The rising costs of operations and fierce competition for customers have increased the number of job offers in sales departments by 16% in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. The most sought-after role is that of a sales specialist, according to the “Report on Remuneration in Enterprises” by Grafton Recruitment. Average salaries have risen by 5.3%.
In the second quarter of 2024, the number of job offers in sales departments on pracuj.pl was 16% higher than in the same period in 2023, and 12% higher compared to the base analysis point in the first quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, the overall number of ads published on this portal only increased by 4% and 2% respectively. This highlights the crucial role of sales departments in current market conditions.
“Economic changes, uncertainty about economic growth, and increased operating costs due to this year’s minimum wage increases and energy costs are making the battle for customers fiercer. Experienced salespeople are worth their weight in gold in such conditions. Their demand is higher than the average demand for many other roles in companies,” explains Ewa Michalska, Managing Director of Grafton Recruitment.
At the same time, the Grafton Recruitment “Company Salary Report. Sales Department 2024” clearly shows a varied demand for employees depending on the position. While in the second quarter of this year, the average increase of work ads in sales departments was 16% YoY, the demand for sellers in particular rose by 31%. There is less demand for other roles, such as sales representatives which has grown by 4.4% compared to last year. Meanwhile, the number of job offers for sales managers decreased by 5.9%, sales engineers by 4.7%, account managers by 4.4%, and sales representatives by 4.4%.
Salespeople play a key role in every industry, and professionals dealing with sales and customer service can expect high earnings, often thanks to unlimited commissions and bonuses for achieving sales targets. Their earnings depend on experience and assumed responsibility, knowledge of foreign languages and the place of employment. Besides their standard salary, these employees can expect bonuses, the amount of which depends on results – says Urszula Martyła, Business Development Manager at Grafton Recruitment.
According to the Grafton Recruitment’s “Company Salary Report. Sales Department 2024”, the salary of those starting a job in the trade sector (excluding bonuses) ranges from PLN 5,000 gross in the FMCG industry in Łódź, Katowice, Krakow and Poznań, to PLN 9,000 in technical industries in Warsaw. People with one to three years of experience earn from PLN 5,500 in the FMCG industry in Krakow, to PLN 12,000 in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, as well as IT and telecommunications in Warsaw. Sales specialists with three to five years of work earn from PLN 8,000 in B2B services in Łódź, Katowice, Krakow, Poznań and the Tri-City, to PLN 15,000 in the FMCG, IT and telecommunications industries in Warsaw. Meanwhile, salespeople with more than five years of experience can expect earnings from PLN 11,000 in the FMCG industry in Łódź and Krakow, up to PLN 18,000 in IT and telecommunications in Warsaw.
Given that remuneration increases as professional responsibility increases, an Export Manager can expect a salary of up to PLN 20,000. In the B2B services industry, the salary for the position of Regional Manager ranges from PLN 11,000 in Łódź to PLN 23,000 in Warsaw.
Salaries in the sales sectors covered by the analysis rose by 5.3% over the year. The highest raises were given to sales staff in the technical industries (6.5%) and IT and telecommunications (6.2%). A slightly smaller increase affected the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries (5.7% and B2B services (4.4%), with the smallest increase in FMCG (3.7%).
From a survey conducted by Grafton Recruitment on LinkedIn, when salespeople were asked what they do when sales begin to drop, the majority would choose to “stay and fight”.
“When everything goes according to plan and sales are growing, everyone feels motivated and full of energy. The real test comes in harder times when a sales slump affects not only the results but also the morale of sales teams. The responses from our respondents show that in these moments most salespeople do not give up, but step up to the challenge,” explains Małgorzata Plato, Business Development Manager at Grafton Recruitment.
Link to report: https://pl.grafton.com/pl/raport-wynagrodzen-w-przedsiebiorstwach-dzialy-sprzedazy-2024
Information about the study: The “Company Salary Report. Sales Department 2024” was prepared by Grafton Recruitment experts in August 2024. Salary ranges are presented in Polish zlotys gross/month, taking into account basic salary without bonuses and extras. The data includes both actual market values as well as forecasts for the entire 2024 year. The survey on the attitudes of salespeople was conducted on LinkedIn.
Source: https://managerplus.pl/wzrost-liczby-ofert-pracy-w-dzialach-handlowych-o-16-w-ii-kwartale-2024-roku-rosnace-zapotrzebowanie-na-specjalistow-ds-sprzedazy-32068
