The labor market for HR professionals remains tense. The number of advertised positions increased slightly from the fourth quarter of 2025 to the first quarter of 2026 – 5,420 positions were open compared to 4,644. This emerges from the current Hays skilled worker index. But this alone does not indicate a recovery in the labor market. Because in the corresponding period there is a seasonal upswing almost every year. At the same time, a good 3,500 fewer job advertisements were recently registered for HR positions than in the first three months of 2025.
Nevertheless, according to Sebastian Georg, Senior Department Manager Temp & Contracting at Hays, there are initial signs that vacancies for HR professionals could continue to increase in the coming period. The number of job advertisements for all HR functions increased from the fourth quarter of 2025 to the first quarter of 2026. Human resources officers, HR managers, HR business partners (HRBP), talent managers, employer branding managers, recruiters and HR consultants were examined here. The situation has changed most positively for HRBP (733 to 888 job advertisements), personnel consultants (401 to 502 job advertisements) and human resources officers (1,196 to 1,426 job advertisements).
