PART 1
BEYOND MARKET RATE: What really makes an opportunity competitive?
Are You Benchmarking the Salary or the Opportunity?
Two companies can offer the same salary for the same role and experience very different hiring outcomes.
Why? Because candidates don’t evaluate salary in isolation. They weigh the entire opportunity: what the role requires from them versus what they receive in return.
This is where traditional salary benchmarking can fall short.
At TGT, we believe the better question is no longer simply “Are we paying market rate?” but “Is the overall opportunity competitive for the talent we want to attract?”
Here’s what we recommend looking at in addition to the salary range.
1. Look at Total Opportunity Competitiveness:
Salary is only one part of the equation. Consider how the overall opportunity compares with what candidates can access in the market.
Work Arrangement
Onsite, hybrid and remote roles compete differently. Less flexibility may require a stronger overall offer.
Hiring Speed
Strong candidates move quickly. Benchmarking is not only about what you offer, but also how quickly you can offer it.
Career Value
Candidates look beyond salary to career growth, technology exposure, leadership opportunities and development.
Total Employee Proposition
Benefits, shifts, flexibility, incentives and culture all influence whether candidates accept and stay.
Compensation
Know where your offer sits in the market. For hard-to-fill roles, offering only the minimum may significantly limit your talent pool.
2. Benchmark the Role, Not Just the Salary
Through recruitment, we see another layer of benchmarking that is equally important: how much are we asking from the candidate compared with what we are offering in return?
We call this the Opportunity-to-Expectation Balance.
| What the Role Asks | What the Candidate Gets |
|---|---|
Technical depth / niche expertise | Very Competitive Salary |
Onsite Attendance | Flexibility or stronger engagement programs |
Night or non-standard shift | Shift premium / benefits |
Broad responsibilities | Appropriate title and compensation |
High experience requirement | Career progression / exposure |
Multiple interview stages | Fast decisions between stages |
High performance expectations | Strong leadership and career value |
Market rate is a reference point, not a guarantee of hiring success.
Ultimately, successful hiring is about finding the right balance between what the role requires and what the market expects.
Our Recruitment team is here to work through that with you, sharing what we are seeing in the market, challenging requirements where needed, and identifying practical adjustments that can improve hiring outcomes.
And while these insights are based on what we see in the Philippine talent market, the same principle can be applied to your onshore recruitment: benchmark the entire opportunity, understand what you are asking candidates to trade off, and build an opportunity that the right talent will choose.
PART 2
SALARY MARKET UPDATE
At TGT Global, we help organizations navigate the Philippine talent market with confidence. While the country provides a large and highly capable workforce, demand for specialized skills can affect hiring speed and salary competitiveness. The following guide categorizes roles based on talent pool availability and provides indicative hiring timelines and salary benchmarks to assist businesses in planning and scaling their teams effectively.
To provide greater clarity regarding the updated compensation structure, we have consolidated the salary ranges to allow more flexibility when positioning offers. This approach enables us to better align offers with both the candidate’s qualifications and the applicable work arrangement. Please refer to the updated details below.
The salary ranges should be applied as follows:
- Lower End: Intended as the starting point for candidates in a Work-From-Home (WFH) or Remote setup.
- Mid-Range: Recommended for candidates based on their experience, expertise, skills, and the frequency of onsite work in a hybrid arrangement.
- Higher End: Reserved for fully onsite roles and/or candidates with stronger qualifications, deeper expertise, and more extensive experience.
High Talent Pool Supply
| Role | Avg. Time to Hire | Suggested Monthly Salary (PHP) | Candidate Work Arrangement Preference | Hiring Difficulty | What other offers would make it more competitive? | Suggested Monthly Salary (USD) | Suggested Monthly Salary (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Customer Service Representative | 4–6 weeks | 35,000 – 45,000 | Onsite-Friendly Talent Pool | Easy | HMO, recognition programs, attendance incentives, and strong employee engagement programs | 636.36 USD – 818.18 USD | 1,000 AUD – 1,285.71 AUD |
Administrative Assistant | 4–6 weeks | 40,000 – 50,000 | Moderate Preference for Remote Work | Easy | Usual company benefits: HMO and paid time off | 727.27 USD – 909.09 USD | 1,142.85 AUD – 1,428.57 AUD |
Accounts Associate | 4–6 weeks | 45,000 – 60,000 | Onsite-Friendly Talent Pool | Easy | HMO, training, and career direction/planning | 818.18 USD – 1,090.90 USD | 1,285.71 AUD – 1,714.28 AUD |
Service Desk Coordinator | 4–6 weeks | 45,000 – 60,000 | Onsite-Friendly Talent Pool | Easy | Usual company benefits: HMO and paid time off | 818.18 USD – 1,090.90 USD | 1,285.71 AUD – 1,714.28 AUD |
Moderate Talent Pool Supply
| Role | Avg. Time to Hire | Suggested Monthly Salary (PHP) | Candidate Work Arrangement Preference | Hiring Difficulty | What other offers would make it more competitive? | Suggested Monthly Salary (USD) | Suggested Monthly Salary (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IT Support Technician (Level 2) | 8–12 weeks | 70,000 – 90,000 | Onsite-Friendly Talent Pool | Moderate | Usual company benefits: HMO, paid time off, training, and retirement benefits | 1,272.72 USD – 1,636.36 USD | 2,000.00 AUD – 2,571.42 AUD |
IT Support Technician (Level 1) | 6–8 weeks | 50,000 – 60,000 | Onsite-Friendly Talent Pool | Easy | Usual company benefits: HMO, paid time off, training, and retirement benefits | 909.09 USD – 1,090.90 USD | 1,428.57 AUD – 1,714.28 AUD |
Sales Development Representative (SDR)/BD | 12 weeks | 50,000 – 70,000 | Moderate Preference for Remote Work | Difficult | Commissions and sales incentives; usual company benefits: HMO and paid time off | 909.09 USD – 1,272.72 USD | 1,428.57 AUD – 2,000.00 AUD |
Network Activation | 4–6 weeks | 45,000 – 60,000 | Onsite-Friendly Talent Pool | Easy | Usual company benefits: HMO and paid time off | 818.18 USD – 1,090.90 USD | 1,285.71 AUD – 1,714.28 AUD |
Low Talent Pool Supply
| Role | Avg. Time to Hire | Suggested Monthly Salary (PHP) | Candidate Work Arrangement Preference | Hiring Difficulty | What other offers would make it more competitive? | Suggested Monthly Salary (USD) | Suggested Monthly Salary (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IT Support Technician (Level 3) | 12+ weeks | 100,000 – 180,000 | High Preference for Remote Work | Very Difficult | Certification and training, retirement benefits, and a flexible schedule | 1,818.18 USD – 3,272.72 USD | 2,857.14 AUD – 5,142.85 AUD |
Senior .Net/Full Stack Developer | 12+ weeks | 100,000 – 180,000 | High Preference for Remote Work | Very Difficult | Internet and electricity allowance. Usual company benefits: HMO and paid time off. Training and certifications | 1,818.18 USD – 3,272.72 USD | 2,857.14 AUD – 5,142.85 AUD |
Senior Accountant | 12+ weeks | 90,000 – 120,000 | High Preference for Remote Work | Very Difficult | Internet and electricity allowance. Usual company benefits: HMO and paid time off. Training and certifications | 1,636.36 USD – 2,181.81 USD | 2,571.42 AUD – 3,428.57 AUD |
