jobfacts

Human resource managers and directors

SOC 2020 1136

Human resource managers and directors plan, organise and direct the personnel, training and industrial relations policies of organisations, advise on resource allocation and utilisation problems, measure the effectiveness of an organisation’s systems, methods and procedures and advise on, plan and implement procedures to improve utilisation of labour, equipment and materials.

Also calledRecruitment managerHR directorPeople services managerHuman resource managerEmployee relations managerHead of HRand 56 more titles
Typical full-time pay£57,5002025 Provisional
People in the job229,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month5,100↑ 5.1%on last year · 31st of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time human resource managers and directors earn between £43,700 and £78,700 a year.

What full-time human resource managers and directors earn, 2025
£57,500 typical£32,700lowest 10%£43,70025%£86,200top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£43,700–£78,700)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£32,700
Lowest 20% earn less than£40,500
25%£43,700
Median£57,500
75%£78,700
Top 20% earn more than£86,200
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £57,500
London£68,700
South East£64,600
East of England!£57,200
South West!£54,600
West Midlands!£53,100
Scotland!£50,400
Yorkshire and The Humber!£50,400
North West£49,600
Wales!£47,200
East Midlands!£46,100
North EastNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £57,500
London£68,700
South East£64,600
East of England£57,200 (small sample)
South West£54,600 (small sample)
West Midlands£53,100 (small sample)
Scotland£50,400 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£50,400 (small sample)
North West£49,600
Wales£47,200 (small sample)
East Midlands£46,100 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £50,100
  • 2024 £53,100
  • 2025 Provisional£57,500
↑ 15% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 5,100 jobs for human resource managers and directors are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20265,968
Jul 20265,685
Jun 20265,722
May 20265,694
Apr 20264,588
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20264,224
Jan 20264,787
Dec 20252,989
Nov 20255,174
Oct 20256,046
Sept 20255,128
Aug 20255,017
Jul 20255,915
Jun 20255,673
May 20255,810
Apr 20254,581
Mar 20255,937
Feb 20255,357
Jan 20254,278
Dec 20243,002
Nov 20244,357
Oct 20244,655
Sept 20244,632
Aug 20244,581
Jul 20245,081
Jun 20244,928
May 20245,636
Apr 20245,241
Mar 20244,562
Feb 20244,583
Jan 20245,853
Dec 20234,429
Nov 20234,519
Oct 20234,828
Sept 20234,193
Aug 20235,498
Jul 20235,692
Jun 20238,211
May 20238,104
Apr 20236,599
Mar 20237,697
Feb 20237,896
Jan 20238,639
Dec 20227,496
Nov 20228,467
Oct 20229,430
Sept 20228,375
Aug 20229,249
Jul 202210,049
Jun 202210,993
May 202212,093
Apr 20229,367
Mar 202211,185
Feb 202210,650
Jan 202212,080
Dec 20219,257
Nov 20219,350
Oct 20219,107
Sept 20218,078
Aug 20218,891
Jul 202112,629
Jun 20218,667
May 20217,884
Apr 20216,954
Mar 202110,499
Feb 20215,626
Jan 20215,225
Dec 20204,661
Nov 20204,844
Oct 20205,559
Sept 20204,914
Aug 20204,169
Jul 20203,847
Jun 20203,342
May 20203,173
Apr 20204,275
Mar 20207,973
Feb 20208,570
Jan 20207,815
Dec 20195,610
Nov 20197,153
Oct 20199,288
Sept 20196,466
Aug 20196,543
Jul 20197,864
Jun 20197,494
May 20197,506
Apr 20196,306
Mar 20196,250
Feb 20196,085
Jan 20197,304
Dec 20184,832
Nov 20187,035
Oct 20187,279
Sept 20187,533
Aug 20187,096
Jul 20187,610
Jun 20188,409
May 20187,233
Apr 20186,252
Mar 20187,509
Feb 20186,497
Jan 20188,281
Dec 20175,010
Nov 20176,650
Oct 20176,234
Sept 20176,207
Aug 20176,243
Jul 20175,426
Jun 20176,953
May 20178,029
Apr 20176,618
Mar 20177,742
Feb 20177,659
Jan 20179,458
Is there a shortage of human resource managers and directors?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
12%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for functional managers and directors, which includes human resource managers and directors. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London3,864
Manchester475
Birmingham449
Leeds320
Bristol, City of296
Glasgow City210
Nottingham169
Newcastle upon Tyne168
Liverpool168
City of Edinburgh165
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where human resource managers and directors are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 388 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from United States, India, Italy, ranking it 45th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of human resource managers and directors
0.8%!
17%!
29%
32%
18%
2.7%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–240.8% (small sample)
25–3417% (small sample)
35–4429%
45–5432%
55–6418%
65+2.7% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent70%
Higher education below degree5.4%
A levels or equivalent13%
GCSEs or equivalent8%
Other qualifications!1.4%
No qualifications!1%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent70%
Higher education below degree5.4%
A levels or equivalent13%
GCSEs or equivalent8%
Other qualifications1.4% (small sample)
No qualifications1% (small sample)

Main employers: activities of employment placement agencies (11%), other social work activities without accommodation nec (6.6%), business and other management consultancy activities (5.9%), general public administration activities (5.2%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
70%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
2
from level 5
Apprenticeships take
18 months to 3 years
typically

Apprenticeships

2 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • determines staffing needs
  • oversees the preparation of job descriptions, drafts advertisements and interviews candidates
  • oversees the monitoring of employee performance and career development needs
  • provides or arranges for provision of training courses
  • undertakes industrial relations negotiations with employees’ representatives or trades unions
  • develops and administers salary, health and safety and promotion policies
  • examines and reports on company and departmental structures, chains of command, information flows, etc. and evaluates efficiency of existing operations
  • considers alternative work procedures to improve productivity
  • stays abreast of relevant legislation, considers its impact on the organisation’s HR strategy and recommends appropriate action

Skills

  • apply company policies
  • comply with legal regulations
  • coordinate operational activities
  • develop employee retention programs
  • develop training programmes
  • evaluate training
  • handle conflicts
  • identify necessary human resources
  • identify with the company's goals
  • manage budgets
  • manage payroll
  • monitor company policy
  • negotiate employment agreements
  • negotiate with employment agencies

Knowledge

  • employment law
  • human resource management
  • human resources department processes
  • labour legislation
  • outplacement
  • actuarial science
  • adult education
  • advertising techniques

Suits people who like

  • Leading and persuading
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for corporate managers and directors, a group of 20 jobs that includes human resource managers and directors.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 3%about 78,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.4 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.