CEO's : Average compensation by country

So far, executive-level jobs seemed outsource-proof. But if any companies are looking for new ways to cut costs, a survey has found that Indian CEOs are the lowest paid in the Asia-Pacific region. Read original article

The survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting found that CEOs in India had an average base salary of $89,759 and annual total cash compensation of $111,510.

In contrast, the highest wages for CEOs in the region were in South Korea, where the average base is $384,123. Cash compensation, including bonuses, adds another $568,502, on average.

Hong Kong was No. 2, with CEOs averaging $250,707 in base pay and $352,520 in additional cash compensation.

“Compensation has long been driven by such factors as historic pay levels, size of economy and competition for talent,” said Steve Gross, global leader of broad-based rewards at Mercer. “As companies become more globally mobile and can shift some jobs to lower-cost locations, these new considerations will have a big impact on pay levels among countries.”

But extravagant bonuses and other compensation often pumps up salary numbers significantly. “This is illustrated most dramatically by Brazil, which ranks seventh in HR director base pay and second in terms of total cash compensation,” Gross said.

The 15-country analysis is drawn from Mercer’s 2007 Global Pay Summary, released earlier this year. Top executives in the U.S. topped that list, which looked at 2,300 companies in 50 countries.

Finance and marketing directors in the U.S. earn more than five times their counterparts in India, while HR directors earn over four times more, says Mercer.

Finance directors in Hungary and India receive less than half of the 15-country average for their position, earning about $60,000 and $55,700, respectively. Average base pay for finance directors in Shanghai is $75,200.

“Finance directors frequently are the second-highest paid individuals in an organization, receiving only slightly less than the CEO,” said David Conroy of Mercer.