Recruitment for HR posts has almost returned to pre-pandemic levels, with a noticeable shift towards roles focused on employee relations, says a new report.

These roles made up 17.5 per cent of all HR vacancies in 2023 but rose to 21.2 per cent in the first half of this year, according to figures produced by Manchester-based recruitment marketplace Hiring Hub.

Its latest HR labour trends report for the UK suggests the increase may be a sign that companies are looking to invest more into retaining their people.

Skills in greater demand this year include those focused on general HR, training and learning and employee relations rather than internal recruitment or talent acquisition, the report says.

Overall, vacancies in the HR and talent acquisition sector have remained subdued but the findings suggest the change in government could be a catalyst for growth in the autumn.

Hiring Hub founder Simon Swan said:

“While there have been fewer HR vacancies in 2024 than during the same period in 2023, now that the Labour Party is in power, and given their plans to reform employment law, businesses are likely to begin scaling their HR teams once the new government’s policies have been confirmed, especially the proposed changes around ‘hire and fire’.”

The report is based on research by Vacancysoft, a provider of labour market data and analytics. Information used to compile the report was gathered from the career centres of company websites and relates to unique job postings only, not duplicated ones.

It says UK regions have seen HR labour activity fall the most.

“While London is broadly on track to match vacancy levels seen last year, every single other region has seen a decline, with the north west and the north east suffering the sharpest drops,”

said Simon.

However, he added:

“Given these are Labour heartlands, it’s to be expected the new government will boost investment in these areas, driving an increase in job volumes into next year.”

The biggest falls have been in the retail, travel and leisure sectors, while in contrast technology companies have been increasingly hiring HR professionals. The accountancy sector has also been an area which has seen a significant uptick for HR in 2024, with vacancies increasing by 28 per cent in the year to date, making it the best-performing industry.

James Chaplin, chief executive of Vacancysoft, said:

“The HR function is often seen as a barometer for corporate health, as whatever the business is doing will manifest in how its hiring for HR professionals is then changing.

“With that in mind, the latest data shows an uplift in training and learning and employee relations vacancies, which indicates a greater focus on the people within the business. The question is whether that is temporary, or whether the hiring pattern will continue into autumn.”

Hiring Hub, which is backed by Manchester-based private equity house investor MonacoSol, connects employers with recruitment agencies to help them find quality candidates quickly.

www.hiring-hub.com

www.vacancysoft.com