Due to the specifics of the business (development to automate service B2B support), we have to be as immersed as possible in the topic of support in every sense of the word. Every day we communicate with hundreds of companies in Russia and the CIS, as a result, very often our communication goes beyond the issues of "automation". That is why in 2017 we , which became, perhaps, the first such serious and detailed industry-specific study in principle. In this report, 2019, we updated the data and tried to explain their changes qualitatively, based on a general understanding of the market.
Instead of joining
Full-fledged analytical reports on how much specialists in a particular industry receive for two years have not appeared. But today there are a lot of services in the public domain that build analytics based on posted vacancies. Unfortunately, they have not yet developed enough to provide comprehensive data on our segment. At best, there will be an analyst for a specific position (call center operator, technical support specialist) without analyzing the requirements and level of training.
Against the background of other services, My Circle stands out, which not on the texts of published vacancies, but on the messages of employees. However, he does not have much data yet. At the time when we updated our report, for example, for the position of technical support engineer in the second half of 2019, only 55 questionnaires were collected. Therefore, we looked for our own numbers on services that aggregate data from recruitment portals.
This time we switched from the number of companies to accounting for the number of vacancies. This is due to the anomalous situation in Moscow and the region, where, according to the aggregation service, there are 112 vacancies per company on average (against an average of 48 vacancies per company for the rest of Russia).
number of vacancies per company for different regions
In total, 11610 support vacancies throughout Russia were considered. This is about a quarter of a percent of the total number of vacancies without post restrictions. It is curious that the share of announcements about vacancies in support against the general “labor” background in St. Petersburg is 2, and in Moscow almost 3 times higher.
Of course, several ads can be posted for the same vacancy (as well as vice versa - one ad can recruit an entire department). So that this “noise” does not confuse the numbers for us, then we move on to relative accounting of vacancies, instead of absolute.
Percentage of support vacancies (out of all posted vacancies) by region
Approximately half of all posted vacancies contain a mention of salary. In Moscow, this share is slightly lower - 42%, and in St. Petersburg - slightly higher - 53% (against 51% on average in the country). It is significant that the share of ads with the specified income has increased over the past 2 years. Apparently, there is some kind of request for this information from candidates. But just like two years ago, not all employers bother explaining whether the amount is before or after taxes.
share of vacancies with indication of salary as a percentage (relative to the total number of vacancies in this region)
share of vacancies with salary indication depending on the level
Nationally, 82% of support job postings are in the IT industry. The two capitals again stand out against this background. In Moscow, the share of ads about vacancies in support only in 65% of cases refers to IT, in St. Petersburg - in 71% of cases.
Although the remote work trend has been actively developing and PR lately, and telephone support is just one of those professions that may not need an office, we did not find evidence that this format should be considered separately. Of the total number of vacancies, there are vanishingly few obviously removed ones. The national average is just over 3%. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, even less - 1% and 2%, respectively. In reality, there are clearly more remote vacancies, apparently they are still poorly sorted by ad aggregators.
Support classification
Theoretical questions of classification have been discussed in detail in . Recall that according to the profile of work we separate “technical” (service) and “customer” support, and also, quite independently of this, we single out internal and external.
Unfortunately, neither the first nor the second classifications have taken root among personnel officers. Until now, customers are explicitly indicated in the ad (“customer support”, “customer support”) only in 13% of cases. It is impossible to estimate the market share of customer support based on these data. There are even fewer mentions of external and internal support in ads - this is only a dozen vacancies in the country. Therefore, unlike the Western market, where such subtleties are taken into account when applying for a job, in our country the candidate has to study the list of required skills in order to understand what it is about.
For ease of analysis, we divide support by experience and skills. Do not confuse this classification with the division into technical support lines - this is about something else (about specific business processes built within a particular company).
Note that the experience and skills required for a particular vacancy do not always correlate with each other. This is partly due to the fact that not all ads are compiled correctly. And sometimes it’s not clear what kind of experience is taken into account: in the same position, in a similar company, or total work experience?
If you read the text of vacancies, you can distinguish four levels, which we will talk about. And although the key point in this gradation is experience, a prerequisite for moving from one level to the next is the presence of additional skills that were not required before. To clarify the situation and obtain high-quality data, we selectively reviewed manually about a hundred vacancies from each category (except for the last one, where the offer is significantly smaller).
First level. Technical support without experience
***we changed the calculation method to cut off deliberate dumping from employers and salary overstatement due to incorrect positioning of the offer (or a specialized industry), so the upper bar was lowered)
16% of all support jobs nationwide say they don't require any work experience.
The list of requirements for candidates is mostly about emotions. They want to see in them a desire to work, a desire for professional growth and a young friendly team. Usually mentioned:
- communication skills,
- desire and ability to communicate with people,
- normal diction,
- stress resistance.
