Human resources manager to labour relations officer
A human resources manager already meets 59% of what the labour relations officer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
41.6/ 100
1 How much of what a labour relations officer is expected to do is already part of a human resources manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the labour relations officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A labour relations officer role treats 11 of its required skills as things a human resources manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on conflict management
- advise on organisational culture
- advise on personnel management
- apply conflict management
- build trust
- employment law
What stands in the way is 5 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A labour relations officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a human resources manager background worth leading with.
- already held monitor organisation climate information skills
- already held advise on personnel management communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held advise on organisational culture communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held ensure gender equality in the workplace assisting and caring
- already held support employability of people with disabilities management skills
- already held personnel management business, administration and law
All 14 carried skills, including the 11 the labour relations officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn maintain relations with local representatives required
- still to learn represent union members required
- still to learn establish collaborative relations required
- still to learn protect employee rights required
- still to learn represent the organisation required
- optional, not held advise on government policy compliance optional
- optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
- optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
- optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
- optional, not held maintain relationships with government agencies optional
- optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
- optional, not held promote inclusion optional
- optional, not held respond to enquiries optional
- optional, not held business communication optional
- optional, not held inspect government policy compliance optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a labour relations officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 maintain relations with local representatives practise this
- 02 represent union members practise this
- 03 establish collaborative relations practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 skills that carry over
- already held advise on conflict management skill
- already held advise on organisational culture skill
- already held advise on personnel management skill
- already held apply conflict management skill
- already held build trust skill
- already held employment law knowledge
- already held ensure gender equality in the workplace skill
- already held gather feedback from employees skill
- already held government policy implementation knowledge
- already held personnel management knowledge
- already held support employability of people with disabilities skill
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held monitor company policy skill
- already held monitor organisation climate skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on government policy compliance optional
- optional, not held business communication optional
- optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
- optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
- optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
- optional, not held inspect government policy compliance optional
- optional, not held maintain relationships with government agencies optional
- optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
- optional, not held promote inclusion optional
- optional, not held respond to enquiries optional
70 held skills the labour relations officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt training to labour market skill
- not needed by the target role administer appointments skill
- not needed by the target role advertising techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role advise on social security benefits skill
- not needed by the target role apply company policies skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role consultation knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate educational programmes skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate operational activities skill
- not needed by the target role corporate law knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement skill
- not needed by the target role develop corporate training programmes skill
- not needed by the target role develop employee retention programs skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role develop staff skill
- not needed by the target role develop training programmes skill
- not needed by the target role discharge employees skill
- not needed by the target role ensure information transparency skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate performance of organisational collaborators skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate training skill
- not needed by the target role give constructive feedback skill
- not needed by the target role government social security programmes knowledge
- not needed by the target role hire human resources skill
- not needed by the target role human resource management knowledge
- not needed by the target role human resources department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify necessary human resources skill
- not needed by the target role identify policy breach skill
- not needed by the target role identify with the company's goals skill
- not needed by the target role interview people skill
- not needed by the target role labour law knowledge
- not needed by the target role labour legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role leadership principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage corporate training programmes skill
- not needed by the target role manage human resources skill
- not needed by the target role manage payroll skill
30 further entries not listed here
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held business communication optional
Other moves recorded from human resources manager
- equality and inclusion manager 80% covered · adjacent
- pension scheme manager 68% covered · moderate
- public employment service manager 59% covered · moderate
- human resources officer 56% covered · moderate
- corporate training manager 51% covered · substantial
- health and safety inspector 44% covered · moderate
- employment agent 43% covered · substantial
- pensions administrator 41% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a human resources manager become a labour relations officer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A human resources manager already covers 59% of what a labour relations officer is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 11 of which the labour relations officer role treats as required.
What skills does a human resources manager need to become a labour relations officer?
5 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is maintain relations with local representatives.
How hard is the move from human resources manager to labour relations officer?
Its learning distance is 41.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.