There are numerous reasons to become a project manager, including the opportunity for advancement and the ability to truly make a difference within an organization. While non-monetary reasons vary from person to person, one thing is certain—project manager salary is always an important component of the decision-making process when it comes to your career. In terms of growth, the road ahead looks promising for project management: the project-management-oriented field is expected to grow by 33% through 2027, resulting in nearly 22 million new jobs.
So, if you’re considering becoming an entry-level project manager or looking to advance your career as a senior project manager, here’s everything you need to know about project manager salaries. We’ll compare the project manager salary difference between certified and non-certified project managers around the world and show you how to start scaling up your career today.
What Do Project Managers Get Paid?
In the United States, a project manager will earn an average of $66K per year. This may vary depending on variables such as certification, geography, professional background, or years of experience, as well as different organizations. Based on the aforementioned variables, here are the project manager salaries.
1. Geographical description
Where you choose to work has a direct impact on how much you earn, owing to factors such as demand and the cost of living in a specific region. If you want to make a lot of money, Australia is the place to be. A project manager’s salary in Australia is the highest on average, at $134,658 per year.
Switzerland is a close second, averaging $133,605 per year. In the United Kingdom, the average annual salary for a project manager is £45,000. In India, the average project manager salary is more than 12 lakh rupees per year. A project manager in Canada, on the other hand, earns more than C$82K per year.
2. Knowledge and Location
In general, your project manager’s salary will reflect the amount of experience you’ve gained over the years. Assume you’re starting an entry-level job in the United States with no more than two years of experience. Your entry-level project manager salary will start at the low end, depending on where you live. In New York, for example, you would earn more than $77K per year, whereas in Hawaii, you would earn $62,888. A mid-level salary with three to five years of work experience raises your salary to $101,957.
Finally, after at least six years of experience, you can earn a senior project manager’s salary. Project managers in the United States earn $110,000 per year, which is among the highest project manager salaries in the world. With an average senior project manager salary of $98,403, Hawaii, on the other hand, falls short of the six-figure mark.
3. Training and Certification
If you have to start a project management career out of necessity, for example, because your boss needs someone to manage a project but you work in a completely different role and project management isn’t your specialty, you can self-teach and use resources such as informative articles, videos, and free courses. While this is a great way to get started in the field of project management, certification is the foundation of a lucrative career. However, project managers with Project Management Professional (PMP) certification outperform their non-certified peers by up to 16%.
SPOTO Learning project management course and practice test that will help you reach that salary target and thrive in your career.
Responsibilities of a Project Manager
“A project manager (PM) is an organized, disciplined, personable individual who ensures that the milestones (or sub-deliverables) of a project are completed on time and using the allotted volume of resources, resulting in adherence to the deadline and expected quality standards within a pre-estimated budget,” according to Workzone.
Essentially, a good project manager is in charge of ensuring that a project is completed on time, that it does not go over budget or waste resources, and that the work is of high quality. They communicate between leadership/clients and team members in order to make needs a reality. Project managers also create comprehensive project plans and are knowledgeable about risk management and conflict resolution.
Salary Comparison for Project Managers
As the discipline matures and PMPs continue to earn higher salaries than those without the certification, the demand for project managers is expected to rise, particularly among those entering the professional workforce after graduation. Furthermore, hard project management skills such as the ability to use project management software and expertise in recognized project management techniques will become increasingly important.
- Australia – A$110K
- Switzerland – CHF130K
- The Netherlands – $64K
- Germany – €62K
- New Zealand – NZ$100K
- Belgium – €72K
- Sweden – KR 506K
According to the employment site Glassdoor, project managers with one to three years of experience make $7,363 more per year in base pay than those with no prior experience (as of February 2021). Similar findings are reported in the PMI Wage Survey, which shows a $15,000 rise in median annual salary between those with less than three years of experience and those with three to five years of experience.
Are you prepared to earn the project manager salaries mentioned above?
Find out now by using these quick free PMP Practice Exam Questions!
Of course, the PMP certification isn’t the only one available to aspiring and experienced project managers.
According to a job board survey conducted by Business News Daily, what companies look for in terms of accreditation. Not surprisingly, the most sought-after qualification was the PMP, which was followed by Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)®, Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB), Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB), and Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®.
Get Certified Right Away. Earn more money tomorrow.
Are you ready to advance your career and earn a higher salary as a project manager? Consider enrolling in one of our certification training courses to learn about the most recent practices, trends, and everything else you need to know to have a successful project management career.
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Whether you want to be an entry-level project manager or a senior project manager, developing your skillset will undoubtedly pay off in the long run. SPOTO Learning can help you land lucrative roles in IT, manufacturing, finance, healthcare, and other exciting industries. Begin today to earn that fantastic project manager salary!