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Job outlook for labour relations specialists in the United States
Labour relations specialist job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected labour relations specialist job growth rate is -3% from 2018-2028.
About -1,700 new jobs for labour relations specialists are projected over the next decade.
Labour relations specialist salaries have increased 18% for labour relations specialists in the last 5 years.
There are over 29,476 labour relations specialists currently employed in the United States.
There are 40,936 active labour relations specialist job openings in the US.
The average labour relations specialist salary is $61,007.
Are labour relations specialist jobs in demand?
Labour relations specialist job and salary trends over time
Labour relations specialist jobs over time
Labour relations specialist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29,476 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 32,359 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 34,913 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 35,634 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 36,267 | 0.01% |
Average labour relations specialist salary over time
Labour relations specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $61,007 | $29.33 | +6.1% |
| 2024 | $57,491 | $27.64 | +1.8% |
| 2023 | $56,467 | $27.15 | +7.3% |
| 2022 | $52,644 | $25.31 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | $51,902 | $24.95 | +5.9% |
Labour relations specialist jobs by state
Most common states for labour relations specialists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 159 | 23% |
| 2 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 324 | 10% |
| 3 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 103 | 10% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 87 | 9% |
| 5 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 52 | 9% |
| 6 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 239 | 8% |
| 7 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 151 | 8% |
| 8 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 68 | 8% |
| 9 | Alaska | 739,795 | 60 | 8% |
| 10 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 59 | 8% |
| 11 | Vermont | 623,657 | 52 | 8% |
| 12 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 551 | 7% |
| 13 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 476 | 7% |
| 14 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 470 | 7% |
| 15 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 409 | 7% |
| 16 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 303 | 7% |
| 17 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 144 | 7% |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 98 | 7% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 69 | 7% |
| 20 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 172 | 6% |
Most common cities for labour relations specialists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Allis | 3 | 5% | $36,733 |
| 2 | Brookfield | 2 | 5% | $36,732 |
| 3 | Bessemer | 1 | 4% | $65,969 |
| 4 | Madison | 1 | 4% | $51,311 |
| 5 | Casper | 2 | 3% | $59,425 |
| 6 | Waukesha | 2 | 3% | $36,698 |
| 7 | Andover | 1 | 3% | $77,649 |
| 8 | Duluth | 1 | 1% | $57,779 |
| 9 | Fort Lauderdale | 1 | 1% | $49,991 |
| 10 | Atlanta | 1 | 0% | $48,513 |
| 11 | Baton Rouge | 1 | 0% | $45,813 |
| 12 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $66,311 |
| 13 | Cleveland | 1 | 0% | $50,369 |
| 14 | Jersey City | 1 | 0% | $94,475 |
Labour Relations Specialist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of labour relations specialist experts
Coastal Carolina University
University of Arizona
Indiana University Southeast
San Francisco State University
Land O Lakes
University of Idaho
SHRM
Bowling Green State University
What Labour Relations Specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Ale Kennedy: The majority of time is spent listening to customers and providing service, whether it is hiring, classification, training, and/or a difficult employee. Human Resources is relied on heavily to provide guidance during difficult situations and through processes.
What will help Labour Relations Specialists increase their earning potential?
Leann Mischel PhD: The soft skills will always be important. Communication, teamwork, and leadership skills should always be honed. In addition to those, it is important to keep up with technology and AI. It is no surprise that both of these are changing at lightning speed. Graduates need to keep in mind that these will make their jobs easier, not take their jobs from them. Utilize them to increase the quality and quantity of your performance and increase your efficiency.
What Labour Relations Specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Lori Poloni-Staudinger PhD: Do not be afraid to advocate for your own worth. Do your homework and understand going rates in the field and if possible in the organization in which you seek employment. If salary increases are not possible, consider other aspects of compensation that may be important to you and ask for this. Practice your ask-with a mentor, family or friend-- before your negotiation.
Dr. Gregory Kordsmeier
Director, Institute for Learning and TeachingIndiana University Southeast
Sociology
What Labour Relations Specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Gregory Kordsmeier: Many employers are looking for the skills that sociology majors have developed over the course of their major, but many of these employers will not phrase it as looking for a sociology major. Skills like working in teams, data analysis and communication, written and oral visualization, and an ability to work with diverse populations are all prized by employers and common among sociology majors. Your job as a recent graduate is helping translate the work that you did and the skills you developed in college into terms that prospective employers can understand.
