2026年人力资源现状报告（英文版）

Anannualtrendsand

insightsreportbyHRCIThelargest-everHRCIsurveyshows

HRprofessionals

are

optimistic

about

the

future

oftheirfield—andinvestigatestheseriouschallenges

that

lie

ahead.TheStateofHR

IsStrongWelcometoHRCI’sfirst-everStateof

HRreport,adeep

diveintothemostimportantaspectsofourprofession

basedonthemostqualifiedsourcewecanfind—you.To

facilitate

a

successful2026,we

asked

thousands

ofHRprofessionalsworldwidetosharehowtheyfeelabout

their

jobs,careerpaths,andtheissuesthatimpactusall.The

result

of

the

survey—the

largest

in

HRCI’s

over50-yearhistory—isareportpackedwithimportantperspectivesabouteverythingfromstresslevelsandworkloadstoremoteworkandworkplaceviolence.You’ll

findinsightintowhatdrivessatisfactiononHRteams,howthehappiestHRprofessionalshaveengineeredtheirroles,and

a

great

deal

more.The2026State

of

HR

report

explains

how

yourcolleaguesfeelabouttheworldofworkrightnowandthe

biggestchallengestheyseeonthehorizon.Asyou’llsee,many

in

the

profession

are

greeting2026with

tangibleoptimism.The

state

of

HR

is

strong.Amy

Dufrane,

Ed.D.,SPHR,CAE

CEO,

HRCI2HRCITableofContentsTheStateofHR4→HR

Professionals

Are

Optimistic,

Despite

Tough

Times

5→CompaniesContinueto

Invest

in

HR7→

Challengesin20269What’sHappeningatWork14→What

Createsan‘HR

Evangelist?’15→Motivated

by

Purpose18→The

Biggest

Challenge:Technology

19ProfessionalDevelopment25→HR

ProfessionalsAre

Lifelong

Learners26→Where

ProfessionalsWill

Focus28→The

Preparation

Gap

in

Technology

30CurrentTrendsinHR32→Work

Ahead

on

Workplace

Conflict

and

Mental

Health

33→Talent

Acquisition

in202638Methodology

453TheStateofHRHRProfessionalsAreOptimistic,

DespiteToughTimesIn2026,HR

teams

are

facing

a

number

of

career-definingchallenges.Aroundtheworld,workforcesare

alsoconfrontedwithuncertaineconomicconditions,

changingpolicyclimates,career-alteringtechnological

advancements,andcontinualpressuretodelivervalue.Stateside,concernsaboutpolarizingopinions,changing

regulationsondiversityinitiatives,andconcernsoverworkplacesafetyaretopofmind.Despitewhatmanymightconsiderstormyseas,however,

thehumanresourcescommunityhasbeenabletomaintainitssenseofpurposeanddirection.In

late2025,HRCI

conducted

its

largest-ever

survey,

inwhich4,583respondentsworldwideansweredquestions

aboutthestateoftheHRprofession.5

TheStateof

HRAs

we

enter2026,here

are

the

general

sentiments:→

HRprofessionalsarepassionateaboutwhattheydo.A

large

majority(76%)enjoy

working

in

HR—30%“immensely.”→

HRprofessionalsareconfidentintheirdepartments.A

majority(71%)say

their

department

is

prepared

to

handle

itsworkload.ThisisgenerallytrueacrossdifferentareasofHR,with

thenotableexceptionofimplementingtechnology(seeThePreparationGapinTechnology).→

HRprofessionalsarehopefulabouttheirfield.Almost

two-thirds(64%)say

they

are“extremely”or“very”hopeful

about

the

future

of

HR,and72%are

likely

to

recommend

it

toothersasacareerpath.Thiswaslargelyconsistentacrosscareer

levels,meaningthateventhosewhohavebeeninthefieldformany

years

still

see

HR

as

fulfilling.“ThestateofHRisstrong,”

said

Dr.Amy

Dufrane,

CEOofHRCI.“Asagroup,HR

professionals

are

optimistic

andresilient.Theyunderstandthatpeopleareperformance,and

that

how

we

cultivate

our

people

is

how

we

cultivate

success.Itdoesnotsurprisemetoseethattoday’s

HRprofessionals

are

looking

past

adversity

and

focused

ongetting

the

job

done.”72%LikelytorecommendHRtoothers76%EnjoyworkinginHR64%HopefulforfutureofHR71%Workinwell-prepared

