HR Job Market Update: Oct 2021

Lots of jobs for early-career HR 

The market continues to prove competitive at the early career space with a huge volume of demand for HR Administrators, HR Co-ordinators, HR Advisers and junior HR Business Partners.

Strong demand for ER & IR skills 

Vaccinations and the re-opening of workplaces has led to a rise in need for Employee Relations (ER) and Industrial Relations (IR) skills, either within specialised roles or as part of a generalist HR Business Partner role that encompasses a strong leaning towards ER/IR.

Wages rise for Talent Acquisition

Talent Acquisition professionals of all levels are in hot demand. There is a massive amount of movement in the TA market with a range of roles being advertised from Recruitment Coordinators through to TA Managers. We have seen significant wage growth in this space and a real shift towards permanent hiring.

A shift towards building capability

With businesses not always having success with finding talent in the current candidate-short market there has been a renewed focus on building internal capability. This has lead to an increased demand for Organisational Development (OD) along with Learning and Development (L&D) professionals.

Modest movement at HR's top end

Over the past 18-months senior and executive-level HR professionals have been consumed by the huge demands of delivery and strategic planning. To date, this has resulted in modest movement at the top of job market, but we are beginning to see an increased level of opportunity in this space, both from a permanent and contract perspective. Overall there is a recognition from business leaders that strong HR capability is essential for their leadership teams.

Momentum continues into 2022

After a busy 2021, the momentum is set to continue well into 2022. Normally the job-market tends to slow between November and March, but this year we’re expecting a busy period right through the summer period.

If you require any support or would like some further information about the market, please reach out to your Next Step consultant.