What is the difference between LiveRem and the Hays Salary Guide?

LiveRem benchmarks verified pay from connected payroll data and refreshes every 24 hours. The Hays Salary Guide is an annual guide built from a survey of employees and hiring managers. Hays shows what people report. LiveRem shows what organisations pay.

Is the Hays Salary Guide accurate?

It is a reasonable quick read of the market. It rests on self-reported survey responses from people in Hays's network, weighted by age and gender, rather than payroll records. For a defensible number, payroll data is the more reliable source.

How many people are in the Hays salary survey?

The FY26/27 survey has 6,500 respondents across Australia and New Zealand. About 1,300 are in New Zealand, roughly 20% of the sample. LiveRem draws on hundreds of Australian and New Zealand organisations and hundreds of thousands of data points.

Is the Hays Salary Guide free?

Yes. The guide is free after you enter contact details, and the Salary Checker is available on Hays's website. LiveRem is NZD 4,000 a year ex GST for a 101-250 person company, tiered by headcount.

Does LiveRem cover Australia as well as New Zealand?

Yes. LiveRem's New Zealand dataset is established and its Australian dataset is growing, so narrow or niche searches can return "not enough data" until the threshold is met. Hays publishes one combined guide covering 1,000+ roles across 25 industries in both countries.

Do I have to connect payroll to use LiveRem?

Mostly. LiveRem benchmarks come from connected payroll or HR data, which is how they stay verified and current. File upload is also available, but total cash benchmarking is not available on file upload. If you cannot share payroll data, Hays is the simpler option.

LiveRem states it is ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certified and audited by Intercert. Data arrives mainly through direct payroll and HR API connections and is anonymised and aggregated. File upload is also available, but total cash benchmarking is not available on file upload. Hays and EY did not describe a verification step on the pages reviewed.

Comparison guide

LiveRem vs Hays

Verified pay from payroll, not a yearly survey of what people report.

By Team LiveRem Published 3 Nov 2026 Facts checked 3 Nov 2026 7 min read

At a glance: LiveRem compared with Hays
At a glance		Hays
Data source	Payroll and HR systems by direct API	Online survey of employees and hiring managers
Data type	Verified pay records	Self-reported responses
Data refresh	Every 24 hours	Once a year
Role matching	AI job description mapping with a confidence score	Job title
Price	NZD 4,000 a year ex GST for a 101-250 person company, tiered by headcount	Free after a contact form
Filtering	Industry and role cuts	Typical ranges, no company size or revenue filter described

On this page

Short answer

LiveRem benchmarks what organisations actually pay, using connected payroll data refreshed every 24 hours. The Hays Salary Guide is a free annual guide built from a survey of professionals, so it shows what people report, not verified pay. Use Hays for a quick, free read of the market. Use LiveRem when the number has to be defended.

In short

Source LiveRem uses payroll records. Hays uses survey responses from its own network.
Freshness LiveRem updates daily. Hays publishes one guide a year, and figures stay fixed between releases.
Sample The Hays FY26/27 survey has 6,500 respondents across both countries, and about 1,300 are in New Zealand, roughly 20%. LiveRem draws on hundreds of Australian and New Zealand organisations and hundreds of thousands of data points.
Matching LiveRem matches on what the job involves. Hays matches by job title.
Price Hays is a free guide. LiveRem is NZD 4,000 a year ex GST for a 101-250 person company, tiered by headcount.
Depth Hays gives typical ranges. LiveRem shows where each of your employees stands against the market and keeps pay bands and pay history in one place.

What do LiveRem and Hays both cover?

Both cover New Zealand and Australia. For a quick check on a single professional role, either can answer. The differences show up when a number has to support an offer, a pay review or a pay band.

What LiveRem and Hays both cover
Compared on		Hays
Covers New Zealand	Yes	Yes
Covers Australia	Yes	Yes
Online lookup tool	Yes, with role search	Salary Checker listed
Breadth of roles	800+ benchmarked roles	1,000+ roles across 25 industries
Salary ranges by role	Yes	Yes
Live data	Yes, every 24 hours	No, annual guide
Setup time	Around an hour	Not applicable, free guide
Additional features	Turnover benchmarking, gender pay gap benchmarking, budget planning using market data, WGEA reporting	Online Salary Checker

What are the differences that change your pay decisions?

Is it verified pay or reported pay?

Hays builds its guide from an online survey of employees and hiring managers recruited through its own database. Results are weighted by age and gender, and they are survey responses rather than payroll records. LiveRem records what people are actually paid, taken from connected payroll and HR systems and anonymised.

