The pandemic ushered in a new slew of tasks and problems for HR to solve. And with them came a major pivot for the function as a whole. HR is shedding its reputation as a compliance-driven department as more people understand what HR pros have known all along: business results require people-centric solutions.
Think about it: HR’s job is to hire the best people, engage and retain those people, and ensure they work well together. Imagine how different it looks to perform each of those individual functions now, compared to even just a few years ago.
Evolving needs call for evolving HR skill sets
To perform their many roles simultaneously, HR pros need to adapt to a world that’s rapidly changing. That means constantly learning and incorporating new skills to handle new expectations, regulations, and responsibilities, while continuing to meet the ever-changing needs of the business.
Luckily, while demands are higher than ever, HR professionals also have more resources at their disposal than ever. Over the last few years, we’ve witnessed an influx of technology solutions that HR pros are leveraging to upskill and reskill their entire workforce, including themselves. Our highly connected digital world provides new ways for HR to go open source and share information and best practices.
We pulled LinkedIn Talent Insights data to identify the 10 skills HR pros have been most interested in acquiring over the past year.
Sharpen these skills with LinkedIn Learning courses to lead your organization through an uncertain and ever-changing world.
1. Talent Development
With the quickening pace of digital transformation, and increased focus on personal and career growth, talent development is a fast evolving field. HR professionals have a growing opportunity to define strategies for retaining and growing talent in our hybrid-work world.
2. Operations
Influxes in HR tech are increasing the importance of technical and data management to more efficiently make strategic decisions. HR is becoming more tech and data-driven than ever, and savvy HR pros are taking notice.
3. Leadership
How we lead now is more important than ever, and HR is no exception. HR’s strategic voice is growing, but so is their value to the entire workforce. The time has come for HR pros to start seeing themselves as the leaders they are.
4. Digital Marketing
In a hot candidate’s market where people care about flexibility, growth opportunities, and belonging, employer branding is your secret sauce to attracting passionate and curious-minded candidates. HR is looking to their friends in marketing for advice on how to build and communicate a winning brand and work culture.
5. Analytical Skills
HR pros are becoming increasingly data savvy, leveraging new tools and tech to showcase the impact of their work on their people and the business. The future of HR is data-backed ROI, and that future is here.
6. Organization
Organization has always been important, but it takes on a whole new meaning in a remote and hybrid environment. In the age of remote work, HR’s responsibility to successfully create a healthy and sustainable workplace has never been more critical.
7. Tech Recruiting
The pandemic has fueled entrepreneurship, particularly for tech startups offering digital solutions for a digital world. That means engineers and software developers are more in demand than ever. Recruiters are keeping pace and learning how to engage the best talent by brushing up their own technical know-how.
8. HR Strategy
The pandemic ushered in a new wave of strategic HR, reimagining and transforming key functions from compliance, benefits, and administration to forward-thinking workforce planning and development. HR’s seat at the table is here to stay as they navigate their workforces through uncertainty and change.
9. Finance & Accounting
With massive shifts in the workforce, headcount is both a People and Finance question. Understanding the relationship between people planning, people success, and business bottom line is critical for enabling more informed and strategic business decision making.
10. Psychology
Employees now place a higher value on feeling cared for at work than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees who feel cared for at work are 3.2x more likely to be happy at work and 3.7x more likely to recommend working for their company. HR can take the lead in fostering a culture of empathy and care throughout their organization.
Leading with learning
The HR industry is changing just as rapidly as any other, and in just as many different ways. Learning these 10 skills for the state of HR today will give you a great head start on growing into the HR professional your organization will need now and in the future.
Methodology: Powered by LinkedIn Talent Insights, this analysis of the 10 fastest-growing HR skills was calculated by the number of LinkedIn members within the HR industry who added that skill in the last 12 months. The year-over-over rate of growth rate represents the change in the number of professionals with this skill, compared to the number of professionals one year prior.
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