# Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists

US SOC code 13-1141. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/13-1141

Also called: Compensation specialist, Benefits specialist, Compensation and benefits analyst, Comp & benefits analyst, Total rewards specialist.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **112,380** US compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists, with median pay of **$78,210** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2012, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.shrm.org/about/press-room/shrm-celebrates-75-years-driving-workplace-change) of **70,000** from 1950, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: SaaS compensation platforms and cloud HRIS, 2005 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=13-1141&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **47.4%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1923
- Latest US employment: 112,380 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $78,210 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [9]
- Outlook: +6% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [23]

### All 22 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1950 | 70,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., SHRM [1] |
| 1956 | n/a | $5,200 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [6] |
| 1974 | 120,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., DOL/EBSA [2] |
| 1975 | n/a | $13,500 (estimate) | Est., BLS [7] |
| 1990 | 160,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia / SHRM [3] |
| 2000 | 84,040 | $41,660 | BLS OEWS 2000 [4] |
| 2010 | 102,830 | $57,000 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 94,710 | $57,960 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 85,620 | $59,090 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 81,520 | $59,820 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 80,970 | $60,600 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 79,780 | $60,850 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 79,190 | $62,080 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 80,530 | $62,680 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 83,550 | $63,000 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 89,300 | $64,560 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 87,870 | $67,190 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 87,750 | $64,120 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 93,550 | $67,780 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 99,850 | $74,530 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 102,370 | $77,020 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 112,380 | $78,210 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (81)

### Employment series

1. [SHRM — 75 Years of Driving Workplace Change (membership and profession growth, 1948-2023)](https://www.shrm.org/about/press-room/shrm-celebrates-75-years-driving-workplace-change), Society for Human Resource Management
2. [DOL/EBSA — History of EBSA and ERISA (ERISA signed September 2, 1974; benefits compliance workforce growth)](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/about-ebsa/about-us/history-of-ebsa-and-erisa), US Department of Labor / Employee Benefits Security Administration
3. [Society for Human Resource Management Wikipedia — founding (ASPA 1948), membership growth, and 1989 renaming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_for_Human_Resource_Management), Wikipedia / SHRM
4. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

6. [University of Missouri Libraries — Prices and Wages by Decade: 1950-1959 (derived professional-wage estimate)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1950-1959), University of Missouri Libraries
7. [BLS — Compensation from World War II through the Great Society (Monthly Labor Review / Compensation and Working Conditions historical series)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/cwc/compensation-from-world-war-ii-through-the-great-society.pdf), Bureau of Labor Statistics
8. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
9. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
10. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

11. [Graduate School USA — Civil Service History 101: Position Classification (Classification Act 1923, Personnel Classification Board)](https://www.graduateschool.edu/learn/position-classification/civil-service-history-101), Graduate School USA
12. [US National Archives — Records of the War Manpower Commission \[WMC\], Division of Occupational Analysis (1936-1945)](https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/211.html), US National Archives
13. [People Centre — Hay Job Evaluation Methodology: An Overview (Hay and Purves, early 1950s)](https://peoplecentre.wordpress.com/2016/07/05/hay-job-evaluation-methodology-an-overview/), People Centre / HR Management Blog
14. [SHRM — 75 Years of Driving Workplace Change (ASPA founded 1948, early professionalization of compensation specialists)](https://www.shrm.org/about/press-room/shrm-celebrates-75-years-driving-workplace-change), Society for Human Resource Management
15. [EBSCO Research Starters — Congress Passes the Equal Pay Act (1963, job-based pay comparison requirements)](https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/womens-studies-and-feminism/congress-passes-equal-pay-act), EBSCO Research Starters
16. [DOL/EBSA — History of EBSA and ERISA (ERISA signed September 2, 1974; benefits compliance workforce expansion)](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/about-ebsa/about-us/history-of-ebsa-and-erisa), US Department of Labor
17. [Visier — The 100 Year History of the Human Resources Department (PC-era HR and compensation professionalization)](https://www.visier.com/blog/the-100-year-history-human-resources-department/), Visier
18. [Workday — Human Capital Management (cloud HRIS including merit cycles, compensation, and pay-equity dashboards)](https://www.workday.com/en-us/products/human-capital-management/overview.html), Workday
19. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists (ACA-driven demand note)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/compensation-benefits-and-job-analysis-specialists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
20. [Syndio Platform — AI-powered pay equity analysis and EU Pay Transparency compliance (2025)](https://synd.io/platform/), Syndio
21. [WorldatWork — 2025 Compensation Programs and Practices Survey (AI adoption, team restructuring)](https://worldatwork.org/resources/publications/compensation-programs-and-practices-survey), WorldatWork
22. [EU Pay Transparency rules 2023/970/EU — effective June 2026, gender pay-gap reporting obligations](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32023L0970), European Union

