Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$50,610

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$44,030 – $59,800

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

90,220

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

-6.2%

Shrinking (below 0%)

Openings a year (projected)

7,900

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

Associate's degree

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

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.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

Associate's degree

O*NET Job Zone 3

Medium preparation

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 4 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Human Resources Specialists

  $75,940 median · +6.4% projected

• Human Resources Managers

  $149,280 median · +5.5% projected

• Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs

  $54,210 median · +1.6% projected

• Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

  $58,260 median · -15.9% projected

• Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists

  $78,210 median · +6% projected

• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

  $69,500 median · +0.1% projected