Survey: HR roles and responsibilities 2009

With HR poised to play a critical role in helping organisations meet the toughest business challenges witnessed in recent history, our seventh annual survey of HR roles and responsibilities examines how the function is shaping up.

On this page:
Our research
Defining an HR practitioner
Ratio of HR practitioners to employees
Chart 1: Number of employees per HR practitioner, 2003-09
Seniority levels
Changes in HR staffing levels
Chart 2: Main reasons for change in HR staff numbers
Highest levels of HR representation
Reporting lines
Relationship with line managers
Responsibilities within HR department
Qualifications for HR practitioners
How HR practitioners spend their time
Additional resources on XpertHR

Ratio of HR staff to employees
– Table 1: by organisation size
– Table 2: by broad sector
Highest level at which HR is represented in the organisation
–Table 3: by organisation size
–Table 4: by broad sector
Reporting line of the most senior HR executive
– Table 5: by organisation size
– Table 6: by broad sector
Allocation of responsibility within the HR department
– Table 7: by organisation size
– Table 8: by broad sector.