April 5, 2007
Runzheimer International’s Annual Travel Management Professional Profile survey reveals significant findings relating to current responsibilities, job titles, compensation, education, etc., of today’s travel management professional. Together with the 25 previous editions of this study, Runzheimer International is able to provide industry trend data encompassing more than two decades of changes and challenges. The electronic questionnaires were emailed in December 2006, resulting in 69 valid responses. The majority of responses are reported from U.S. locations; therefore, travel costs are uniformly shown in U.S. dollars.
Survey findings relating to current Travel Management Professionals follow:
Travel Professional Demographics
A typical 2006 travel management professional is a 47 year old female who earns an overall average salary of $77,081 per year, reflecting a 6.3% salary increase from 2003 to 2006. Respondents have, on average, more than 10 years experience in the travel industry and have been responsible for travel at their organization for two to five years. The typical travel professional spends 70% of his or her time on travel-related duties and is responsible for a staff of six (see Table 1).
Table 1
Profile of Person in Charge of Travel Management |
Survey Averages |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
Age |
45 |
45 |
48 |
47 |
Salary |
$72,160 |
$70,112 |
$73,165 |
$77,081 |
Years in position |
2 to 5 |
2 to 5 |
2 to 5 |
2 to 5 |
Years in travel management |
More
than 10
years |
More
than 10
years |
More
than 10
years |
More
than 10
years |
Staff size |
5 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
Percent of time spent on travel
management duties |
72% |
69% |
71% |
70% |
Education
Seventy percent of respondents have a college education with 26% reporting they hold a Bachelor’s degree (Table 2). Seventeen percent of survey participants have post-graduate education with 9% having attended graduate school.
Table 2
Education |
Level
|
Percent of 2006 Respondents |
Bachelor’s degree |
26% |
Some college |
20% |
Post-graduate education |
17% |
2-year (Associate’s degree) |
15% |
Attended graduate school |
9% |
High school graduate |
10% |
Other |
3% |
Of respondents with college degrees, 65% have obtained a degree in business as shown in Table 3. Eighteen percent of respondents hold a liberal arts degree, while 2% report a science/engineering degree. “Other” degrees include: elementary education, marketing, mass communications/journalism, pre-law, social science and applied science.
Table 3
Type of Degree
(Of Respondents with College Degrees) |
Degree
|
Percent of 2006
Respondents |
Business |
65% |
Liberal Arts |
18% |
Science/Engineering |
2% |
Other |
15% |
Of respondents who hold advanced degrees, nearly all have achieved a Master's Degree of which 64% have earned an MBA (see Table 4).
Table 4
Advanced Degrees Obtained by Respondents |
Degree |
Percent of 2006
Respondents |
Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) |
64% |
Master degree other than Business |
36% |
Other |
21% |
Total exceeds 100% because of multiple answers. |
The top six travel responsibilities are shown in Table 5. The majority of respondents have responsibility for travel policy development and responding to traveler concerns and questions (90%), while 87% are responsible for recommending and implementing cost-savings initiatives. An additional 84% are responsible for their organization's travel vendor negotiations and 81% of respondents are responsible for all company travel and policy enforcement.
Participants were also asked which areas present the greatest challenges for them. The top two most challenging travel duties of respondents are reported as policy enforcement (23%) and recommending and implementing cost savings initiatives (21%).
Table 5
Responsibilities of Travel Professionals |
|
Percent of Respondents |
Responsibilities |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
Travel policy development |
87% |
97% |
90% |
95% |
96% |
90% |
Respond to traveler concerns and questions |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
95% |
90% |
Recommend and implement cost saving initiatives |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
90% |
87% |
Travel vendor negotiations |
84% |
95% |
87% |
92% |
95% |
84% |
Policy enforcement |
86% |
90% |
90% |
88% |
87% |
81% |
All company travel |
83% |
86% |
86% |
80% |
90% |
81% |
Full survey results are available to base and enhanced members of Runzheimer’s Travel Management Network (TMN). For more information please contact Kim Dorgay at 262-971-2393 or kdd@runzheimer.com.
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About Runzheimer International
Founded in 1933, Runzheimer International serves 60 percent of the Fortune 500. Recognized for providing innovative solutions relating to total employee mobility, Runzheimer is the global leader in business vehicle reimbursement programs, travel management consulting, employee relocation and compensation, virtual offices, and corporate aircraft.
For more information, contact Jennifer Ruppel at Runzheimer International, Runzheimer Park, Rochester, Wisconsin 53167, (262)971-2271, jmr@runzheimer.com, www.runzheimer.com.