HRdepartment*HRCI6

TheStateof

HRCompaniesContinuetoInvestinHRFor

many

HR

professionals,there

is

reason

for

optimism.While

HRteamsarecertainlyexperiencingchallenges,theyreportbeingessentiallyhealthy.Todefinethisfurther,weaskedrespondentswhethertwokeymetrics—staffingandbudgets—arerising,falling,or

static,and

to

compare

their2025experiences

with

their2026

expectations.One-fifth(20%)saytheyareexperiencinggrowthinbothstaffinglevelsanddepartmentbudgets,withnoreportedoranticipateddeclinesineither.These“on-the-rise”departmentsoutpacetheproportion(12%)of

those

who

report

the

same

metrics

are

declining.20%14%2%Shrinking

SteadyGrowingMoregenerally,abouttwo-thirdsofrespondentsworkinHRdepartmentsthatcanbeclassifiedas“statusquo”orbetter,meaning

budgetsandstaffinglevelseitherroseorstayedthesamelastyearand

the

same

is

expected

in2026.7TheState

of

HR67%departmentsthatcanbeclassifiedasstatusquoorbetterShrinking

Steady

GrowingHRCIofrespondentsworkinHRSta代ngBudget25%12%11%4%4%8%“TheHRworldappearstobefaringextremelywell,”saidKathyClaytor,presidentofHRCI’sBoard

of

Directors.“Everyprofessionexperiencescycles.Butit’sveryencouragingtoseesomanycompaniescontinuingtoinvestinHRdepartments

during

times

of

change.”8

TheStateof

HRChallengesin2026Wealsoqueriedsurveyrespondentsaboutkeychallengesintheyear

ahead.ManyoftheseinvolvepersonalaspectsofHRwork,

such

as

careeropportunities,workload,andstresslevels.HerearewhatHRprofessionalsreportbeingmostconcerned

about

inthecomingyear:Careerpathsaremurky.Perhapsthemostextremeindicatoremergedaroundcareerdirection,or

a

lack

thereof.More

than

a

quarter(26%)say

they

haveno

clear

career

path,and41%agreed

that“there’s

a

sense

of

acareerpathbutit’snotwell-defined.”Alarmingly,whenaskeddirectly,

41%said

they

are

considering

careers

outside

HR.Fifty-fivepercentsaidtheyhavelookedforanother

jobinthelastyear.Awell-definedcareerpathmatterstoemployeesseekingstabilityandorganizationsseekingstrongretention.HRprofessionals

whodonotseeaclearpatharefarmore

likelytohave

sought

other

employment,andaremuchmoreopentoleavingHR

altogether.consideringcareers

outsideHR9

TheStateof

HR41%notawell-defined

pathin

HR26%noclearpathin

HR34%clearpathin

HRHRCI41%58%50%Workloadsareincreasing.A

majority(58%)say

their

department’s

range

of

responsibilitieshas

increased

in

the

past

year,and

fully

half(50%)expect

it

togrow

in2026.While

growing

responsibilities

can

be

a

positivedevelopmentforanindividualoradepartment,itisnotablethathalf

ofrespondents(50%)reportthattheycurrentlyhandlefunctionsoutside

of

HR.Anxietyishigh.HRprofessionalsareoptimisticabouttheirwork,butstresslevels

arehigherthanmightbeexpected.Fortypercentreport

“high”

or

“extreme”stress

levels,and43%say

their

stress

is

moderate.Only

15%indicate

mild

on-the-job

stress,and2%say

they

experiencenone

at

all.ExtremeHighModerateMildNonesaytherangeofresponsibilitieshas

increasedinthepastyearHRCIexpectittogrowin202610TheStateof

HR43%32%15%8%2%HR:Working

inthebusiness,orworkingonthebusiness?Inrolesthatbalancebothprocessandoutcomes,itcan

