Hiring demand for human resources jobs fell dramatically during the recession, as companies recruited fewer new employees and some organizations cut employee programs in an effort to save money. Since then, the number of job ads has been growing – especially in 2011 and so far in 2012. We were excited to see that during June 2012, more than 36,000 jobs were advertised online for HR professionals. Although this is a slight decline compared to the four-year high during May 2012, hiring demand for HR professions is up by 17% and is at higher levels than before the recession began.
Volume of Human Resources Job Listings – 4 Year Hiring Demand Trend
Source: WANTED Analytics
Metropolitan areas with the highest volume of HR job listings during June were New York (NY), Washington (DC), Chicago (IL), Los Angeles (CA), and Boston (MA). Employers in New York City placed the highest number of online job ads, but saw the lowest year-over-year increase of these five cities. With just over 2,800 unique job postings for HR professionals during June, this represents a mere 5% increase compared to June 2012. In comparison, Chicago experienced the highest increase of these five locations, at more than 24%.
The majority of available job ads were for Recruiters – more than 18,000 jobs were advertised online for recruiting and sourcing jobs, an 11% year-over-year increase. Other HR functions that experienced increasing hiring demand were Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists; Compensation and Benefits Managers, Training and Development Managers, Employment Interviewers, and General HR Managers.
The 15 most commonly advertised job titles in the human resources field were:
- Recruiter
- Human Resources Manager
- Human Resources Assistant
- Director of Human Resources
- Human Resources Generalist
- HR Generalist
- Payroll Specialist
- HR Manager
- Payroll Clerk
- Technical Recruiter
- Human Resources Coordinator
- Payroll Administrator
- Human Resources Specialist
- Training Specialist
- Team Member Trainer
Employers and staffing firms that are sourcing for HR professionals are likely to experience moderate difficulties since hiring demand is increasing and causing competition to attract qualified candidates. However, these conditions will vary slightly by location depending on the available talent supply. Our Hiring Scale™ shows that companies in Washington, DC are currently experiencing some of the most difficulties. With the volume of job ads growing about 21% since last year, Recruiters are likely to compete heavily to attract talent and experience a longer time-to-fill than average. The average duration of an HR job posting in the DC metro area is about 6 weeks.
Hiring Scale for HR professionals in Washington, DC: Hard-to-Fill Location
Source: WANTED Analytics
In comparison, the Hiring Scale also shows the easiest places to currently recruit talent in this industry are:
- Salem (OR)
- Scranton (PA)
- Jackson (MS)
These areas are likely to fill job openings faster and easier than the rest of the United States. If you are currently struggling with filling open HR jobs due to higher local competition and a smaller local talent pool, try sourcing candidates from these 3 cities. On the other hand, if you are looking for work in HR, you are likely to find a job faster in Washington, DC than in Salem, OR because there are more companies looking for this talent. In addition, you're likely to experience less competition from other candidates.
Do you want to see recruiting trends and competitive information for HR jobs in your area? Sign up for a free trial of WANTED Analytics™ and find out who is hiring, where to find candidates for job openings, average salary details, and much more!
Already an Analytics, user? Log in and search on the Talent Req or Talent Sourcing tabs for the Human Resources job function in your city.
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July 17, 2012 - davidgaines.com
Recruiters’ Best Friends (The HR Professionals) Are Back in Demand Again - I am David Gaines
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