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ANZSCO 2231Skill level 1Business and finance

Human resources officer

Support recruitment, onboarding, performance, payroll and employee-relations practices.

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Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$1750Job Outlook (2025-06-01)
Graduate starting salary$65,000QILT (2025-03-01)

How far does this stretch in each city?

What a human resources officer actually does

HR officers spend the day rotating between recruitment, employee relations, and routine HR administration. Mornings often start with reviewing job applications, scheduling interviews, drafting offer letters, and on-boarding new starters. The middle of the day is meetings: a check-in with a hiring manager, a one-to-one with an employee about leave or performance, or a sit-down with the payroll team. Afternoons go to policy updates, training coordination, and case-work in the HR information system. Most roles are 38-40 hours a week, hybrid one to two days at home. Workload spikes around annual performance reviews, salary review cycles, restructures, and large recruitment intakes. Confidentiality and calm-under-pressure are constants - HR is often the first stop when something goes wrong.

Typical tasks

  • Coordinate recruitment campaigns and interviews.
  • Maintain HR records and payroll inputs.
  • Advise managers on policy and procedure.

Skills you'll use

  • Australian Fair Work Act, NES and modern award basics
  • Drafting position descriptions, contracts and policies
  • Coaching managers through performance and conduct conversations
  • Recruitment platforms (Seek, LinkedIn, internal ATS)
  • Payroll input and HR information systems
  • Active listening and confidential one-to-one conversations
  • Clear written English for policies and decision letters

How to become one

  1. 1Finish Year 12 with English; Maths Standard is enough for most HR degrees
  2. 2Complete a Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Commerce with a human resources or industrial relations major (3 years), or a Diploma of Human Resource Management through TAFE
  3. 3Build experience through internships, casual recruitment roles, or HR-coordinator positions while studying
  4. 4Apply for HR officer or HR coordinator roles; large employers and government departments run structured graduate programmes
  5. 5Consider professional certification through the Australian HR Institute (AHRI) as you take on more responsibility

Where you can work

  • ASX-listed and large private corporates
  • Federal and state government departments
  • Universities, schools and TAFEs
  • Hospitals and large healthcare networks
  • Mining, energy and construction companies
  • Banks, insurers and professional services firms
  • Not-for-profits and member associations

Career progression

Typical stages and salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. HR coordinator / officer
    0-3 years
    Typical roles: HR coordinator, Recruitment coordinator, HR officer
    Salary band: $60,000 - $80,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. HR business partner / specialist
    4-8 years
    Typical roles: HR business partner, Talent acquisition partner, Learning & development specialist
    Salary band: $90,000 - $130,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. HR manager
    8-12 years
    Typical roles: HR manager, Senior HR business partner, Head of talent
    Salary band: $130,000 - $180,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  4. Head of HR / CPO
    12+ years
    Typical roles: Head of People, Chief People Officer, Director, HR

Is this for you?

You might love this if

  • You can hold a difficult conversation with care and clarity
  • You're patient with policy, process and the Fair Work Act
  • You can hold confidential information without leaking detail
  • You enjoy mediating between competing points of view
  • You can keep your composure when someone in the room is upset

This might not suit you if

  • You want fast, tangible output every day rather than long people processes
  • You dislike paperwork, policies and meeting minutes
  • You can't sit with grey-area decisions where neither side is fully right
  • You want to avoid difficult conversations entirely

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for human resources officer. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Not an apprenticeship trade.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.