The State of HR Skills and Education in 2022-23

Develop capabilities to lead organizations of tomorrow

With increasing importance on employee experience, greater need to hire and retain employees, growing awareness of DEI, and positive organizational culture, HR’s role in the organization is more crucial than ever.
 

For HR professionals to understand trends and make strategic decisions, they need to be equipped with the skills and education that makes them the HR experts that organizations need them to be.

In order to understand the state of HR skills and education and investigate recent trends, gaps that might be present and areas of improvement, HR.com's HR Research Institute recently conducted a survey, titled 'The State of HR Skills and Education in 2022-23'.

The following are the highlights from the study:

Most HR Professionals Are Also Highly Educated

Finding: The majority of HR professionals have a bachelor’s degree or higher

About two-fifths of HR professionals have a master’s degree (37%) and a sizeable proportion also have either a bachelor’s degree (32%) or an associate’s degree (9%). Clearly, HR professionals have a higher degree of education to gain formal knowledge in HR functional areas.

Though Most Agree HR Certifications are Important, Fewer Than Half of Respondents Do Not Have One

Finding: About two-fifths say they have an HR certification and PHR certifications are the most common
Certifications can lend credibility to HR professionals’ skills and may aid in their employability. However, just two-fifths (41%) of respondents say they hold HR certifications. Among those who say they do have an HR certification, however, the most common ones are:
●    Professional in Human Resources (PHR) (33%)
●    SHRM- Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) (27%)
●    Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) (26%)

Most HR Professionals Consider Themselves as Experts or Proficient in Their Current HR Role

Finding: Just under a third of HR professionals rate themselves as an expert in their current HR role and a further two-fifths say they are proficient

When asked how HR professionals would rate their own capability in their current role, we found that 30% rate themselves as expert, and a further 39% say they are proficient. While a majority consider themselves to have above-average capabilities, 30% view their overall capability as competent, advanced beginner, or novice, indicating much room for improvement.