Human resources officer
Support recruitment, onboarding, performance, payroll and employee-relations practices.
Salary
Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Human Resource Professionals (2231) from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia), and where available the QILT graduate starting salary for the matching study area.
| Figure | AUD | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time weekly earnings | $1870 | Your Career (2026-09-23) |
| Graduate starting salary | $74,000 | QILT (2026-08-31) |
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Human Resource Adviser (223111), the closest official match for human resources officer, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- People employed
- 33,500
- Future demand
- Moderate
- Work full-time
- 78%
- Average full-time hours
- 41 a week
- Women
- 81%
- Median age
- 37
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 29.7% |
| VIC | 25.7% |
| QLD | 19.8% |
| WA | 12.1% |
| SA | 6% |
| TAS | 1.9% |
| ACT | 4% |
| NT | 1% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 18.8% |
| Bachelor degree | 41.4% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 14.8% |
| Certificate I-IV | 9.4% |
| Year 12 | 10.1% |
| Below Year 12 | 3.1% |
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
- 1Finish Year 12 with English; Maths Standard is enough for most HR degrees
- 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
- 3Build experience through internships, casual recruitment roles, or HR-coordinator positions while studying
- 4Apply for HR officer or HR coordinator roles; large employers and government departments run structured graduate programmes
- 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 roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.
- HR coordinator / officer0-3 yearsTypical roles: HR coordinator, Recruitment coordinator, HR officer
- HR business partner / specialist4-8 yearsTypical roles: HR business partner, Talent acquisition partner, Learning & development specialist
- HR manager8-12 yearsTypical roles: HR manager, Senior HR business partner, Head of talent
- Head of HR / CPO12+ yearsTypical 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
Ways in
Uni and TAFE routes for human resources officer. 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.
Sources
ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.