Human Resources Managers

What Human Resources Managers Do

Plan, direct, or coordinate human resources activities and staff of an organization.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

5 years or more

On-the-job training

None

Self-employed

0.6%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 4.9/5
• English Languageimportance 4.3/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 4.2/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.9/5
• Education and Trainingimportance 3.9/5
• Law and Governmentimportance 3.6/5
• Psychologyimportance 3.3/5
• Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.2/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• E-Mail5.0/5
• Telephone Conversations4.8/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
• Contact With Others4.7/5
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.5/5
• Freedom to Make Decisions4.3/5

Related Careers

• Human Resources Specialists
• Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping
• Management Analysts
• Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
• Labor Relations Specialists
• Training and Development Managers
• Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists
• Social and Community Service Managers

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Financial Managers99% skill match
• Advertising and Promotions Managers98% skill match
• Sales Managers98% skill match
• Compensation and Benefits Managers98% skill match
• First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers97% skill match
• Procurement Clerks97% skill match
• Marketing Managers97% skill match
• Fundraising Managers97% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Management of Personnel Resourcesimportance 4.3/5
• Coordinationimportance 4.1/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.0/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 4.0/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 4.0/5
• Time Managementimportance 4.0/5
• Negotiationimportance 3.9/5
• Instructingimportance 3.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Integrity
• Dependability
• Leadership Orientation
• Social Orientation
• Cooperation
• Empathy
• Attention to Detail

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• EnterprisingHigh
• ConventionalHigh
• SocialMedium
• InvestigativeLow
• ArtisticLow
• RealisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where human resources managers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA1.74× national avg
2. 2Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT1.73× national avg
3. 3Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH1.69× national avg
4. 4Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN1.69× national avg
5. 5Midland, MI1.60× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Compensation and Benefits ManagersLateral Move
• Training and Development ManagersLateral Move
• Financial ManagersLateral Move
• Training and Development SpecialistsCareer Change

See the full career path from Human Resources Managers →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.