Hyderabad, India, 11 March 2026: The HR profession in India is rapidly becoming the first corporate function to achieve gender pay parity by 2027, according to the India HR Salary Benchmarking Report 2025–26 released by Keka in collaboration with SHRM. While women in HR currently earn around 9–10% less on average, the gap is narrowing steadily as organizations strengthen pay transparency and inclusion practices.

The study is based on 1.84 lakh validated compensation data points from more than 600 organizations across 10 industries and 10 cities, offering one of the most comprehensive views of HR compensation trends in India.

The study highlights a dramatic shift toward tech-enabled HR roles, with HR Analytics managers earning around ₹60 lakh per annum, approximately 114% above the HR median, making it the highest-paying specialization within the function. HR careers also show strong long-term earning potential, with salaries increasing 12 times from entry-level roles (₹8.5 lakh) to leadership positions (₹125 lakh). The steepest salary acceleration occurs between 10 and 13 years of experience, when HR professionals typically transition from specialist roles to strategic leadership positions such as HR Business Partners or function heads.

Tapan Acharya, CRO, Keka said, “What the data clearly shows is that HR compensation in India is no longer driven by titles or tenure, it’s driven by business complexity. The 15x salary spread and location-based differentials reflect where organisations are placing real accountability. HR roles that influence productivity, compliance, and long-term value creation are being priced very differently today, and that shift is visible across industries.”

The report also identifies technology, BFSI, and GCC-driven organizations as the highest-paying sectors, offering 20–30% salary premiums. Despite this, Tier II cities’ HRs earn 20-30% less than those in cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Pune, which dominate the country’s highest-paid HR talent pool.

The report also reveals sharp disparities within the profession. HR careers now show nearly a 12× salary spread, with entry-level HR executives earning a median ₹8.5 lakh annually while CHROs and HR CoE heads earn around ₹1.25 crore, underscoring the widening gap between operational and strategic HR roles.

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