• 31% of businesses are planning to increase recruitment of HR professionals in the next 6 months

• 89% plan to hire mid-level HR staff, while 77% plan to hire at junior level

Research from specialist professional recruiter Robert Walters has revealed that 31% of employers plan to hire more HR professionals in the second half of 2017 than the first.

Many firms are looking to grow, with 43% of employers saying that business growth will drive their hiring strategies in the second half of the year, and HR professionals are in demand to support expanding teams.

Nick Allwood, Manager comments:

“Despite a degree of political and economic uncertainty in the UK, many businesses are still looking to increase headcount.”

“As a result, demand for HR professionals has increased in order to provide support to growing teams and new initiatives to upskill current staff.”

“In particular, professionals with a specialism in training and development are highly sought after, as employers look to ensure that their teams are equipped with the skills necessary to adapt to the changing circumstance as Britain negotiates its departure from the EU.

MID LEVEL PROFESSIONALS IN HIGHEST DEMAND

The research also found that demand for mid-level professionals was highest with 89% of businesses planning to hire HR professionals at this level.

Junior professionals are also set to be highly sought after in the second half of the year, with 77% of employers planning to hire at this level.

Nick Allwood continues:

“In addition to demand for specialists in training and development, professionals with a background in pay and compensation are also highly sought after.”

“Upcoming government legislation requiring businesses to publish relative rates of pay for senior male and female staff is creating demand for specialists in pay and compensation, as businesses look to develop processes for gathering and releasing this data.”

“This is driving demand at the mid-level for professionals who can develop these processes and for junior staff who can supply the technical skills to carry out the core functions necessary for implementation.”