Is there a problem finding industrial relations specialists?

Resource summary

This Research Insight confirms that organisations don’t find it easy to fill vacancies for industrial relations specialists. There is no evidence that this is in response to the more unsettled industrial relations climate produced by the global financial crisis and it seems more likely that a perceived ‘IR skills deficit’ has developed over many years.

This is largely because the job to be done demands a combination of personal qualities and skills that are not always widely found among HR generalists. Much of what IR specialists need to know is organisation-specific. 

The CIPD will continue to draw attention to the challenges facing today’s ER professionals and look for ways of demonstrating what they are achieving.