2026 Human resources (HR) job market: In-demand roles and hiring trends

How work gets done is changing rapidly, as are the skills required to drive business success. Companies across industries are launching new initiatives, adopting AI and adjusting to shifting demands, and seeking skilled talent to support growth and modernization. But many firms remain cautious about adding headcount too quickly. As a result, staffing conversations in early 2026 are increasingly focused on which roles are most essential and how to hire effectively.

Human resources (HR) teams are feeling these pressures in their own departments as well as across the organizations they support. Expectations are rising for HR as teams are asked to strengthen hiring and retention, enhance the employee experience, and help guide the organization through change—all while maintaining day-to-day operations and compliance. Meanwhile, many HR departments are navigating skills gaps in areas such as leadership capabilities, AI literacy, learning and development (L&D), and HRIS operations, making it harder to advance strategic priorities without stretching existing teams.

Research for Robert Half’s latest Demand for Skilled Talent report shows many HR leaders are responding to these and other challenges with a mix of approaches—including upskilling existing teams and engaging highly skilled contract talent—to maintain service delivery, support hiring and retention, and keep critical initiatives such as HR technology upgrades and analytics adoption on track.

2025 In-Demand Human Resources Roles and Hiring Trends

What does the human resources (HR) hiring market look like?
What human resources (HR) roles are still in demand?
What HR roles are seeing increased demand—and why?
What HR skills are in demand?
How to compete for human resources (HR) talent in 2026

What does the human resources (HR) hiring market look like?

Human resources hiring in early 2026 is being fueled by organizations’ need to refine or even rethink their talent strategies, improve performance management, and support ongoing business and digital transformation. Many employers are hiring HR talent to help manage talent recruitment efforts, support skills development efforts and advance employee experience initiatives.

While HR leaders face many challenges, including managing change in their own departments, research for Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent report found that 82% feel confident about their business outlook for 2026. More than half (56%) plan to increase permanent headcount in the first half of the year, while 52% look to expand their use of contract or temporary talent.

These staffing plans are unfolding in a tight labor market, where nearly 6 in 10 HR leaders (59%) say it’s more difficult to find skilled HR talent than it was a year ago. The breadth of today’s HR responsibilities—spanning analytics, HR technology, compliance, engagement and workforce planning—means fewer candidates have the full mix of skills and experience organizations seek. For many businesses, the issue isn’t deciding whether to hire additional HR talent, but how fast they can recruit professionals who can make an immediate impact.

What job posting trends show

Based on Robert Half’s analysis of job posting activity in the U.S., HR hiring remained steady in 2025, with employers advertising 30,300 positions. The strongest demand was centered on roles tied to compensation, L&D and strategic hiring support—functions that help organizations manage shifting workforce expectations and ongoing business and digital transformation.

More than half (16,500) of job postings in the HR category were for human resources or L&D roles, underscoring the emphasis many businesses are placing on supporting the employee experience and skills development. Compensation and benefits roles represented 36% of all HR postings last year, and over half (5,900) were for HR managers.

Talent acquisition roles saw a modest increase, with 2,900 postings in 2025, driven largely by hiring in the healthcare and staffing industries. While growth was incremental, it suggests many employers are adding recruiting capacity selectively to support priority initiatives.

According to our job posting analysis, business and professional services led HR hiring in 2025 with 9,900 jobs, followed by healthcare (3,300), manufacturing and distribution (3,200), and tech and IT (1,600). These are industries with large workforces and ongoing operational demands—and a sustained need for robust HR capabilities.

What unemployment rates suggest about the competition for skilled talent

Unemployment rates for HR professionals remained low in 2025, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Compensation, benefits and job analysis specialists saw an annual unemployment rate of just 0.8%, one of the lowest across HR and a clear indication of how challenging it is for employers to secure this kind of expertise.

Other roles in the profession with low unemployment include:

HR managers: 3.9%

Training and development managers: 3.0%

HR assistants: 2.7%

All these figures fall below the year-end national unemployment rate of 4.4%.

What human resources (HR) roles are still in demand?

Even as new tools like AI emerge and workforce strategies evolve, organizations still depend on HR roles that keep core HR operations running, support the hiring process and help maintain the employee experience. Based on our research, these positions continue to see strong demand in 2026:

HR coordinator: These professionals manage scheduling, onboarding logistics and core administrative tasks—support that becomes even more important as hiring activity increases.