bedifficult

tomaintainastrategicoutlook.ScottCawood,CEOofWorldatWork,

encouragesHRprofessionalstoavoidunnecessaryadministrativetasks,particularlyastheyadvanceintheircareers.“Thinkabouttheamountoftimeyouspendworkinginthebusiness

versus

working

on

the

business,’says

Cawood.“If

you

only

work

inthebusiness,yourvaluecannevertrulybeunderstood.”WhileHRundoubtedlywalksalinebetweenoperationsandstrategy,

manyseetheirroleaspurelyoperational.Twenty-eightpercentsaytheir

jobismostlyadministrativeoroperational,with

limited

strategic

input.Another5%say

it

is

purelyadministrative.Only

one

in10considers

themselves

an“essentialstrategicleader.”Asmightbeexpected,peopleemployedinthehighest-level

HRpositions,seniordirectororabove,aremuchmorelikelytodescribe

theHRfunctionattheircompanyasstrategicinnature.Still,fewer

thanhalf(43%)thinkoftheirdepartmentasstronglystrategic.HR

department“strong

strategic

contributor”or“essentialstrategicleader”Junior-Level

25%Mid-Level

34%Senior-Level

43%11

TheState

of

HRHRCIVariedopinionsonleadership.Despiteoveralloptimism,thedatashowsanundercurrent

of

discontent

with

corporate

leadership.Nearly

half(47%)

saycompanyleadershipis“moderatelyeffective”orworse—possiblyreflectingthewayHRprofessionalsfeel

theirworkisvaluedbycorporatechiefs.More

than

a

third(35%)say

HR

is“valued

only

a

little,”“not

too

valued,”or“not

valued

at

all.”Asonerespondentexplained:“The

job

of

an

HR

professional

has

changed…to

manageeverything—compliance,technology,culture,mentalhealth,and

retention—with

limited

resources.We’re

nolonger

justprocessingpaperwork;we’reproblem-solvers,

mediators,andthebridgebetweenleadershipandemployees.Expectationshavegrown,butsupportand

recognitionhaven’tkeptpace.”Dufranesaysthecollectiveprofessionhasworktodo,a

role

not

unlike

what

HR

teams

do

to

care

fortheemployeestheyhelpmanage.Sheencourageshumanresourcesprofessionalstoconsiderthemselves

“consultants”ratherthantaskmanagers,approaching

organizationalchallengesfromtheirexpertlenson“what’sbestforourpeople.”“Everyone

deserves

a

well-defined

career

pathandavisionforthefuture,ideallynotonefilledwith

ever-increasing

workloads

and

stress.Sometimes,we

may

need

to

self-advocate

toensureaclearcareertrajectorynotonlyforemployees,but

for

ourselves

and

our

teams.When

we

co-create

supportive

cultures,we

investin

the

longevity

of

our

profession.”—Dr.AmyDufrane,CEO,HRCI12

TheStateof

HRTheCorrelationBetweenStrategicContributionand

HowHR

IsValuedIt’snotclear

ifa

strategicapproachtoHRleadstogreaterorganizationalrespect,oriforganizationsthatvalueHRencourage

a

more

strategicfunction.Eitherway,therelationship

betweenthesetwoconceptswas

hard

to

miss

when

we

lookedatthedata.HR

professionalswho

describe

the

role

of

theirdepartment

as

strategic

are

farmorelikelytoreportbeingvaluedbyseniorleadership.ValuedOperational

43%Strategic

90%NotValuedOperationalmm18%StrategicI

2%HRCIHR’sStrategicMoment:LeadingThroughTransformationAsorganizationsnavigateincreasinglycomplexenvironments,the

strategicroleofhumanresourcesismore

criticalthan

ever.High-performingcompaniesdistinguishthemselvesbycultivatingtalent,buildingfuture-readypipelines,andnurturingcultureswhere

