How to Set a Salary Budget That Gets You the Person You Need

One of the questions clients ask us most often is “can we find someone on this budget?” — and often the most accurate answer is that the number itself is rarely the problem. The way the number was set is what leaves positions open. This article walks through the approach we actually use when helping clients set a budget before a role opens.

A budget that almost reaches the market costs more than one that does

A position budgeted slightly below market can usually still be filled — it simply takes much longer. And for as long as the position stays open, the work piles onto the existing team, business opportunities pass, and the team’s fatigue accumulates. Add those costs together, and raising the budget to market from day one is usually cheaper than leaving the role open for months. (We cover the cost of a vacant position separately in another article)

The real cost of one employee is more than the salary in the contract

When setting a budget, think in total monthly cost, not base salary alone:

• Employer social security contribution — 5% of wages, calculated on a wage ceiling of 17,500 baht, a maximum of 875 baht per month
• Provident fund contributions at your company’s rate, if you have one
• Bonus, overtime, and other benefits genuinely attached to the role
• The cost of the starting period — training time and the months before a new hire is fully productive, which for complex roles stretches across several months

The number to hold against your budget is the sum of all of this per year.

How to check the market yourself, without guessing

The Thai salary market has no complete, free central data source. Three methods work in practice.

Read job postings for comparable roles. Postings that state a salary range are the freshest data you can gather on your own. Look at several within the same industry and note the range that keeps repeating.

Listen to real candidates’ numbers. The salary expectations of the people who come to interview are the market price, on that day, for the kind of person you want. If every candidate who fits asks above your budget, that is your answer: the budget and the market have drifted apart.

Read the signals from the opening itself. Unusually few qualified applications, or offers rejected back to back, are more often symptoms of a below-market budget than a sign that the people do not exist.

When paying above market is worth it

Two situations make paying above market a sound decision: roles that generate revenue directly and measurably, and roles where the market holds far fewer people than demand — where waiting for someone at a standard budget can mean waiting a quarter or more. For ordinary roles where the market has enough people, paying at market with a well-designed total package is sufficient.

A good total package helps — within limits

Many candidates compare offers as a whole: health insurance, provident fund, bonus, working arrangements, and growth path. A well-designed package can offset a somewhat lower base salary, but it cannot close a gap that is too wide. Use the package as a complement — never as a substitute for setting the base right.

Review the structure at least once a year

The salary market moves every year, especially in highly competitive functions. An annual review helps you keep the people you already have, and means new positions are budgeted from current reality rather than a number from two years ago.

Want the real numbers for the role you are about to open?

As a recruitment agency, we see real numbers every day from live search work — both what candidates expect and what offers actually close in the market. Tell us about the role you are planning to open, and we will tell you where your budget sits in today’s market. An initial consultation with the Workwise team is free.