!”