HR leaders are looking for staff to help with enterprisewide compensation and benefits reviews to address issues like pay transparency, pay compression and the need to customize benefits offerings. Managers also seek HR strategy and management professionals to oversee human resources operations and balance budgets. Hiring priority is given to candidates with experience using AI for various applications, such as compensation reviews and open enrollment. Pent-up demand for HR talent could translate into ramped-up hiring, including engaging contract talent for project-based assignments.
Salary and Hiring Trends in Human Resources
Hiring outlook, challenges
Competition is high for professionals with experience in compensation and benefits reviews, recruiting, and forming strategic business partnerships. Firms also seek talent with skills in software such as ADP, Workday or Paycom for HR system transitions and optimizations. Many companies increase their use of contract professionals during seasonal workload peaks. Reinforcing your HR team for open enrollment
How much should I pay or earn?
More responsibility = more compensation
Strategic positions such as HR director and manager, as well as roles like coordinator and assistant, are commanding higher starting salaries. Some companies are adding responsibilities from other roles within and outside of human resources departments to HR job descriptions, which could raise pay for those positions as well.
HR strategyCompensation and benefits managementPeople managementHRM knowledgeHR strategyCompensation and benefits managementPeople managementHRM knowledge
Upskilling employeesReskilling employees for new rolesUsing managed servicesEngaging skilled contract talentImplementing mentoring programsPaying for professional certificationsUpskilling employeesReskilling employees for new rolesUsing managed servicesEngaging skilled contract talentImplementing mentoring programsPaying for professional certifications
The hottest HR jobs, skills and industries
HR administrationHR administrationCompensation and benefits Compensation and benefits Training and developmentTraining and developmentOperationsOperations
The salary benchmarks listed in the Salary Guide From Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process to ensure our projections accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has matched with employers across the country and third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use to independently validate the salary ranges. Learn more about our methodology.The salaries listed in the salary tables represent starting compensation only, meaning pay for someone new to a company in the position listed. Company size, industry and the availability of remote work options can influence salaries. Our estimates do not include bonuses, benefits or perks. We report salaries in percentiles and ranges, recognizing that professionals join companies at varied experience levels.Non-salary data referenced in this Salary Guide is based on online surveys developed by Robert Half and conducted by independent research firms. Respondents include hiring managers and workers from small (1-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000-plus employees) private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across the United States.
