Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Career pathsCareers in HRCIPDGetting into HRHR qualifications

HR becoming more female, less accidental career choice

by Personnel Today 20 Sep 2017
by Personnel Today 20 Sep 2017 Men (31%) are less likely to fall into HR by chance than women (35%) according to the research
Men (31%) are less likely to fall into HR by chance than women (35%) according to the research

The human resources profession is becoming increasingly female according to new research released this week. However, fewer people are “falling into” a career in HR by chance, than previously.

The research by XpertHR also found that women are more likely than men to have joined HR having been asked to take on HR responsibilities in a previous role; and men are more likely to have trained in HR from the start.

Find out more

HR careers survey 2017

Nearly three-fifths (58%) of respondents said that they chose or moved into HR due to an interest in the work of HR. One-third (35%) entered the HR profession by chance and more than a quarter (29%) wanted to “work with people”.

These findings suggest a growing trend for HR professionals to have made a conscious decision to work in HR. In XpertHR’s previous surveys, the most common reason for beginning an HR career was by chance, cited by around half of respondents (49% in 2014 and 45% in 2011).

HR has long been known as a predominantly female career choice and that shows little sign of abating. More than four-fifths (84%) of HR professionals taking part in our survey are female. XpertHR acknowledged its sample was not a definitive reflection of the gender composition of UK HR but reported that the proportion of women in its 2017 research was notably higher than for the previous two surveys (75% in both 2014 and 2011).

Two-thirds (68%) of male respondents are in senior HR roles, compared with just over three-fifths (62%) of female respondents.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Other findings in XpertHR’s HR careers survey include:

  • 14% of HR professionals work part-time;
  • 91% are permanent employees, 5% are on fixed-term contracts and the remainder are self-employed or work on a day rate;
  • 85% of female HR respondents are CIPD members compared with 73% of male HR respondents; and
  • 14% of female HR respondents had no CIPD qualification, compared with 27% of men.

The most widespread organisational barriers to advancement in the HR profession are: the perception of HR by the organisation (for 49% of respondents); the lack of a clear HR strategy (41%); and a limited HR budget (36%).

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
A third of new starters experience poor onboarding
next post
Vicarious liability: employers face big damages for employees’ actions

5 comments

julia Birkett 20 Sep 2017 - 4:36 pm

So if 16% are male but 68% of that group are in senior positions then they don’t work up the ranks? An interesting observation!

Jim 21 Sep 2017 - 12:49 pm

I’m not sure that I follow the point you’re making Julia, but if over 60% of all respondents (both genders) are in ‘Senior’ positions, then my conclusion is that either :-
a) junior HR employees tended not to respond to the survey, or
b) HR, as a profession, is remarkably top heavy, or
c) HR people have a pre-disposition to see themselves as ‘senior’, even if they are not.
I’m not sure if any of those conclusions is too comfortable but c) is sad beyond belief (although perfectly credible).

Sir 20 Sep 2017 - 5:06 pm

What strategy are the CIPD adopting in order to correct this gender imbalance and attract more males into the profession ? – or is it not perceived as a problem ?

Jim 21 Sep 2017 - 7:50 am

Does the CIPD have a strategy for encouraging more men into the profession to redress this imbalance ?

Claire Bliss 21 Sep 2017 - 11:21 am

This has been a clear trend in the making for the last few years. HR is now very much a desired field, with a lot of impact – not an accidental career choice!!

Comments are closed.

You may also like

CIPD links Employment Rights Bill with low business...

12 May 2025

Why HR burnout is a strategic issue

12 May 2025

CIPD appoints expert in AI to boost support...

8 May 2025

Stress for HR specialists greater at larger organisations

2 May 2025

CIPD: Employment Rights Bill timetable needs clarity

25 Apr 2025

Movers and shakers in HR: Stagecoach, Sodexo UK,...

11 Apr 2025

Senior HR pay rising faster than junior roles

28 Mar 2025

Employee Benefits Awards 2025 shortlist revealed

24 Mar 2025

What do HR specialists enjoy most about their...

21 Mar 2025

Law firm HR professional embroiled in ‘anti-Islam’ row

12 Mar 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+