Female managers working within the HR sector have dropped down the earnings league table, according to the 30th annual National Management Survey.

With an average pay rise of less than 1%, female managers in HR earn an average of £41,045, putting them in sixth place in the female managers' table compared to second in 2003.

Over-all the number of women directors has increased from less than one in ten to one in seven over the last five years, and female managers' movement in earnings is increasing faster than their male counterparts.

The research, published by the Chartered Management Institute and Remuneration Economics, shows an average salary rise of 5% for female managers, across the UK.

Male managers, however, were awarded an average increase of 4.7 %. The figures represent eight successive years that female earnings growth has outperformed men.

Female directors now account for 13.2 per cent of all boardroom posts and the number of women in other senior leadership roles has grown.

More than one quarter (26.2 per cent) of department heads are women compared to less than one-fifth (19 per cent) in 2000. Women also represent 38.2 per cent of all team leaders (26.5 per cent in 2000).

The survey also suggests that as women exert greater influence at a senior management level the proportion of female resignations is falling. Female labour turnover has dropped from 6.4 to 5.3 per cent over the past 12 months, whereas male resignations have jumped from 3.3 to 4.2 per cent.

Christine Hayhurst, director of professional affairs at the Chartered Management Institute, described the research as "immensely encouraging" but added there was still a way to go for women to have true parity.

"There is still only one female chief executive in the FTSE-100 and while there is a significant change in the number of women holding senior leadership positions, they are a minority," she said.

The 30th annual National Management Salary Survey questioned 21,987 individuals.