The debate around the rise of artificial intelligence threatening the role of HR and recruiting professionals has gained momentum recently.
With this in mind, job meta-search engine Joblift has analysed the UK’s HR and recruiting job market to determine how much the digitalisation of this industry has affected vacancies.
Rather than result in decline in these positions, Joblift has found that the demands on HR professionals have adapted to fit the gaps that robotics cannot fill.
Social skills dominate while only 1 per cent of the HR and recruiting vacancies posted stated the need for knowledge of HR and recruiting tools the research found.
In comparison, this industry has seen a shift in demands when it comes to candidates.
Rather than demanding knowledge of these tools, the HR positions themselves are adapting into more relationship management roles.
For example, 45 per cent of the vacancies advertised in the last 12 months highlighted the importance of communication and people skills – areas in which artificial intelligence cannot compete.
According to the research 220,185 HR and recruiting jobs have been posted in the last 12 months in the United Kingdom.
Vacancies in this industry have seen an average monthly increase of 1 per cent – significantly lower than the 5 per cent monthly increase seen in the UK’s job market as a whole in this time period.
Despite this slow growth, HR and recruitment jobs spend an average of 15 days online before being filled, a duration which is mirrored in the job market as a whole.
In terms of pay, only 15 per cent of the 148,848 vacancies that stated a salary offered a wage of £50,000 or above.
The largest percentage (39 per cent) of postings advertised a salary of between £20,000 and £30,000 per year.
Unsurprisingly, London dominates positions with 19 per cent of all vacancies, followed by Manchester and Birmingham both holding 4 per cent of HR and recruiting postings.
The research found there was more demand for recruiters but broader HR roles have seen three times the growth.
63 per cent of the 220,185 vacancies were for recruiters, with these roles experiencing a 1 per cent average monthly increase.
The 37 per cent of vacancies looking for HR roles on a broader basis experienced three times the growth with a 3 per cent average monthly increase.