David Anderson
Professor, Department of Kinesiology, and Director, Marian Wright Edelman InstituteSan Francisco State University
Sports, Kinesiology, And Physical Education/Fitness
What Labour Relations Specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
David Anderson: Two broad skills stand out - adaptability and collaboration. We have witnessed a surge of technological innovation in the sub-disciplinary areas that comprise the broader field of Kinesiology. In addition, the nature of the work we do continues to change. As such, graduates need the capacity to adapt to these changes to ensure their skill sets and their practice remains up to date and relevant. Kinesiologists can only tackle the big problems we address in the field, like lowering the rates of chronic diseases linked to sedentary lifestyles, overcoming health disparities and ensuring equitable access to opportunities for physical activity, preventing injuries in sport, and helping elderly people maintain functional independence, by working collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams. The ability to collaborate with others thus becomes an essential skill.
Philomena Morrissey Satre
Director of Diversity Equity & Inclusion and External Strategic PartnershipsLand O Lakes
What soft skills should all Labour Relations Specialists possess?
Philomena Morrissey Satre: Inquisitive, ability to operate within ambiguity, strong customer service aptitude, strong cultural competency skills, agility, and adaptability to change.
Daniel Eveleth Ph.D.
Professor of Management and Human ResourcesUniversity of Idaho
Department of Business
What skills stand out on Labour Relations Specialist resumes?
Daniel Eveleth Ph.D.: Given this emphasis on the candidate, employee, and manager experiences, what skills are needed:
-Empathy skill - able to look at "our processes" through the eyes of the candidate, employee, manager. It is their journey, not our process.
-Relationship building - given the demand for talent, we often need to play the long game; rather than posting a job announcement and praying for applications to "process," we may need to develop connections with passive job seekers, for example, who may not be ready to apply; we need to think about how we reject candidates so that they pass on positive word of mouth to others and possibly reply/apply when a better fit appears. We may need to develop our relationships with hiring managers to help them make quicker hiring decisions, help them avoid biases when interviewing, learn more from them about their talent needs and preferences.
-Ability and willingness to search for talent. There are excellent job seekers who don't know your organization exists or that you have a culture, positions, etc., that would be a good fit. This is particularly critical for helping a company meet its DEI goals.
-Interpersonal communication skills:
-Job candidates prefer recruiters who are both warm/approachable and knowledgeable about the jobs and the company.
-Hiring managers and other business partners often have varying degrees of experience with recruiting, selection, onboarding, development practices and have unique needs and often unique personalities, work styles, etc. Communication with them is critical and sometimes includes having challenging conversations.
-Tools-oriented skills:
-Data analysis skills
-Journey/Experience mapping
-Data visualization (e.g., Tableau)
-Knowledge of applicant tracking systems
-Success using social media to engage followers (e.g., managed a fraternity's social media sites to engage alumni)
-Familiarity with managing conversations via remote technology.
-Interest in the company/industry.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Labour Relations Specialist job market given the pandemic?
Regan Gross: There has been, and will continue to be, a shift in the way we do work. Employers are realizing that they can minimize overhead and leverage technology by adopting remote workforces. There will still be some employers who are resistant to this change and will continue to do things the traditional way. E-commerce jobs, such as those in online retail, will continue to increase, while jobs that require in-person social interaction, such as in the restaurant industry, will continue to evolve into contactless alternatives, reducing the number of positions available for employment. While hospitality and restaurants have been among the hardest hit, for many, still being able to dine-out and stay away from home, is important to their mental health.
Job interviews will continue to be virtual as much as feasible. Job seekers will be well advised to brush up on their on-camera interviewing skills, including dressing appropriately as with in-person job interviews, avoiding any background noise and being cognizant of the appearance of their on-camera surroundings/background. Practice virtual interviews with friends and family if possible.
Tonya Camden
Adjunct InstructorBowling Green State University
Department of Human Services
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Labour Relations Specialists to find work opportunities?
Tonya Camden: For graduates in this field, the opportunities are endless anywhere in the United States, they choose to live and work.