Recruiter surveys and job ads are fine for a quick read of the market. They rest on what people self-report or what employers advertise. Payroll data is the most accurate and reliable source because it records what people are paid.

LiveRem: Payroll records
Hays: Survey responses

How current is the data?

Hays publishes its Salary Guide once a year, so figures stay fixed between releases. LiveRem refreshes every 24 hours.

LiveRem: Every 24 hours
Hays: Annual guide

How big is the New Zealand sample?

The Hays FY26/27 survey has 6,500 respondents across both countries. About 1,300 are in New Zealand, roughly 20% of the sample. The New Zealand Salary Checker lists 200+ positions across 19 industries and three regions. LiveRem draws on hundreds of Australian and New Zealand organisations and hundreds of thousands of data points, and shows a result only above a minimum data threshold.

LiveRem: Hundreds of Australian and New Zealand organisations, hundreds of thousands of data points
Hays: About 1,300 New Zealand respondents

How are roles matched?

Hays matches by job title. LiveRem's AI suggests a match for each role from its job description, with a confidence percentage, and you review it before accepting. A hybrid role can be weighted across more than one benchmark, for example 60% HR manager and 40% payroll manager. Matching on what the job involves gives you a benchmark you can explain.

LiveRem: Matched on the job's content
Hays: Matched on job title

Can it filter to organisations like yours?

The Hays pages reviewed show typical ranges and describe no filtering by company size or revenue. LiveRem lets you see where every employee stands against the market and compare pay bands in one place, alongside turnover and gender pay gap reporting.

LiveRem: Employee-level comparison and pay bands
Hays: Typical ranges

What does it cost, compared?

What LiveRem and Hays cost
Pricing		Hays
Price band	Low	Free
Model	Published	Free guide
Paid	NZD 4,000 a year ex GST for a 101-250 person company, tiered by headcount, with unlimited users and searches	None
Contract	12 months, 30 days' notice, no lock-in	Not applicable

Which is right for you?

Choose LiveRem if…

Benchmarks based on verified payroll data, not self-reported answers
Numbers that update daily
Role matching you can explain to an employee
Pay bands, employee-level market comparison, budget forecasting and gender pay gap reporting in one place
Unlimited users and searches on a paid plan

Consider Hays if…

Want a quick, free market check on professional roles
Are happy with typical ranges and an annual guide
Do not want to connect payroll or HR data to use the tool

Frequently asked questions

Questions buyers ask when comparing LiveRem and Hays.

What is the difference between LiveRem and the Hays Salary Guide?
LiveRem benchmarks verified pay from connected payroll data and refreshes every 24 hours. The Hays Salary Guide is an annual guide built from a survey of employees and hiring managers. Hays shows what people report. LiveRem shows what organisations pay.
Is the Hays Salary Guide accurate?
It is a reasonable quick read of the market. It rests on self-reported survey responses from people in Hays's network, weighted by age and gender, rather than payroll records. For a defensible number, payroll data is the more reliable source.
How many people are in the Hays salary survey?
The FY26/27 survey has 6,500 respondents across Australia and New Zealand. About 1,300 are in New Zealand, roughly 20% of the sample. LiveRem draws on hundreds of Australian and New Zealand organisations and hundreds of thousands of data points.
How often does Hays update its salary guide?
Once a year. Figures stay fixed between releases. LiveRem refreshes every 24 hours.
Is the Hays Salary Guide free?
Yes. The guide is free after you enter contact details, and the Salary Checker is available on Hays's website. LiveRem is NZD 4,000 a year ex GST for a 101-250 person company, tiered by headcount.
Does LiveRem cover Australia as well as New Zealand?
Yes. LiveRem's New Zealand dataset is established and its Australian dataset is growing, so narrow or niche searches can return "not enough data" until the threshold is met. Hays publishes one combined guide covering 1,000+ roles across 25 industries in both countries.
Do I have to connect payroll to use LiveRem?
Mostly. LiveRem benchmarks come from connected payroll or HR data, which is how they stay verified and current. File upload is also available, but total cash benchmarking is not available on file upload. If you cannot share payroll data, Hays is the simpler option.
Is my pay data safe?
LiveRem states it is ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certified and audited by Intercert. Data arrives mainly through direct payroll and HR API connections and is anonymised and aggregated. File upload is also available, but total cash benchmarking is not available on file upload. Hays and EY did not describe a verification step on the pages reviewed.

See where your roles sit against the market

Create a LiveRem account, connect your payroll and see market data for your own roles within hours. Get started or see pricing.