What is the Employment Outlook for Human Resources Jobs?
There are more federal guidelines and mandates on business today and that may explain the sunny Employment Outlook for Human Resources.
Most industries still view the HR department as a compliance watchdog, according to some analysts. The truth is that human resources entails much more than that. A recent survey by the Hay Group found that only 40 percent of workers gave their companies good ratings when it came to bringing quality employees on board. If the backbone of any corporation, small or large, is its staff, then HR departments across the board become increasingly important as business grows and goes global.
What HR Encompasses
In the field of human resources, the workhorse is the generalist. This professional is responsible for the operations of the HR department and may supervise many employees or, if he works in a small company, be responsible for all operations himself. The duties of the generalist are expressed by looking at all the specialties within the career.
According to an article in US News Money, HR consists of five specialties: managers of compensation and benefits; employee training; recruiting and job placement; information systems and employee assistance. All of these areas deal with governmental regulations and all aspects of HR must be compliant.
One problem that exists for generalists is that technology is a constantly morphing business. Today’s small business may have components in another country where regulations are different, and the HR department, whether one generalist or many specialists, must remain abreast of all changes. In addition, telecommuting adds another wrinkle to HR as the managers must decide how to reconcile and document benefits and issues like workers’ safety.
All of this means that people who work in human resources will be more in demand as the face of business changes.
Statistics and a Job Overlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the HR field is expected to grow faster than average. By 2020, the BLS predicts there will be 116,300 new jobs in human resources generalist positions. The outlook for specialists is even better; 451,100 new jobs are anticipated in that arena.
The one area that is anticipated to see a down-tick is in human resource assistants. The number of those positions may drop by 1.1 percent.
College graduates with certifications are expected to fare the best with a 17 percent increase in jobs available. Job numbers, benefits and wages differ according to the industry where the HR professional is employed and by geographical location of the company.
Geographic and Industry Differences
The best opportunity for HR professionals is in information systems. This is because of the shift industry has made toward digital data storage. Many training programs are digital as well. Information specialist HR positions are predicted to increase by 15.5 percent, which is much higher than average.
For generalist HR managers, companies in New York have the highest median pay: $135,370. Louisiana has one of the lowest median wages for HR professionals at $80,300. The highest growth rates by industry are for HR positions in the executive branch of the federal government. Human resource managers in electric power provision will see an upturn as well. In this industry, the best locations to be employed are in Obispo, California, Fayetteville, North Carolina or Decatur, Alabama.
As commerce sees more startups and as established companies reach out to global markets, the need for HR professionals is predicted to increase. In addition, the growth in governmental regulation of industry safety, employee benefits and labor relations will lead to a greater need for professionals to monitor these areas and ensure compliance. The Employment Outlook for Human Resources is bright.