Technical skills are mostly limited to basic PC knowledge (advanced user). By the way, two years ago, this knowledge was mentioned more often in vacancies.. Now the emphasis is on communication. This is probably a consequence of the development of onboarding processes in companies.
In terms of vacancies, education is indicated - secondary or incomplete higher education (with the ability to combine work and study). Single employers require higher and even higher technical. Even less often you need an initial level of English.
Income at this level is on average 23-29 thousand rubles.
This is the average minimum and average maximum of the declared income on hand (more on what these indicators are, we will stop later in the section on pitfalls). Closer to the minimum limit - vacancies in the regions in outsourced incoming call processing centers. A kind of first line that receives calls. Higher earnings are offered in specific industries, although it is not always clear in such ads whether candidates with no experience are actually admitted (or lack of industry experience is implied).
It cannot be said that Tier 2 income has grown in the XNUMX years that have passed since the last report. It is likely that the amount received on hand has nevertheless increased, the market has simply forced the ads to be more honest.
For the candidate himself, work often begins with corporate training. Sometimes the scholarship is paid, sometimes not. Even if it is paid, it is likely to be lower than the income promised in the ad.
In addition to material compensation, at this level we are ready to offer:
- corporate training;
- mentoring;
- tea/coffee and cookies in the office;
- corporate discounts - company employees are offered discounts on their own services or the services of partners.
Rare vacancies contain an extended list of bonuses:
- VMI - often not immediately, but after a year or two of work in the company, or compensated only partially;
- payment for lunches (with certain restrictions);
- partial or full compensation for fitness (or a gym in the office);
- transportation, especially when working in shifts.
Many also boast of a busy corporate life, but without details it is difficult to write down in pluses or minuses.
Another interesting note: the general impression of the market at the first level is essentially determined by the vacancies of large companies - mobile operators, banks, etc. Their ads are somewhat reminiscent of an ongoing creative competition with selling texts and pictures that depict happy people. At subsequent levels, you can no longer find such diversity.
Experience in technical support 1-2 years. Confident junior or almost middle
More than half of vacancies in support (53%) are focused on such specialists. In reality, the figure is even higher, since some ads for the first level are actually focused on the second (just confusion with the declared experience).
At this level, employers are already more attentive to education. If secondary special, then technical, preferably higher. There are fewer ads that allow incomplete higher education. The requirements for the English language are also more serious: it is often necessary to read English-language documentation.
Some employers highlight the essence of experience - it must be in a similar position or in a specific segment (for example, experience in a call center). A few admit a lack of official experience, but promise to look closely at knowledge.
Required skills include:
- ability to work with tools used to automate support in a particular company (HelpDesk, etc., depending on the processes),
- knowledge of operating system principles (Windows or Linux, depending on specialization);
- knowledge of technical terminology in a particular segment.
Often there is a need for:
- understanding 1C and its specific configurations;
- knowledge of the principles of LAN operation, protocols, equipment settings;
- basic knowledge of programming, testing and layout;
- administration experience, in particular, remote access settings;
- task setting skills.
Income at this level is on average 35 - 40 thousand rubles (this is the average minimum and average maximum per hand). This is slightly higher than the salaries indicated in our previous report.
The essence of the work is 1 or 2 line support, more qualified user advice. The more specific these consultations, the more money. Knowing English also raises income.
At this level, in terms of vacancies, trips appear (for which a personal car and category B rights are indicated in the requirements) and even business trips. In this case, the compensation received from the company is even higher, since the calculation of travel allowances, compensation for fuel and lubricants is in progress.
The list of promises at this level is much less about a friendly team and corporate life, and the list of options is more concise:
- professional and career growth;
- corporate training, sometimes certification;
- mobile communication reimbursement;
- tea, coffee, fruits and other buns in the office;
- VHI and sports (with milder conditions);
- corporate discounts.
By the way, at this level, a detailed description of vacancies is still preserved, but, on average, personnel officers pay less attention to its compilation: the same wording wanders from ad to ad. And in some texts, one feels a painful experience for the company behind each wording (when, for example, in the text of one remote vacancy it was mentioned that work should not be combined with black and white magic). It also caught my eye that, starting from this level, employers more often mention a comfortable workplace and a convenient office among the pluses.
Subtotals
The salary market at the first two levels is the most transparent, since the share of vacancies with the indicated salaries is significantly higher here. Without work experience, 60% of employers explicitly indicate the salary, with 1-2 years experience - 68%.
For 3-5 years of experience, the salary appears only in 37% of vacancies, and if more than 6 years of experience is required, then only 19% of employers will say about money. This is logical: the higher the level of a specialist, the more complex processes he is involved in. They are no longer so easy to value in money. During the interview, we are talking about attracting specific narrow specialists. You can take someone for a while, and for someone you can overpay. The figure in the ad thus loses touch with reality.
