A recent industry survey demonstrates the evolution of HR in Australia.

Australia’s latest ‘State of the Human Resource Profession’ report, led by Deakin University, offers a unique insight into the changing face of the profession, and how it is adapting to post-pandemic challenges.

In the past 50 years HR has moved from a male-dominated profession to a female dominated one. In 1976, women made up less than 10 per cent of the workforce, by 1997 they were close to half, and in 2022 the profession was 84 per cent female.

The ‘State of the Human Resource Profession’ report has previously been compiled in 1984, 1995 and 2006, building on similar studies conducted each decade since the 1940s, allowing us to see how the HR profession has evolved over time.

It helps give a snapshot of the industry now and what important capabilities it will need to grow moving forward.

The 2022 report was led by Deakin Business School’s Dr Justine Ferrer, in collaboration with academics from UniSA, Swinburne and RMIT, and was produced for the Australian Human Resources Institute. It’s based on survey data from 390 HR professionals working across Australia, taken between April and June 2022.

“In recent years, organisations have been confronted by a wide range of extreme circumstances, such as floods, bushfires, drought, increased temperature, the COVID-19 pandemic and cyber-hacking. Each has significant implications for HR policy and practice,” Dr Ferrer said.