### Forecasts and exposure studies

23. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 13-1141 Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists (2025: 118.1 thousand; 2035: 125.2 thousand; +6.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=13-1141&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 13-1141.00, human-rated β 0.474)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

25. [Graduate School USA — Civil Service History 101: Position Classification (Classification Act 1923)](https://www.graduateschool.edu/learn/position-classification/civil-service-history-101), Graduate School USA
26. [SHRM — 75 Years of Driving Workplace Change (ASPA founded 1948, renamed SHRM 1989)](https://www.shrm.org/about/press-room/shrm-celebrates-75-years-driving-workplace-change), Society for Human Resource Management
27. [EBSCO Research Starters — Congress Passes the Equal Pay Act (1963)](https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/womens-studies-and-feminism/congress-passes-equal-pay-act), EBSCO Research Starters
28. [DOL/PBGC — President Ford Signing ERISA of 1974 (Labor Day, September 2, 1974)](https://www.pbgc.gov/about/who-we-are/history/president-ford-signing-erisa-1974), Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation / DOL
29. [Walter P. Reuther Library — Pay Equity and the Public Employee (Minnesota comparable worth movement, 1980s)](https://reuther.wayne.edu/node/10830), Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University
30. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists (ACA demand driver)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/compensation-benefits-and-job-analysis-specialists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
31. [EU Pay Transparency rules 2023/970/EU — effective June 2026, gender pay-gap reporting and remediation obligations](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32023L0970), European Union

### Predecessors & successors

32. [Graduate School USA — Civil Service History 101: Position Classification (Classification Act 1923)](https://www.graduateschool.edu/learn/position-classification/civil-service-history-101), Graduate School USA
33. [US National Archives — Records of the War Manpower Commission, Division of Occupational Analysis (1936-1945)](https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/211.html), US National Archives
34. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Human Resources Specialists (13-1071): career path into compensation specialty](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/human-resources-specialists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
35. [BLS OOH — Compensation and Benefits Managers: typically start as specialists (13-1141)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/compensation-and-benefits-managers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
36. [WorldatWork — 2025 Compensation Programs and Practices Survey: fewer, higher-leverage comp practitioners](https://worldatwork.org/resources/publications/compensation-programs-and-practices-survey), WorldatWork
37. [O\*NET 13-1141.00 — pivot notes: people analytics as successor path for compensation specialists](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-1141.00), O\*NET / BLS

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists (13-1141.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-1141.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [WorldatWork — 2025 Compensation Programs and Practices Survey](https://worldatwork.org/resources/publications/compensation-programs-and-practices-survey), accessed 2026-05-23
- [SHRM — AI in HR: How Technology is Reshaping Human Resources (2025)](https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/research/2025-talent-trends/ai-in-hr), accessed 2026-05-23
- [EU Pay Transparency Directive 2023/970/EU — Effective June 2026](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32023L0970), accessed 2026-05-23
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Human Resources Specialists (2024)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/human-resources-specialists.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Trusaic — 2025 Pay Equity Policies and Practices Report: EUPTD Preparedness](https://trusaic.com/resources/2025-pay-equity-policies-and-practices-report-examining-euptd-preparedness/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Syndio — PayEQ: AI-Powered Pay Equity Analysis Platform (2025)](https://synd.io/products/payeq/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Textio — AI Job Description Writing and Bias Reduction Platform (2025)](https://textio.com/product), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Ongig — AI Job Description Optimization: Text Analyzer and Bias Reduction (2025)](https://www.ongig.com/job-description-software/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [LinkedIn Talent Blog — LinkedIn Tests AI-Powered Job Descriptions (2025)](https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-acquisition/linkedin-tests-ai-powered-job-descriptions), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Payscale — Compensation Management Software: Pay Band and Market Data Platform (2025)](https://www.payscale.com/products/software), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Pequity — Comp Cycle: AI-Powered Compensation Planning and Band Management (2025)](https://pequity.com/solutions/comp-cycle), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Workday — Benefits Administration: Open Enrollment and Eligibility Automation (2025)](https://www.workday.com/en-us/products/human-capital-management/human-resource-management/benefits.html), accessed 2026-05-23
- [ADP — SmartCompliance Benefits Administration and ACA Compliance (2025)](https://www.adp.com/what-we-offer/products/adp-smartcompliance.aspx), accessed 2026-05-23

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.