Career
Human resources specialists
Recruit, hire and support the people an organization runs on.
$75,940
Median pay
+6.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
73,700
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Interpret and explain human resources policies, procedures, laws, standards, or regulations.
- Hire employees and process hiring-related paperwork.
- Maintain current knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Prepare or maintain employment records related to events, such as hiring, termination, leaves, transfers, or promotions, using human resources management system software.
- Address employee relations issues, such as harassment allegations, work complaints, or other employee concerns.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Interpret and explain human resources policies, procedures, laws, standards, or regulations.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Writing.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $75,940 a year and 73,700 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Business AdministrationSee the degree →
- Human ResourcesSee the degree →
- Industrial and Organizational PsychologyCIP 42.2804
- Business Administration and Management, GeneralCIP 52.0201
- Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, GeneralCIP 52.1001
- Organizational Behavior StudiesCIP 52.1003
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping$50,610 · -6.2%
- Human Resources Managers$149,280 · +5.5%
- Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs$54,210 · +1.6%
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$69,500 · +0.1%
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists$78,210 · +6.0%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.