Human Resource Professionals

ANZSCO ID 2231

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
76,900
Future Growth
13.1%
Weekly Earnings
$1,732
Full-Time Share
81%
Female Share
72%
Average age
37

Summary

Human Resource Professionals plan, develop, implement and evaluate staff recruitment, assist in resolving disputes by advising on workplace matters, and represent industrial, commercial, union, employer and other parties in negotiations on issues such as enterprise bargaining, rates of pay and conditions of employment.

Tasks

  • arranging for advertising of job vacancies, interviewing and testing of applicants, and selection of staff

  • maintaining personnel records and associated human resource information systems

  • providing advice and information to management on workplace relations policies and procedures, staff performance and disciplinary matters

  • arranging the induction of staff and providing information on conditions of service, salaries and promotional opportunities

  • receiving and recording job vacancy information from employers such as details about job description, wages and conditions of employment

  • providing information on current job vacancies in the organisation to employers and job seekers

  • undertaking negotiations on terms and conditions of employment, and examining and resolving disputes and grievances

  • studying and interpreting legislation, awards, collective agreements and employment contracts, wage payment systems and dispute settlement procedures

  • developing, planning and formulating enterprise agreements or collective contracts such as productivity-based wage adjustment procedures, workplace relations policies and programs, and procedures for their implementation

  • overseeing the formation and conduct of workplace consultative committees and employee participation initiatives

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. The latest data are for the five years from November 2021 to November 2026. Over this period, the number of workers:

  • is expected to grow strongly
  • is likely to reach 89,100 by 2026.
  • Source: Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

    Notes: The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.

    Employment projections figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Calculations based on these rounded figures may result in differences to the numbers that are displayed on this page. Employment projections data (including occupations) can be downloaded from the Employment Projections page.

Projected Change
13.1%
(or 10,300 jobs)
From
78,900
in 2021
To
89,100
in 2026

Number of Workers

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.
Year Employment
2011 64,600
2012 49,300
2013 62,300
2014 52,700
2015 58,700
2016 57,400
2017 66,100
2018 71,700
2019 78,800
2020 66,200
2021 78,900
2026 89,100

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 81% of people employed as Human Resource Professionals work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 15 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 42 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    More than a third of workers regularly work overtime or extra hours (either paid or unpaid).

    Median full-time earnings are $1,732 per week, this is higher than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,378
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $2,211

    Median hourly earnings are $48, this is more than the all jobs median ($41 per hour).

    Sources: Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average. Overtime hours: ABS, Characteristics of Employment, 2021. Full-time median earnings and median hourly earnings: ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021. Compared to all jobs median.

Weekly Earnings (Before Tax)

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Earnings Human Resource Professionals All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,732 1,593
Total Earnings 0 0

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.


Industries

Main industries

1
Administrative and Support Services
39.5%
2
Public Administration and Safety
12.4%
3
Health Care and Social Assistance
9.3%
4
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
8.2%
5
Other industries
30.9%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

33.0% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

25.4% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

18.5% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.0% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.0% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.6% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.2% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

3.3% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Human Resource Professionals All Jobs Average
NSW 33.0 31.6
VIC 25.4 25.6
QLD 18.5 20.0
SA 6.0 7.0
WA 11.0 10.8
TAS 1.6 2.0
NT 1.2 1.0
ACT 3.3 1.9


  • Around 74% of Human Resource Professionals live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
37
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
72%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Human Resource Professionals is 37 years. This is similar to the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 72% of the workforce. This is 24 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Human Resource Professionals All Jobs Average
15-19 0.3 5.0
20-24 6.7 9.3
25-34 36.0 22.9
35-44 27.5 22.0
45-54 18.1 21.6
55-59 5.9 9.0
60-64 3.6 6.0
65 and Over 1.8 4.2
Median Age 37 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Human Resource Professional. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) or university qualification in human resources.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Business Services VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Human Resource Professionals All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 14.3 10.1
Bachelor degree 35.9 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 16.1 11.6
Certificate III/IV 12.3 21.1
Year 12 15.1 18.1
Year 11 2.4 4.8
Year 10 and below 3.9 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Human Resource Professionals who have strong people skills, who are well presented and can communicate clearly.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 59%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 59%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 57%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 57%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 55%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 55%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 54%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 52%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 48%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 46%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 46%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 45%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 45%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 45%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 45%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 45%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 43%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 43%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 41%

    Systems evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • 39%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 86%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 81%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 67%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 62%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 58%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 58%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 44%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 43%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 38%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 34%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 33%

    Therapy and counselling

    Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.

  • 33%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 31%

    Philosophy and theology

    Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.

  • 30%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 28%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 27%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 25%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 19%

    Technical design

    Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • 18%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • 16%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 57%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 55%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 55%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 54%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 52%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 52%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 52%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 52%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 50%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 50%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 45%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 45%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 43%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 36%

    Memorization

    Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

  • 36%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 36%

    Speed of recognition

    Quickly make sense of and organize things you can see like letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 34%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 32%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 76%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 72%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 72%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 70%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 67%

    Hiring and organising staff

    Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees.

  • 67%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.

  • 64%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 62%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 62%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 60%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 59%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 57%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 57%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 57%

    Guiding and directing staff

    Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.

  • 57%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 57%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 56%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 50%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 50%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 45%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 86%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 67%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 57%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 38%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 38%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

  • 14%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 81%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 76%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 71%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 69%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 57%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 57%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 100%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 100%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 98%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 91%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 91%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 90%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 87%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 86%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 84%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 84%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 82%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 82%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 80%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 79%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 76%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 72%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 71%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 71%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 70%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

  • 69%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 13-1071.00 - Human Resources Specialists.


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