individualsandteamsadaptquicklytotheever-changinglandscape.HRCI’s

data

highlights

the

resilience

and

optimism

in

our

field:76%report

high

levels

of

job

enjoyment,and72%recommend

HR

asacareer.Whileconcernsaboutrisingworkloadspersist,signals

suggestthatinvestmentsinHRwillremainsteadyorincrease,

demonstratingthatorganizationsvalueHR’scontribution.HRsitsattheintersectionofculture,talent,technology,andcompliance,withauniqueopportunitytodrivebusinesstransformation.WhilealargemajorityofHRteamsfeelpreparedfor

today’sdemands,rapidadvancesinartificialintelligenceanddigital

platformspresentbothopportunityandurgency.HRleaders

mustchampiontechnologyadoption,investinongoingdevelopment,and

establishclearstrategiesforimplementingAIanddigitalsolutionsacrosstheorganization,not

justwithinHR.Notably,HRprofessionalsengagedinstrategicinitiatives

reporthigherlevelsofsatisfaction,underscoringthevalueofafuture-focused,transformationalmindset.Bytakingaproactiveapproach,

HRcanstrengthenitsinfluence,leadorganizationalchange,anddelivermeasurableimpactonourcompanies.—ShelieGustafson,SPHR,GPHR,HRCIBoardMemberandRecentCHRO

of

a

Fortune500Company13

The

State

of

HREXPERT

ESSAYWhat’sHappening

at

WorkWhatCreatesan

‘HREvangelist?,Despitechallengesanduncertainty,HRprofessionalsareextremelycontentintheirroles.Throughoutthedata

andcommentswererepeatedthreadsofaltruismand

genuine

care

for

others.More

than

a

career,it’s

clearthatthoseinhumanresourcesconsidertheirprofession

a

calling.To

learn

more,we

focused

on

a

group

we’ll

refer

to

asHRevangelists:thosewhonotonlysaytheyarehappyat

work,butrecommendthefieldtoothers.15

What’sHappeningatWorkEntering2026,37%of

respondents—morethan1,600people—qualify

as

HR

evangelists.

Thisdesignationisbasedonacompositemetricthatrecognizesindividualswhohighly

enjoyworkinginHRarelikelyto

recommend

HRtoothers,andarenotconsideringothercareerpaths.Westudiedthisgroup’s

responsestolearnwhytheyseemsohappy

intheir

jobs.Thedatashowedthattheseindividualscanlargelybefoundwithincertainworking

conditions.Thoseemployedatcertaintypes

ofcompanies,doingcertain

jobs,anddoing

those

jobsinacertainwayarehappieratworkthanothers.Highlyenjoy

workingin

HR37%HREvangelistNotconsideringothercareerpathsLikelytorecommendHRtoothersHRCI16

What’sHappeningatWorkHere’s

what

we

found:→

Theyfeeltheirteamis“completelyprepared”forwork.ForHRprofessionals,preparationisveryclearlyone

ofthe

keysto

happinessatwork.Themorepreparedtheyfeel,thehappierthey

areonthe

job.Infact,thosewhodescribetheirdepartmentascompletelypreparedarenearlythreetimesmorelikelytobe

HR

evangeliststhanthosewhofeelminimallyprepared.→

Theirdepartmentfeelssecure,orisevengrowing.HRprofessionalswhoworkforHRdepartmentswherebudgetsandstaffingarerisingorremainingstablearesignificantly

morelikely

to

be

evangelists(45%)than

those

employed

in

departments

showing

some

signs

of

shrinking

or

decline(35%).→

Theyoverseeateam.HRprofessionalswhomanageothersaresignificantlymorelikelytobeevangeliststhanthosewhodonot.Similarly,seniorHRprofessionalsaremoreenthusiasticaboutthefieldthantheir

more

juniorcounterparts.One-thirdofentry-levelrespondentsqualify

as

evangelists,compared

to42%

of

those

who

are

senior

managersorhigher.Theremaybemanyreasonsthattheseconditionsareconducivetoa

happyworklife.Feelingwellpreparedislikelyassociatedwithgreater

confidenceintheabilitytodoa

jobwell.Workinginmanagementmayallowaprofessionaltohaveagreatersenseof

purposeorsecurity.Andworkingforan“on-the-rise”company—withincreasing

budgetsandstaffing—almostcertainlycultivatesacultureofoptimismmorethanmanagingscarcity.However,Dufraneisquicktonotethattherelationshipbetweenpreparationandsatisfactionisnotableforoneimportantreason:it

