Overview
All Human Resource Managers
-
$2,464 Weekly Pay
-
Very strong Future Growth
-
75,100 workers Employment Size
-
Very high skill Skill level rating
-
87% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
46 hours Average full-time
-
44 years Average age
-
57% female Gender Share
Human Resource Managers plan, organise, direct, control and coordinate the human resource and workplace relations activities within organisations.
Specialisations: Occupational Health and Safety Manager, Training and Development Manager, Workplace Relations Manager.
You usually need a formal qualification in human resources, business management or occupational health and safety to work as a Human Resource Manager. University and Vocational Education and Training (VET) are both common study pathways.
Tasks
- determining, implementing, monitoring, reviewing and evaluating human resource management strategies, policies and plans to meet business needs
- advising and assisting other Managers in applying sound recruitment and selection practices, and appropriate induction, training and development programs
- developing and implementing performance management systems to plan, appraise and improve individual and team performance
- representing the organisation in negotiations with unions and employees to determine remuneration and other conditions of employment
- developing and implementing occupational health and safety programs and equal employment opportunity programs, and ensuring compliance with related statutory requirements
- overseeing the application of redundancy and other employee retrenchment policies
- monitoring employment costs and productivity levels
- may train and advise other Managers in personnel and workplace relations matters
Prospects
There were 75,100 Human Resource Managers in 2020. The number of workers:
- grew very strongly over the past 5 years
- is expected to grow very strongly over the next five years
- is likely to reach 86,800 by 2025.
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025. The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.
Employment Snapshot
- Size: This is a very large occupation.
- Location: Human Resource Managers work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: They work in many industries such as Public Administration and Safety; Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; and Health Care and Social Assistance.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $2,464 per week (higher than the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Most work full-time (87%, much higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 46 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 44 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 57% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Pathways
You usually need a formal qualification in human resources, business management or occupational health and safety to work as a Human Resource Manager. University and Vocational Education and Training (VET) are both common study pathways.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
- ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Public Sector VET training pathways and Business Services VET training pathways.
Skills & Knowledge
Employers look for Human Resource Managers who have strong leadership and planning, can communicate well in a team and are organised.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Therapy and counselling
Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Philosophy and theology
Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Foreign language
Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Systems evaluation
Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Systems analysis
Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Originality
Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Mathematics
Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.
-
Working with numbers
Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Memorization
Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Negotiating and resolving conflicts
Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Giving expert advice
Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Hiring and organising staff
Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Coaching and developing others
Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Communicating with the public
Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Coming up with systems and processes
Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 11-3121.00 - Human Resources Managers.
Work Environment
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Electronic mail
Use electronic mail.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Letters and memos
Write letters and memos.
-
Spend time sitting
Spend time sitting at work.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Conflict situations
Deal with conflict or disagreements.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
-
Angry or unpleasant people
Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Competition
Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
-
Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
-
Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
-
Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 11-3121.00 - Human Resources Managers.
All Human Resource Managers
-
$2,464 Weekly Pay
-
Very strong Future Growth
-
75,100 workers Employment Size
-
Very high skill Skill level rating
-
87% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
46 hours Average full-time
-
44 years Average age
-
57% female Gender Share
Human Resource Managers plan, organise, direct, control and coordinate the human resource and workplace relations activities within organisations.
Specialisations: Occupational Health and Safety Manager, Training and Development Manager, Workplace Relations Manager.
You usually need a formal qualification in human resources, business management or occupational health and safety to work as a Human Resource Manager. University and Vocational Education and Training (VET) are both common study pathways.
Tasks
- determining, implementing, monitoring, reviewing and evaluating human resource management strategies, policies and plans to meet business needs
- advising and assisting other Managers in applying sound recruitment and selection practices, and appropriate induction, training and development programs
- developing and implementing performance management systems to plan, appraise and improve individual and team performance
- representing the organisation in negotiations with unions and employees to determine remuneration and other conditions of employment
- developing and implementing occupational health and safety programs and equal employment opportunity programs, and ensuring compliance with related statutory requirements
- overseeing the application of redundancy and other employee retrenchment policies
- monitoring employment costs and productivity levels
- may train and advise other Managers in personnel and workplace relations matters
There were 75,100 Human Resource Managers in 2020. The number of workers:
- grew very strongly over the past 5 years
- is expected to grow very strongly over the next five years
- is likely to reach 86,800 by 2025.
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025. The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.
Employment Snapshot
- Size: This is a very large occupation.
- Location: Human Resource Managers work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: They work in many industries such as Public Administration and Safety; Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; and Health Care and Social Assistance.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $2,464 per week (higher than the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Most work full-time (87%, much higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 46 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 44 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 57% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
You usually need a formal qualification in human resources, business management or occupational health and safety to work as a Human Resource Manager. University and Vocational Education and Training (VET) are both common study pathways.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
- ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Public Sector VET training pathways and Business Services VET training pathways.
Employers look for Human Resource Managers who have strong leadership and planning, can communicate well in a team and are organised.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Therapy and counselling
Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Philosophy and theology
Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Foreign language
Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Systems evaluation
Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Systems analysis
Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Originality
Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Mathematics
Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.
-
Working with numbers
Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Memorization
Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Negotiating and resolving conflicts
Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Giving expert advice
Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Hiring and organising staff
Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Coaching and developing others
Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Communicating with the public
Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Coming up with systems and processes
Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 11-3121.00 - Human Resources Managers.
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Electronic mail
Use electronic mail.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Letters and memos
Write letters and memos.
-
Spend time sitting
Spend time sitting at work.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Conflict situations
Deal with conflict or disagreements.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
-
Angry or unpleasant people
Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Competition
Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
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Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
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Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
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Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
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Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
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Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
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Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
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Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
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Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
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Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
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Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
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Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
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Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 11-3121.00 - Human Resources Managers.