HR generalist: Versatility is what drives demand for HR generalists, who provide support across employee relations, compliance, onboarding and other foundational HR functions as organizations grow or restructure.

HR manager: These professionals play a key role in guiding policy, overseeing employee relations and supporting performance management. Employers value HR managers who can balance operational responsibilities with the ability to lead teams through change.

Recruiter: Recruiters remain critical as organizations hire selectively and look for skilled talent to meet evolving business needs. They source candidates, manage the interview process and support employer-branding efforts.

What HR roles are seeing increased demand—and why?

These HR roles are gaining momentum in 2026 because they support work that organizations can’t put on hold, including strengthening total compensation, guiding workforce strategy and securing the talent needed to help the business grow:

Benefits/compensation manager: Demand is high for specialists who can help businesses design competitive, cost-effective programs that support retention, engagement and regulatory compliance. With an annual unemployment rate of just 0.8% in 2025 according to the BLS, these professionals are already tough to hire.

HR business partner: These professionals excel at aligning people strategies with business priorities. As organizations adopt new technologies or restructure teams, HR business partners are on hand to provide strategic guidance and change management support.

HR director: Many employers are elevating HR’s role in workforce planning, performance and company culture. As a result, they need HR leaders to oversee core programs while advancing initiatives in analytics, talent development and employee experience.

Talent acquisition manager: Intense competition for skilled talent in many fields is amplifying the demand for professionals who can quickly identify promising candidates, refine hiring processes and help organizations build the skilled workforce they need to succeed.

Learn more about HR jobs in demand

View the report

Explore our Demand for Skilled Talent report to see what specializations employers need most this year in HR and other top professions.

What HR skills are in demand?

In 2026, employers are prioritizing HR skills that support hiring and employee development. Demand is also rising for HR professionals who can apply soft skills such as critical thinking and problem solving to their work when using AI tools.

Here are some highlights from Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent report and job posting analysis.

HR technical capabilities employers value most

Benefit administration

Employee onboarding

HRIS

Recruitment

Performance management

Workday

How to compete for human resources (HR) talent in 2026

Find out more

HR teams are taking on a more significant role in helping organizations hire, develop and support their people. That expanded responsibility is raising the bar for HR talent in 2026—and increasing competition for highly skilled HR professionals. Clearly communicating to candidates which capabilities matter most and how a role can advance the organization’s strategic priorities can help employers secure that talent.

Work flexibility, offered as part of a compelling total compensation package, can also help employers compete effectively for HR professionals in the year ahead. Robert Half’s research shows only 18% of HR roles are advertised as hybrid, giving employers a clear opportunity to differentiate by offering flexibility that supports productivity and work-life balance.

Engaging specialized recruiters can also provide an edge. Higher application volume, uneven quality of candidates’ skills and experience, and the rise of AI-generated resumes are making it harder for leaders to assess potential hires quickly and confidently. As a result, many employers are seeking additional support. Sixty percent of HR leaders say the AI factor alone has made them more likely to turn to a staffing or consulting firm to help validate skills and accelerate hiring decisions.

That support is delivering results. A majority (88%) of HR leaders surveyed for our Demand for Skilled Talent report say staffing firms have been effective at helping them address AI-related hiring challenges. For hiring managers facing tight timelines and persistent talent shortages, specialized recruiters can also help surface qualified candidates faster and provide access to flexible talent options, including permanent, contract and interim professionals.

Robert Half can help you secure the skilled HR talent your business needs to succeed in 2026.

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About the Demand for Skilled Talent report

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.

Methodology

The surveys cited were developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. Results may not total 100% due to rounding or allowing for multiple responses. Respondents included executives,  hiring managers and workers from small (10-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000+ employees) businesses in private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across the U.S.

Over 1.5 million new positions from more than 9,000 independent job boards and company websites are represented in this report, including thousands of placements from Robert Half. Positions are categorized into more than 430 job titles within Robert Half’s Salary Guide using a proprietary mapping methodology that employs state-of-the-art large language models. This dataset includes roles across the finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, non-clinical healthcare, and human resources professions.