The demand for skilled talent remains high in 2024. To meet their hiring goals, companies must continue finding innovative ways to attract and retain both long-term and short-term talent.Approaches such as offering above-average compensation and engaging recruiters to help you tap into the pool of passive job seekers are more important than ever. In addition, attracting skilled talent is increasingly about how well a company can provide a healthy work/life balance.Another key to successfully building a team is to understand the current hiring environment and which roles are in highest demand, whether you’re actively recruiting for a role or simply want to keep hold of your current employees. Research from Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent report highlights the latest data from surveys of hiring managers and our analysis of thousands of job postings to help you make informed hiring and management decisions.
According to analysis of a proprietary dataset of more than one million U.S. job postings, including 100,000 Robert Half placements, the HR job market witnessed steady growth throughout 2023, culminating in the creation of over a quarter million jobs.Unemployment rates for HR professionals consistently stayed below the national average of 3.3% last year. Key roles such as HR manager had an unemployment rate of just 1.7%, while HR assistant was at 2.9%. Compensation and benefits specialists and training and development managers also experienced low unemployment rates, at 1.7% and 1.0%, respectively.The government sector played a significant role in the growth of the HR field, adding over 14,000 HR jobs in 2023. This marked a substantial increase, more than doubling the number of positions added compared to 2022.Flexible work arrangements remained limited in the HR sector. Only about one in four HR positions offered flexibility in 2023, with just 18% incorporating hybrid work models. Some organizations may be missing an opportunity here. As more employers require more in-person time, companies that can offer adaptable work schedules, including hybrid or fully remote options, are particularly poised to distinguish themselves in the talent market.
The following positions were selected because they had consistent hiring demands in the second half of 2023 and high volumes of new openings. They represent the top 25% of in-demand HR roles, according to an analysis of thousands of job postings and Robert Half placements:HR assistantHR generalistHR managerRecruiterHere are the projected salary ranges for the in-demand HR roles for 2024:
Looking forward, are companies hiring talent in the first half of 2024? Robert Half surveys of HR hiring managers reveal that yes, hiring skilled talent is top of mind for many leaders in the field. Forty-eight percent are hiring for new permanent roles, while an additional 45% say they plan to staff vacated permanent positions. To help augment their permanent teams, 37% of HR managers plan to increase their use of contract professionals, especially in the areas of training and development, recruitment, and compensation and benefits.But hiring continues to be difficult, and managers may face a smaller hiring pool in 2024. With a majority (69%) of professionals in the HR job market inclined to stay in their current roles, the challenge for companies to recruit for open roles intensifies. To attract these passive candidates — those not actively seeking new opportunities — employers must offer competitive salaries, flexible work arrangements and opportunities for career advancement. These incentives are critical to enticing professionals who are content but might be swayed by an offer that aligns more closely with their career and work-life balance goals.Learn more hiring insights in the full Demand for Skilled Talent report.See 2024 In-Demand Administrative and Customer Support Roles and Hiring TrendsSee 2024 In-Demand Finance and Accounting Roles and Hiring TrendsSee 2024 In-Demand Legal Roles and Hiring TrendsSee 2024 In-Demand Marketing and Creative Roles and Hiring TrendsSee 2024 In-Demand Technology Roles and Hiring Trends
The Demand for Skilled Talent report by Robert Half is an authoritative source providing essential insights into employment trends. This report has offered a deep dive into the U.S. hiring landscape for over a decade, spotlighting challenges and strategies to attract and retain talent. It explores what employees seek in their careers, identifies common recruitment errors and suggests solutions. The report spans finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources, proving crucial for business leaders and managers.
