🤑 CHRO pay grew 30.4% as HR gains strategic power

Hey HR Pros!

Well, at least something is going right for HR. CHRO compensation is on the rise, and it is not happening in a vacuum.

As companies navigate AI, workforce risk, and constant change, HR leaders are stepping into roles that are far more visible than before.

Upcoming In This Issue:

• 📊 AI roles are paying up to 25% more than other tech jobs

• 🙅 91% of organizations now use AI, yet trust and engagement continue to fall behind

• 🤑 CHRO pay grew 30.4% as HR gains strategic power

• 📊 70% of Americans still expect AI to reduce jobs as trust in the workplace declines

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 📰 Latest in HR News

• H-1B visa program hits cap for the next fiscal year

• CEO of Epic Games apologizes after laying off employee with terminal brain cancer

• Oracle cutting thousands in latest layoff round as company continues to ramp AI spending

• Job openings decline in February as employers hit pause on hiring

📊 AI roles are paying up to 25% more than other tech jobs

Compensation is becoming more complex and more uneven across global markets, leading to HR leaders having to rethink how pay is structured and delivered.

Demand for specialized AI talent is distorting salary bands, with top-tier AI and ML engineers seeing faster growth at the 90th percentile than median levels.

Key insights

• AI roles command premium pay 🤖 Specialized AI, cybersecurity, and digital roles earn 20–25% above benchmarks due to scarce talent supply

• Equity is rising globally 📈 Median equity grants for engineers increased steadily since 2021, with strongest growth observed in Brazil and India markets

• Gender gaps persist in tech ⚖️ Global data shows male salaries still exceed female pay significantly, especially in engineering and leadership roles across countries

• Contractor markets are expanding 🌍 Countries like Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil show 70–90% contractor-heavy workforces, reshaping global hiring strategies

Read more: https://website-media.deel.com/The_State_Of_Global_Compensation_Report2025_c26652cd4a.pdf

🙅 91% of organizations now use AI, yet trust and engagement continue to fall behind

Employee experience in 2026 is being shaped by a growing disconnect between what metrics suggest and what employees actually feel, forcing HR leaders to rethink how they interpret engagement, retention, and performance data.

Key insights from the report:

• Retention no longer signals engagement 📉 Low turnover in a “job hugging” market hides disengagement, with employees staying due to risk, not motivation

• Change fatigue is impacting performance ⚠️ Declining confidence in leadership and strategy signals employees are overwhelmed, even by positive organizational changes

• AI adoption depends on trust 🤖 Employees in organizations with clear AI policies are nearly 8x more likely to see AI as a positive workplace force

• Poor management drives attrition risk 🚨 Employees with ineffective managers are up to 4 to 5 times more likely to leave, making frontline leadership critical

Read more: https://go.perceptyx.com/employee-experience-trends-web-report

Scaling HR: Moving off Spreadsheets, PEOs, and Wing-It PeopleOps as Your Company Grows

🤑 CHRO pay grew 30.4% as HR gains strategic power

HR leadership is becoming a central driver of business strategy, with compensation trends reflecting a broader shift in how organizations value people leadership at the highest levels.

More companies are elevating CHROs into top executive ranks, with a growing presence among the highest-paid leaders and increased visibility in boardroom discussions.

Key insights

• More CHROs are top-paid executives 📈 CHROs named among top five highest-paid executives rose from 148 in 2021 to 230 in 2025

• Compensation is rising faster than peers 💰 CHRO median pay grew 14.7% year over year, outpacing 8.1% growth for other executives

• Role scope is expanding rapidly 🤖 New titles reflect broader mandates, combining HR leadership with AI, technology, and digital transformation responsibilities

• Boardroom influence is increasing 🏢 CHROs are now regularly included in board discussions as workforce strategy becomes central to business performance

Read more: https://www.hr-brew.com/stories/2026/03/31/chros-among-highest-paid-executives

📊 70% of Americans still expect AI to reduce jobs as trust in the workplace declines

A new national poll highlights a growing tension for HR leaders as AI adoption accelerates while employee sentiment becomes more cautious and skeptical.

Usage is rising across core work activities like research, writing, and data analysis, yet confidence in AI outputs remains low and skepticism continues to grow.

Employees are increasingly concerned about the broader impact of AI on jobs, even if fewer feel personally at risk today, signaling a disconnect between macro workforce fears and individual perception.

Key insights

• AI use is growing but trust is low 📉 76% of employees trust AI only some of the time or hardly ever, despite rising usage across work tasks

• Concern outweighs excitement ⚠️ 62% of Americans are not excited about AI while 80% express concern about its impact

• Job loss fears are increasing 💼 70% believe AI will reduce job opportunities, up significantly from 56% the previous year

• Transparency expectations are rising 🔍 76% say companies are not doing enough to be transparent about how AI is used

Read more: https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3955