Human Resources

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment of human resources specialists is expected grow 5 percent through 2028, as fast as the average for all occupations. Training and development specialists will experience a 9 percent increase (faster than the average) during the same timeframe. The rising use of temporary workers and increasingly complex employment laws will create most of the demand. Specific standards for occupational safety and health, equal employment opportunity, wages, and benefits make it necessary for many companies to have human resources experts handling their personnel issues in order to avoid errors and omissions. Of particular significance are rising health care costs, how implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act will affect businesses, and the structural changes that have taken place in many companies' insurance packages. As benefits programs become more complex, human resources professionals who are familiar with program requirements and options become more valuable. For the same reasons, human resources managers can expect growth of 7 percent (faster than the average) through 2028.