A hand to drive: the fastest growing salaries of managers in the creative sector
Salaries for job seekers applying for managerial positions increased last year by a third for several industries at once, recruitment services told Izvestia. The most noticeable growth was in engineering, as well as art and culture - by 38%. The researchers came to similar data in the long term, having analyzed the data for the last five years. The approach to the search for managers is changing: specialists with a more flexible approach, who can think outside the box and who have knowledge of modern technologies are valued, the experts noted.
Where executive salaries have grown
In 2024, the most noticeable increase in the average proposed salaries of managers in the field of art and culture, as well as mechanical engineering - by 38%, according to data from the recruitment service hh.ru. In addition, thesalaries of managers in business services, automotive business, financial sector, construction and real estate, oil and gas, industry, metallurgy, media, marketing and design, and chemical production increased by 20-29%.
Over the last five years, the salaries of top managers in the creative industry have grown the fastest, according to the researchers of the TISBI University of Management. For example, for chief designers it has grown by 211%: from 35.5 thousand rubles in 2019 to 110 thousand rubles in 2024.
"But if we evaluate the top three highest-paid managers in 2024, the palm of primacy for the position of factory directors with an average monthly income of 156 thousand rubles, in second place is the head of the IT department with an average monthly salary of 141 thousand rubles, and in third place is the chief architect," the study notes. - The calculations used average figures, real salaries can vary significantly, both upward and downward".
In many cases, employers do not specify the salaries of managers in vacancies, and leave the option "by agreement", added Deputy General Director of "Work.ru", Chief Operating Officer of services "SberPodbor" and "Podrabota" Alexander Veterkov.
For specific positions in 2024, proposed salaries for heads of analytics (36%), commercial directors (30%) and HR directors (26%) increased the most, hh.ru added. The offered salaries for directors of the legal department last year decreased by 2%, but there were more vacancies for them - by 84%. All other managers were looking for much less actively.
High growth rates of average salaries for 2024 were also found in IT-directors and cybersecurity directors, added in the recruiting service SuperJob.
At the same time, the most in-demand managers were in the financial sector, oil and gas, heavy engineering, hotel and restaurant business, energy, management of diversified assets, housing and utilities and agriculture, as calculated in hh.ru. The number of vacancies in these positions increased by 24-41% over the year.
How managers are looked for
Executive positions can be divided into three main categories, each of which has its own methods of recruitment, explained Roman Gubanov, development director of Avito Rabota.
- The first segment is top management. As a rule, such professionals are not looking for ads on employee search platforms, but are hired with the help of specialized agencies or through personal recommendations, individually negotiating the terms, - he stressed.
The second category is middle managers, who are most often sought through recruitment agencies, and in some cases from direct competitors.
- The third category includes managers in retail and catering. As a rule, these are store directors, managers of cafes and restaurants and other employees. Most often such managers can be found on job and personnel search services," the expert explained.
According to Avito Rabota, the number of vacancies for managers increased by 93% over the year, while the number of positions for managers increased by 25% year-on-year.
- In 2025, the highest paid among managers will probably remain managers in the IT sector, financial sector and industry. These industries retain a high level of competition for qualified personnel," Roman Gubanov predicts. - We can also expect further growth of salaries for managers in logistics and production, as businesses need qualified management staff to organize the work of teams and work processes.
Contrary to expert forecasts, the salary race has not slowed down in 2024 either, Alexander Veterkov pointed out. In addition, companies are forced to expand the list of non-material bonuses for employees more and more in order to attract new staff and retain the existing staff, he emphasized.
How approaches to executive search have changed
There is a fierce competition for managers capable of taking responsibility and ready to independently offer complex solutions and show quick results in the ever-changing market realities, believes Irina Shemyakina, Partner at Kontakt InterSaerch Russia.
- The price of managers with vision and outlook capable of directly influencing business profitability is growing," she emphasized.
Management approaches in Russia are changing, Anna Naida, Vice-Rector of the TISBI University of Management, believes.
- The traditional model based on rigid administration is giving way to flexible creative management. This is a natural process - companies increasingly value managers who are able to work under conditions of constant change," she said.
Competition for managers in creative industries is intensifying not within individual industries, but around specific competencies, added Lydia Roy, head of the Creative Industries Laboratory at the Moscow School of Management "Skolkovo".
- The key market demand is for a new type of producers: people capable of combining creative ideas with business logic, technological capabilities and global trends," she added. - Creative industries are becoming more and more complex ecosystems, where the success of a project depends not only on the artistic concept, but also on the ability to build it into the attention economy, platform models and new digital environments.
The producer, she says, manages collaborations, interacts with different departments and partners, and forms a sustainable development model.
- Creative industries and traditional business cannot do without this approach today, and it is precisely this kind of personnel that creative industries in Russia are in dire need of today," the expert believes.
There is an urgent need for managers with skills of interdisciplinary approach, Maria Koleda, head of the information department of the Independent Trade Union "New Labor", added. Such people should be able not only to organize work processes efficiently, but also to implement innovative solutions that will help companies adapt to rapidly changing conditions. They need to understand how modern technologies can be applied in business, be able to work with data, analytics and digital tools, the expert emphasized.
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