issomethingHRprofessionalscancontrolwithoutchanging

jobsor

securingapromotion.“Confidenceisimportant,”shesaid.“Weallwanttofeelgoodabout

ourworkproductandabilities.That’swhyprofessionaldevelopment

issocritical.Itisalever

every

one

of

us

can

usethroughoutourcareertoensurewearenimbleenoughtorespondtowhateverthe

environmentmaybring.”You’reMoreLikelytoFindEvangelistsinGrowingDepartments45%growingdepartments35%decliningdepartmentsHRCI17What’sHappening

atWorkMotivatedbyPurposeAnotherwaytounderstandwhatmakesHRprofessionals

“content”isexaminingwhytheystayattheircurrent

jobs.

Whilethedatashowsthatabout55%ofrespondentslooked

for

a

job

in

the

last

year,the

remaining45%

didnot;forwhateverreason,theywerecontenttoremain

wheretheyare.Oneopen-endedquestionaskedpeoplewhytheystay,

providingmanyuniqueandthoughtfulperspectivesonwhypeoplestayintheirroles.Weconductedan

AIanalysisofthoseanswerstoidentifythecommon

threads.Hereiswhatwefound:→Thirty-ninepercentcited

relationships

(positivecoworkerinteractions,supportivemanagers,andacollaborative,friendlyenvironment)asthetopreason

forstayingintheir

job.→Another27%pointed

to

the

work

itself,saying

theyenjoytheir

jobresponsibilities,feelchallenged,find

purposeindailytasks,andengageininterestingprojects.→

Interestingly,traditional

retention

factors

wereconsideredlessimpactful:→Compensation

and

benefits:

6%→

Companyculture:4%→

Work-lifebalance:4%→

Growth

opportunities:3%“Thiswasnotabigsurprisetothoseofuswhohavespent

years

in

human

resources,”Dufrane

said.

“HRprofessionalssincerelyappreciategenuineconnections

andmeaningfulwork.Theideathatrelationshipsoutweighcompensation

justunderlinesthevalueofapositiveworkenvironment.HRprofessionalsspendtheir

timetryingtobuildthatforothers.Itstandstoreasonthat

wewouldwantitforourselves.”positiveinteractions,supportivemanagers,andafriendlyenvironmentU27%feelchallenged

orfindpurpose45%ofrespondentswerecontenttoremainwheretheyare3%growthopportunities6%compensation

andbenefits39%4%company

culture4%work-lifebalanceHRCI18

What’sHappeningatWorkWhyTheyStayTheBiggestChallenge:

TechnologyOfcourse,HRprofessionalsalsofaceplentyofchallengesonthejob,andmanyhaveconcerns.WeaskedthemtoselectthetwoaspectsofHRtheyfeelleastpreparedtohandle,andwhichtwothey

feelmostpreparedfor.Byfar“implementingHRtechnology”standsout

as

a

vulnerability.More

than

half

of

respondents(52%)

named“implementingHRtechnology”asoneoftheareastheirdepartment

is

least

prepared

to

handle.Just13%think

it

is

among

the

aspects

of

HR

they

are“most

ready”to

address.Otherareaswhererespondentssaidtheyfeel“leastprepared”includedevelopingeffectivecompensationandbenefitsstrategies

(39%),managing

employee

performance

and

skills(32%),anddevelopingstrategythatsupportsorganizationalmission/vision/values(28%).19

