ASTD's learning and performance professionals are well-compensated, earning on average more than $35,000 more than the national average of $48,000. However, as with past ASTD salary surveys, men earn 16 percent more on average than women.

The ASTD market research department conducted surveys with more than 590 members in 2008, providing a snapshot of salaries across areas of expertise, job responsibilities, and industries. The top earners reside in larger companies, manage larger budgets, are more experienced, and have significant management responsibilities.

Facilitating organizational change and managing the learning function are the top-paying areas of expertise, but human performance improvement and delivering training are increasing in importance and compensation level.

As in past years, men are outpacing women in earnings (16 percent more), which is in line with the national average (17 percent). Men make more money than women at every level, with the average for men being $93,377, compared with $79,051 for women. The survey shows that more women are making $100,000 or more, but the men who are making $100,000 or more are making approximately $14,000 more than women on average.

Gender gap

Although women dominate the ASTD membership - 68 percent to 32 percent - men had the higher salaries. According to the Office for National Statistics, the average gender pay gap between men and women was 20.7 percent in 1997 and has since narrowed steadily to 17.1 percent in 2008.

Area of expertise

Top paying areas of expertise are managing the learning function, facilitating organizational change, and delivering training and improving human performance. The top two - managing the learning function and facilitating organizational change - match last year's results. The economy could be playing a role in the difference, with emphasis during this recession on employee performance and the efficient delivery of training.

Industry

Consultants are most likely to be in the highest quartile. Other industries represented in this

survey include military, education, energy, retail, manufacturing, construction, and real estate.

Span of control

Women have fewer direct reports than men who are in the same salary quartile. Forty percent of men in the top quartile (earning at least $100,000) oversee at least an entire functional group, compared with 21 percent of women.

Job responsibilities

The top earners' primary job responsibility is to train employees. Although the second highest job responsibility among survey respondents is human resources, that group has a disproportionate share of lower earners, making less then $57,000.

Demographics

Of the workplace learning and performance professionals surveyed who make more than $100,000, 4 percent are Asian and 3 percent are Hispanic.