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The ‘Great Resignation’ has seen millions of Brits resigning or changing jobs, driven in part by the pandemic which caused a rush among British workers to find a better work-life balance. It’s tempting to conclude from that that many Brits are dissatisfied with their jobs – but new research suggests that this is far from being the case in the HR field.
In fact, the 2022 careers survey conducted by XpertHR, the UK’s leading online resource, indicates that these are boom times for HR careers, with their data revealing that more than three quarters (76.9%) of HR professionals think there are good job prospects for them in HR over the next five years. This is the same figure recorded in XpertHR’s 2017 survey, showing that the pandemic appears to have done nothing to dampen HR professionals’ enthusiasm about their career prospects.
Indeed, the research found that nearly 40% of HR professionals felt that the circumstances around the pandemic may actually have had a positive effect on their careers. Although this may sound surprising, one consequence of the pandemic was that the HR influence grew within organisations that had to deal with its effect on people management. The huge, sudden uptick in remote and home working also created work for HR, creating a landscape where remote and even global working is now normalised and organisations are willing to take on individuals from all over the world.
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HR has been at the forefront in paving the way to this new and more agile way of working – and although 18.3% of those surveyed by XpertHR said the pandemic had had a negative impact on their working lives, most of these pointed to their increased workload as the reason why. What’s clear is that this is an industry with plenty of opportunities for those who want them.
Commenting on the research, Michael Carty, benchmarking editor at XpertHR, said: “It is heartening to see that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has not dampened HR's overall positive outlook and enthusiasm for careers in the profession.
“For many HR professionals the last two years have been among the most eventful and testing times in their careers. People management issues - such as implementing remote work models and creating safe office environments for returning employees - have topped the corporate agenda for many organisations during the pandemic, creating both challenges and opportunities for HR.
“As we slowly emerge from the pandemic, now is a particularly lively and vibrant time for people to embark on a career within HR. A strong emphasis on people issues - like recruiting and retaining key talent, ensuring a strong organisational commitment to diversity and inclusion, and a focus on the employee experience - means that HR has a key role to play now and in the future.”
