A new US study found that young professionals working in HR are particularly confident in their jobs. HR: a profession of the future? Here are the study’s highlights.
HR professionals feel they have the wind in their sails, especially those early in their careers. And that is to say that, even though there is virtually no wind, the human resources recruitment industry has remained stable compared to last year, according to a survey from the Society for Human Resource Management.
Indeed, 85% of them believe that they will keep their jobs, against 75% of all professionals in the field. Highly skilled workers are, in turn, safer finding another job, if necessary.
“The chances of adjusting to a new work environment for these seasoned employees depend on their ability to adapt to new market requirements and skills in strategy and consulting,” says Carole Théot, President and professional coach at Coetc.
If they are able to adapt, especially to millennial customers, then they represent a real asset for a company.
Versatility vs. specialization
These are the generalists who are the most coveted professionals (59%) by recruiting organizations, according to the survey.
Organizations expect that HR advisors adapt as coaches more than anything else. Technical skills alone are no longer enough.
“We want them to become true business partners that bring both strategic and reflective value to a company, rather than only specialize in a specific field such as staffing,” says Théot.
This is partly due to the change in organizational management structures and costs. This versatility allows businesses to have a better return on their investments.
This is especially true for larger companies with more complex management challenges than their smaller counterparts. “We will thus train our administrative staff on specific technical skills such as pay, rather than bringing in a person with a bachelor degree who will demand a higher pay,” she adds.
This trend also applies to the training being offered. “HR education programs have improved in recent years so that recent human resources graduates can apply their skills in various areas,” says the president of Coetc.
Not far behind generalists, there are people in recruitment, which are also in high demand among businesses (31%), particularly in acquiring top talent. “We also note that certain technical areas are outsourced, such as recruitment services and payroll, rather than hiring people internally in these specialty areas,” says Théot.
All these challenges which businesses must face and quickly adapt to are pushing HR professionals to redefine their roles and become sort of the new managers in ‘human’ strategy.
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