What’sHappeningatWorkHRCI“It’sunderstandablethatHRprofessionalswouldhavesomeanxiety

over

AI,”said

Chris

Scandlen,chief

technology

officer

at

HRCI.“It’sapowerfulandmultifacetedtechnologythatpromisessignificantchange.PartofthecurrentnarrativeisalsothatAIwilleliminate

jobs,

thoughthatisfarfromcertainbecauseimplementationisonly

just

happening.Itisnaturalthatpeoplewouldworry.”20

What’sHappeningatWork

13%

39%mm

18%

32%mm

19%

28%mm

24%mm

20%

35%

18%

38%mm

11%ImplementingnewHRtechnologiesDevelopingefectivecompensationandbenefitsstrategiesManagingemployeeperformanceandskillsDevelopingstrategythat

supportsorganizational

mission/vision/valuesManagingtherelationshipbetweenemployeesand

theorganizationEnsuringcomplianceand

managingriskHandlingtherecruitment,

selection,anddismissalof

employeesWhileartificialintelligencemaynotbetheonly

reason

HRprofessionalsareintimidatedbytechnologyimplementation,itdoes

poseaparticularchallengein2026,inpartbecausethetechnology

isverynewanditsimpactisnotyetwellunderstood.Fewerthan

half

ofsurveyrespondentsarebeingtrainedbytheircompaniesonAIimplementationandusage.52%52%

Leastprepared

tohandle

Mostprepared

tohandleAreasHRprofessionalsfeelmostandleastpreparedtohandleHRCIOnthewhole,HRprofessionalsdonotanticipatemuchimmediatechangeresultingfromAI.Eighty-twopercentsaytheyhavenotseenjobs

lost

to

AI

in

their

industry;77%do

not

think

they

will

see

lossesnext

year;and71%are“not

at

all

concerned”about

AI

replacingtheir

job.Ofnote:thoseleastconcernedaboutAI’simpacton

jobstendtobeemployedingoods-producingindustriesthatmaybelessquicktoadoptthetechnologyintheirprimaryareasoffunction.Thosesameindustriesmayalsobelesslikelyto

provideAItrainingthancompaniesinservices-producingsectorsliketechnology,education,andbanking.82%

Have

not

seen

jobs

lost

to

AIGoods

85%Services

80%77%Do

not

expect

jobs

lost

to

AI

in

next

yearGoods

80%Services

73%71%

Not

at

all

concerned

about

AI

replacing

their

jobGoods

70%Services

69%21What’sHappeningatWorkWhilemostdonotseeAI-related

jobcutscomingsoon,most

HRprofessionals(71%)do

believe

the

technology

will

change

their

job.Inanoptionalquestion,weaskedhowHRprofessionalsexpected

theirownrolestochangeasaresultofartificialintelligence.Wereceived1,718responses,then

used

AI

to

analyze

the

results.About29%saidAIwouldgenerallyincreaseproductivityandefficiency;subsequentanswerswerevaried.For

example,6%said

the

impact

would

be

felt

in

HR

documentationandautomation;5%saiditwouldbeperformancemanagementandfeedback;and4%saiditwouldbeworkflowstreamliningand

processoptimization.Significantly,more

than

half(51%)said

the

impact

would

be

positive,

and

about41%were

uncertain.Only

about8%thought

it

wouldbenegative.Asonerespondentputit,“AIisawonderfultooltohelpsupport

ourworkandincreasethespeedwithwhichwecanaccomplish

sometasks.”22What’sHappening

at

Work29%saythatAI

wouldgenerallyincreaseproductivityandefficiencyHRCIOthersweremorecautious:“Ibelieveitwillmake

some

ofthethingswedobetterandmoreefficient,butHRstill

needstheabilitytodeterminehowbesttoimplementAI

inourpractices,”anotherrespondentwrote.Some

were

even

fearful:“I

love

the

job,I

love

myorganizationandthepeopleIworkwith,”onerespondent

wrote.“I’mincreasinglyconcernedabouttheimpactsthatAIishavingonourcurrentbusiness

model,and

more

broadly,howAImaynegatethenecessityof

havinganHR

professional

at

all

in

the

organization(or

elsewhere).Itfeelslikethismight

justbeashort-termbubble,

but

I

thinkthere’sarealchancethatAImighterodeintothe

careerpathofprofessionalslikemyself.

I

oftenwonder

whatanalternativewouldbe,especiallygivenmyage

(mid-forties)andyearsofexperience.”Peoplewhoexperienceorganizationa