Work Environment
Human resources managers held about 161,700 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of human resources managers were as follows:
- Professional, scientific, and technical services - 15%
- Management of companies and enterprises - 14%
- Manufacturing - 11%
- Government - 9%
- Healthcare and social assistance - 8%
Human resources managers work in offices. Some managers, especially those working for organizations that have offices nationwide, travel to visit other branches, attend professional meetings, or recruit employees.
Work Schedules
Most human resources managers work full time during regular business hours. Some human resources managers work more than 40 hours per week.
Job Outlook
Employment of human resources managers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2020 to 2030, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
About 14,800 openings for human resources managers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Employment growth depends largely on the performance and growth of individual companies. As new companies form and organizations expand their operations, they will need more human resources managers to administer and monitor their programs.
Human resources managers also will be needed to ensure that firms adhere to changing and complex employment laws regarding topics such as equal employment opportunity, healthcare, and retirement plans.
Earnings
The median annual wage for human resources managers was $126,230 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $75,000, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $208,000.
In May 2021, the median annual wages for human resources managers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
- Professional, scientific, and technical services - $133,980
- Management of companies and enterprises - $130,340
- Manufacturing - $125,080
- Government - $102,520
- Healthcare and social assistance - $99,870
Most human resources managers work full time during regular business hours. Some human resources managers work more than 40 hours per week.