For those who want to start working remotely, it is in support that the first two levels are the most realistic. At the first, almost 7% of vacancies involve working from home with (in addition to the skills described above) a computer with constant access to the Internet and a headset. At the second level of remote vacancies 4%. The third and fourth levels consider remote workers only in 3% and 2% of cases, respectively. Perhaps they recruit them from already proven employees, or maybe they don’t recruit at all. At the same time, on average, the income promised in remote vacancies is lower than in similar positions in the office - employers are clearly trying to save money by moving less qualified personnel out of the office.
It is curious that, on average, in IT, the view of remote work is completely different - those who work more independently, and not juniors, are “let go” to the house.
But for those who want to combine not-so-monetary vacancies of several employers (which, in theory, can be done remotely), hard times have come. Apparently, companies have already stepped on this rake, so in many ads of the first and second levels there is a mark that it is absolutely impossible to combine, which does not allow increasing a rather low income.
Technical support with 3-5 years experience. good middle
In total, vacancies requiring more than 3 years of work experience are only 12% of the total number of ads. This is quite predictable: at this level, the turnover is not so high, and there is someone to grow within the company. The confusion, however, is added by the different interpretation of experience by personnel officers, which was noted above. Someone in the vacancy implies a general work experience, and someone - experience in a specific position or in a company in a given market segment. Unfortunately, these candidates have to figure it out on their own based on the text of the ads.
Jobs at this level almost always require a higher technical education. In some cases, economic is also suitable - if we are talking about servicing the same 1C. Many people need English at least at a level sufficient to read the documentation. Sometimes there is a request for spoken and written English. In terms of vacancies, certification will be an advantage, for example, in .
The essence of the work by analogy with the first two levels can no longer be unambiguously described. Somewhere this is another line of software support, in other places - field maintenance of equipment, including specific ones. In this case, positions can be called the same.
The skills required are determined by the nature of the job. Most vacancies mention:
- OS knowledge at the administrator level (Windows or Linux);
- setting up a network, office equipment, drivers;
- work with documentation (competitive, drawings, instructions).
Further list of skills depends on specialization. It can be:
- understanding the principles of setting up telecommunications equipment;
- knowledge in the field of certain production processes and related equipment (for example, in the dairy industry or trade);
- configuring and maintaining certain server products and operating systems (specified Linux distributions);
- deeper knowledge of 1C and its configurations and related processes, for example, personnel records;
- understanding of the main network protocols and data exchange formats (XML, JSON).
Sometimes you need your own car and category B rights. But not every ad in the list of necessary ones mentions such a skill as communication skills - here you don’t always have to contact clients or their representatives.
The average income is from 50 to 60 thousand rubles (average minimum and average maximum, respectively). In this case, starting from this level, the difference in income between Moscow and other cities of the country becomes noticeable. Most of the money vacancies are in the capital. However, there are not enough figures published to conduct a detailed analysis.
Depending on the nature of the job, there are more vacancies at this level with frequent business trips, which increase income. There are also advertisements for the recruitment of leaders for a group of specialists or even an entire department. Naturally, their income is even higher, as is the responsibility. Specific skills - knowledge in narrow areas, deep knowledge in a certain segment (required by the company) also increase the “price” of a specialist.
Intangible incentives are generally consistent with the promises for the previous level. In addition, options are added that are in demand by employees with families:
- partial compensation for children's vacation;
- financial support in case of life changes (wedding, birth of children, etc.).
More than 6 years of work experience - at least senior
Although more qualified specialists are clearly in demand in the market, there are already very few vacancies at this level - just over 1% of the total number in support. At the same time, units indicate the salary, as a result we have only 30 ads left for analysis (some of which obviously got in the wrong place due to a flaw in the aggregator algorithm - for example, it is not clear where the “educator” came from).
At this level, higher technical education is needed everywhere, sometimes with a certain specialization, certification is often needed. If we are talking about a leadership position, then we need experience in similar leadership - implementing processes, organizing activities, etc. When it comes to English, it is more often necessary not only to read the documentation technically, but also colloquially. Communicativeness appears again in the list of personal qualities, as well as general erudition, which was not found at levels below.
The spread of salaries at this level is very large - from 60 to 100 and more thousand rubles (as before, this is an average minimum and an average maximum). But there are ads up to 30 thousand and more than 150 thousand. The bottom bar is set by employers who, for some reason, want people with 10+ years of experience to work on their front lines. From above, this range is “warmed up” by vacancies for heads of support and service centers. With such a difference in tasks and required skills, it is not possible to single out any general requirements for employers.
