How to become a Human Resources Assistant

Official title: Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping

Also called: Human Resources Administrative Assistant (HR Administrative Assistant), Human Resources Assistant (HR Assistant), Human Resources Associate (HR Associate), Personnel Clerk

Compile and keep personnel records. Record data for each employee, such as address, weekly earnings, absences, amount of sales or production, supervisory reports, and date of and reason for termination. May prepare reports for employment records, file employment records, or search employee files and furnish information to authorized persons.

Main tasks

• Process, verify, and maintain personnel related documentation, including staffing, recruitment, training, grievances, performance evaluations, classifications, and employee leaves of absence.
• Record data for each employee, including such information as addresses, weekly earnings, absences, amount of sales or production, supervisory reports on performance, and dates of and reasons for terminations.
• Explain company personnel policies, benefits, and procedures to employees or job applicants.
• Provide assistance in administering employee benefit programs and worker's compensation plans.
• Answer questions regarding examinations, eligibility, salaries, benefits, and other pertinent information.
• Prepare and set up for new employee orientations.
• Gather personnel records from other departments or employees.
• Examine employee files to answer inquiries and provide information for personnel actions.

How to become one

Information clerks typically need a high school diploma and learn their skills on the job. Some employers may prefer to hire candidates with some college education or an associate's degree, depending on the occupation.

Typical education to start: Associate's degree

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Personnel Systems Management (3s0x2).
• College: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 35 universities in the US
• Certificate or associate's degree: Associate's degree. Programs such as Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General; Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry; Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $50,610 a year The middle half earn $44,030 to $59,800.
• About 96,500 people work in this job now, and about 90,500 are projected by 2035. (-6.2%)
• People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Related jobs

• Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan
• Library Assistants, Clerical
• Brokerage Clerks
• Correspondence Clerks
• Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
• Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Human Resources Assistant?

Information clerks typically need a high school diploma and learn their skills on the job. Some employers may prefer to hire candidates with some college education or an associate's degree, depending on the occupation.

How much does a Human Resources Assistant earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $50,610 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $44,030 to $59,800.

Is a Human Resources Assistant a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to fall 6% by 2035, from about 96,500 to about 90,500 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Human Resources Assistant?

Not always. 51% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Business & Commerce degrees; Associate's degree; Personnel Systems Management (3s0x2).

Will AI change the work of a Human Resources Assistant?

People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.