'I predict that as we get more into 2024, a lot of HR departments will be built up again,' says VP of HR
For Human Resources Managers in Canada, 2024 is projected to see 18,200 new job openings due to expansion and replacement demand, with around 20,900 new job seekers expected.
Similarly, for Human Resources Professionals, the forecast indicates 48,600 new job openings over the same period, against 46,100 new job seekers entering the market, according to a CanadaHires.
The report, titled “Canada's 2024 Job Market Forecast: Key Skills and Booming Industries,” listed Human Resources as number seven on the list detailing the most sought-after professions in Canada for 2024. It also highlighted that the alignment of job openings and job seekers points to a continuation of the balanced market conditions observed in recent years.
Angela Champ, VP of HR at Alpine Building Maintenance, was surprised to see HR listed below sectors like sales and marketing because of the essential role HR plays in establishing the skills an organization needs to grow, addressing the employee experience and outlining growth opportunities that allow organizations to thrive.
“If you don’t have HR, there is no sales; there is no marketing because you won’t have an organization with products and services to sell,” Champ said.
Since the pandemic, Champ has noticed the increased value of a solid HR support strategy within organizations, which has led to the continuation of the momentum of this value in strong and strategic Human Resources departments, she said. This momentum has also been aided by the expansion of HR as a specialized profession, which reflects the steady number of individuals entering the field.
“Twenty years ago, people took human resources as a subject in a broader business degree or MBA degree, and since then you have the ability to specialize in human resources as a discipline in university,” Champ said.
“When you have organizations dedicated to the development and professionalization of the profession and you have people choosing human resources as a discipline in school, I'm not surprised that there's a greater number of people going into the profession; therefore, there's an equilibrium there.”
According to CanadaHires, the supply of HR professionals is expected to meet the demand adequately, indicating stable employment conditions within the field. However, the integration of generative AI has left some employees fearing for their skills and jobs.
Champ believes organizations investing in AI as it relates to HR will see a positive impact in the streamlining or automation of manual tasks like scheduling interviews or posting job advertisements to different job boards. Even in the face of AI, HR will continue to grow and evolve, as the profession still requires a human touch and high degree of empathy – something AI may never be able to do, she said.
“In areas where human compassion, empathy, logic and judgment are needed, HR will be able to thrive. AI might take away the more manual and menial work, but it will free up the time for HR professionals to be more strategic and thoughtful towards their business,” Champ said.
2024 is already seeing massive layoffs in the United States at some of the bigger organizations like Amazon and Google. In instances such as these, Champ predicts there may be a pause in HR growth. However, she also highlights that further into 2024, there will be a growing need for HR departments to be build up again, not just for entry level roles but leadership roles as well.
“I predict that as we get more into 2024, a lot of HR departments will be built up again, partly because we've started to see a lot of human resources professionals retiring from leadership roles, so this will lead to more movement opportunities, not just for junior entry level roles, but for growing into roles as well, Champ said.