Intangible compensation is generally no different from the previous level, but when studying the ads, one promise caught my eye: the absence of a salary cap. The vacancies at the previous levels did not talk about this.
Pitfalls of working in technical support
Like 2 years ago, I would like to separately dwell on the pitfalls.
We promise a lot - we pay less
Salaries are already indicated in more vacancies than 2 years ago, but not always honestly. As noted above, in total, 51% of ads are now published with salaries (in the last report there were 42%).
It is often clear from the text of the ad that there is a salary and bonuses that are paid not every time, but subject to the fulfillment of some standards or KPIs. Or, the ad clearly states that the specialist will receive less at first due to a probationary period, internship, or any other reason. The situation is even worse when the candidate seems to see the salary, but cannot calculate the real figure, because (hereinafter - the real quote):
“The level of salary is discussed individually depending on professional competencies”
It is curious that some companies record salary indexation at the end of the year as a plus.
In all these cases, the largest amount is used to classify ads on the personnel portal, which displays the vacancy higher when sorted by income. Probably, through manipulation with numbers, personnel officers want to attract more attention to their ad.
In this report, we tried to collect the most realistic figures: for each vacancy, we indicated the minimum and maximum that an employee can get on hand. For example, if we are talking about a salary with a bonus, then the minimum is the salary “on hand”, and the maximum is the salary with the highest bonus (if its size was indicated). Average Low is the average low of all ads in that tier. The average maximum is similar, but for the highest income.
Time to learn to count
An interesting trend is that jobs that require a year of work often fall into the “no experience” category, although in fact there is a whole list of required skills. This is either an aggregation error, or the recruiter was trying to outsmart even more cunning candidates. Say, they will look for work with more experience than they have ... and here we are. And the salary against the background of “inexperienced” vacancies is higher.
It seems to us that it is time to abandon these machinations. At the first and second qualification levels, everything is quite transparent - in any case, in the eyes of the candidate, the ad will “fall out” from the overall picture.
“Need a cleaning lady with two degrees and knowledge of English”…
(c) an anecdote from the 90s
Studying the texts of vacancies, we noticed obvious inconsistencies. For example, people without experience were hired only with experience working with CRM. Or for the first line of support for a simple answer by phone and redirection of the application, a candidate with experience of 10 years or more was required, including for the position of a system administrator. If we were an employee, we would not respond to such “self-contradictory” ads. But the employer would like to recommend an adequate look at their tasks and staffing needs.
Naming problem
Although HR professionals are diving deeper into the IT segment to attract competent staff, the confusion over the names of positions in support has only worsened over the years. Two years ago, we analyzed vacancies taking into account positions - operator, specialist, engineer, manager. Now it is pointless to focus on them, because in some vacancies, an operator and, say, an engineer differ from each other in terms of experience, and in other cases, the fundamental differences are already in the nature of the work (for some reason, engineers are recruited for field service, even without work experience, and specialists - for placement in the office). So if you are looking for a job in this segment, use different query options.
Instead of totals
The market has changed...
- There are more vacancies, especially in the regions.
- Generally salaries have increased slightly in two years, but not for everyone. At the lowest level (no experience) growth is almost zero. But the higher the level of the specialist, the more serious the growth. Unfortunately, in the last report, we did not look at qualified personnel in such detail, so we can only take summary data for the second and third levels as a basis for estimating this growth. Based on these data, the growth was almost 19%. This is more than 2 times higher than the official inflation.
- Salary in ads began to show more often. Although they did not learn how to demonstrate it honestly.
- The purely visual gap between job advertisements for not particularly qualified personnel and the search for narrow specialists is getting wider. The first are flow-oriented: through beautiful pictures and photos of satisfied people, following the example of the “Work at McDonald's” ad, employers try to reduce the cost of hiring. It's like a B2C ad: "Buy our elephants." Technical skills here go by the wayside: it’s easier to teach than to look for something special. And vacancies for experienced specialists have not changed - they are still dry, concise and contain a huge list of technical requirements (sometimes somewhat divorced from reality).
- The segment of remote work is growing, it is slowly, but pulling up salaries in the regions. On the other hand, in megacities there is an overabundance of personnel in some positions - out of habit, people still go to Moscow for money.
Under the influence of these and other factors, the figures and their ratios change. And we are confident that large-scale transformations are yet to come.
Today, like two years ago, it is not the one who competently settled down in the capital who earns, but the one who has specific knowledge in a narrow area or combines seemingly incompatible segments. If only there was a demand for this combination.
Probably, the highly demanded narrow specialization is now the hard currency of the personnel market. It is unlikely that in the near future it will fall in price. But behind other trends, we, together with hundreds of service companies from a wide variety of industries, are customers We'll be happy to watch. Join now!
Source: habr.com