It is important to find out what the long-term job outlook for human resources graduates is before you enroll in an accredited human resources program. Most college graduates have intentions of pursuing a career in a specific field immediately following their graduation from college, but some of these individuals have trouble finding employment in their field because the jobs are scarce. If you want to choose the best major, you need to consider how many jobs will be added to the workforce and how big the supply of graduates will be. Read on to find out if majoring in human resources is the right choice for you based on projected job outlook in the field.
Outlook for Managers in the Human Resources Field
If you are studying Human Resource Management or you are planning to pursue a position in management, you will be happy to learn that the job outlook for this title is very positive. Based on projections released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the demand for managers in the field will grow by 13 percent by the year 2013. This growth is faster than the average reported in all occupations in the nation.
The growth in the field is driven by the standards in employment changing and the job of human resource manager becoming more complex. With the need for strategic human resource managers who can help organizations succeed, most employers require that managers possess a master’s degree. Some of the titles that fall into the category of human resource manager include: Benefits Manager, Training Manager, Director of Human Resources, Employee Relations Manager, Job Analysis Specialist, Labor Relations Manager, Staffing Manager, Personnel Manager and Administrator.
Demand for Human Resource Specialists
If your goal is not to become an human resource manager but rather a human resource generalist or specialist, the demand for this title is a bit lower than that of human resources manager. Based on the projections of the BLS, the need for specialists in human resource will grow by about 8 percent by the year 2022. It is important, however, to be aware of the fact that job growth for specialists can vary based on the specialty. Specialists in some industries, like the healthcare industry, may benefit from higher growth because the field is growing so rapidly.
The demand for specialists is not as high as the average growth in all fields because there is a trend in companies hiring professional consulting companies to outsource their human resource activities. As outsourcing becomes a more popular option in small and mid-sized companies, the need for specialists becomes stagnant. This is an important factor to consider if you are serious about pursuing a position in the growing field of human resources.
Human resource professionals play an important role in developing programs and retaining human capital of an organization. Several different titles in the field exist, and all of these titles have their own job outlook based on the industry. You will need to consider your location, your level of experience, demand in the industry, and demand in the field before you determine if you are earning a degree in a stable field where there are positive growth projections. Once you determine the job outlook for human resources professionals in a specific area of the field, you can decide if this is the right major for you.
