The number of permanent HR vacancies, particularly for global and public sector posts, is on the rise, even though pay continues to remain relatively flat month-on-month, a report has revealed.
According to October’s Talent Spotlight from recruitment consultancy Badenoch & Clark, the amount of permanent HR positions available increased by 1.3% last month compared with September, although salaries grew by a more modest 0.08%. The number of contract positions fell by 0.7%, however, while salaries conversely rose by 0.02%.
Meanwhile, demand for candidates with international experience was especially high, which meant that such individuals could command bigger salaries than their peers. This was particularly true of HR personnel who had worked in Asia Pacific, Africa and/or mainland Europe in the past.
Sarah Wynn, Badenoch & Clark’s HR operations director, said that the trend was being driven by the fact that a lot of global businesses were “opting for HR services to be provided by remotely by a central team”.
New contract wins for UK companies in the North Sea and Iraq and the redeployment of staff to Libya had likewise led to increased demand for HR professionals with experience of looking after a mobile international workforce and managing contractors.
But another area in which demand for experienced HR practitioners was high was the public sector, Wynn said. Here the requirement was for personnel who could “coach and support people managers through the restructure period, notably within the NHS, central government and social housing”.
Candidates with experience of management disciplinary and grievance matters, improving performance, liaising with trade unions and managing redundancy and change programmes were also of particular interest to employers.
But Wynn pointed out that it was not always easy for organisations to find the right HR talent. This was because “many top performers are being sufficiently motivated or incentivised by their current employers to stay put and, therefore, don’t see the grass as sufficiently greener to necessitate a career move”, she said.
