HR officer: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Human resources and industrial relations officers (SOC 3571)
About £29,880 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +3.9% on last year
£3,051 a month About £2,490 a month after tax 124 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £28,268 in 2021 to £36,612 in 2026 (+30%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £19,879 | £23,091 | £28,268 | £34,917 | x |
| 2022 | £20,415 | £24,016 | £28,681 | £37,226 | x |
| 2023 | £21,769 | £25,323 | £30,338 | £37,570 | x |
| 2024 | £23,545 | £27,059 | £33,178 | £40,423 | x |
| 2025 | £25,329 | £29,199 | £35,255 | £43,748 | x |
| 2026 | £26,576 | £30,292 | £36,612 | £46,621 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £36,612 a year and half earn more. That is 11% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £30,292 and £46,621; one in ten earns less than £26,576.
Ranked by median, it is number 188 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,490 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,487 in Scotland.
The median for men is £39,027 and for women £35,313, a gap of 10% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £26,576 | £2,215 |
| 20th | £29,130 | £2,427 |
| 25th (P25) | £30,292 | £2,524 |
| 30th | £31,349 | £2,612 |
| 40th | £33,619 | £2,802 |
| Median (50th) | £36,612 | £3,051 |
| 60th | £39,859 | £3,322 |
| 70th | £43,934 | £3,661 |
| 75th (P75) | £46,621 | £3,885 |
| 80th | £50,322 | £4,194 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £39,027 | £47,575 | 37 |
| Women | £35,313 | £39,745 | 87 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £29,880 | £2,490 |
| Scotland | £29,849 | £2,487 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £37,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 97 job titles to SOC 3571 Human resources and industrial relations officers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Account manager
- Career development officer
- Client development executive
- Compensation and benefits analyst
- Conciliation officer
- Conciliator
- Consultation officer
- Diversity and equality adviser
- Diversity and equality officer
- Employee relations adviser
- Employee relations assistant
- Employee relations officer
- Employer relations consultant
- Employment adviser
- Employment consultant
- Employment officer
- Equal opportunities officer
- Equalities adviser
- Equalities officer
- Equalities policy adviser
- Equality adviser
- Equality and diversity adviser
- Equality and diversity officer
- Equality officer
- Establishment officer
- Head hunter
- Headhunter
- HR adviser
- HR analyst
- HR assistant
- HR consultant
- HR coordinator
- HR generalist
- HR officer
- HR specialist
- Human resource assistant
- Human resource consultant
- Human resource officer
- Human resources adviser
- Human resources analyst
- Human resources assistant
- Human resources consultant
- Human resources generalist
- Human resources officer
- Human resources specialist
- Industrial relations adviser
- Industrial relations officer
- Job evaluation analyst
- Job evaluation assistant
- Job searcher
- Labour liaison officer
- Labour management officer
- Labour officer
- Labour relations officer
- Manpower officer
- People advisor
- People assistant
- Permanents recruitment consultant
- Personnel adviser
- Personnel analyst
Show all 97 titles
- Personnel assistant
- Personnel consultant
- Personnel executive
- Personnel officer
- Personnel services officer
- Positive vetting officer
- Railway employment inspector
- Recruiter
- Recruiting officer
- Recruitment adviser
- Recruitment agent
- Recruitment assistant
- Recruitment associate
- Recruitment consultant
- Recruitment coordinator
- Recruitment executive
- Recruitment officer
- Recruitment specialist
- Recruitment team leader
- Researcher
- Resource coordinator
- Resource planner
- Resource specialist
- Resourcing coordinator
- Reward analyst
- Staff assistant
- Staff controller
- Staff officer
- Staff recruiter
- Staff superintendent
- Staffing officer
- Talent acquisition consultant
- Talent acquisition specialist
- Talent attraction consultant
- Talent attraction specialist
- Talent partner
- Vetting officer
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Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.