HR profession becoming a priority for recruitment 

Recent research from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) has found that HR vacancies are likely to be up by 13.5% on 2021. The HR profession is becoming a priority area for businesses to recruit for.

According to the data provided by business intelligence specialist, Vacancysoft, internal recruiters are the most wanted specialists. Thirty-five percent of all HR vacancies this year have been for internal recruiters. Training/learning is sitting at 14% of total vacancies.

The specialism which is growing both in volume and share is HR generalists, at an increase of 64% as the monthly average between last year and this. The total share rose from 13% to 14.3%.

In terms of the sectors recruiting for HR, technology has had 3,994 vacancies so far, with 17.5% of the total number of HR jobs. Second on the list is Retail, with 3,833 roles so far (16.8%). Despite the importance of Banking to the UK economy, it is only responsible for 7% of HR vacancies in the HR sector. This is possibly linked to the cost-of-living crisis and the inevitable impact on the UK economy.

When looking at the different regions, London dominates with 8,995 vacancies this year, accounting for 39.6% of the total HR vacancies posted. The South East follows with  2,637 vacancies, accounting for 11.6% of HR vacancies.

Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo, comments: “As the UK’s economic pressures mount, a decline in vacancies is to be expected. However, since the UK remains in the grips of a skills shortage, hiring teams and recruitment professionals alike will continue to be in high demand. While HR will have a key part to play in narrowing the skills gap, we will also need to call on the country’s policymakers to implement an internationally viable approach to boosting the UK’s access to skills, alongside building a more attractive entry route into the country for highly skilled self-employed professionals.”