Hiring in Human Resources: Guide and Trends in 2026

Businesses march on with HR overhaul

The Singapore market continued to grapple with inflation, rising costs and a sluggish economy in 2025. Businesses took a conservative approach to hiring, focusing their attention on re-designing their Human Resources (HR) function instead.

“A lot of firms underwent HR transformation initiatives, where they adjusted and overhauled policies, strategies and technologies to meet new business objectives,” reveals Sunil Dutta, Senior Principal Consultant at Robert Walters Singapore. “Another major trend was offshoring – many roles were moved to lower cost countries such as the Philippines, India and Malaysia.”

Read on to find out more about the labour market and hiring trends for Singapore’s Human Resources & Business Support professionals in 2026.

HR as true business partners

Business leaders now expect more from HR professionals, even as team sizes shrink or stay the same. The integration of AI also presents a threat, particularly for junior-level talent acquisition (TA) roles in high-cost countries.

“HR skillsets in business partnering and total rewards will be the focus going forward into 2026 and beyond, and these are areas that TA professionals should consider growing into,” states Sunil. “In Singapore, we’re already seeing this shift in play – HR operation roles moving into HR business partner (HRBP) lines of work, where specialists work closely with the business to manage the people function of the organisation.”

As HR continues to transform into a more fluid corporate function, demand is expected to go up for HR transformation or fractional HR leadership roles.

Top roles and skills in demand

In the year ahead, hiring activities will center on experienced HRBPs who can balance strategic and operational responsibilities.

Strong demand is expected for roles within total rewards, and compensation and benefits. This will be a key priority for businesses looking to streamline processes and manage costs.

There will also be more opportunities within the talent management space. Companies with bigger workforces will turn away from external hiring, looking internally to help employees develop their careers.

With layoffs rippling across industries, Sunil states that compassion, firmness and fairness are among the top soft skills that HR professionals should embody as they support a workforce in transition.

Strengthen talent management strategies

Professionals who are satisfied with their roles and companies favour stability and are less inclined to switch jobs. “Those who do seek opportunities tend to be motivated by growth prospects, or to re-enter the workforce after being laid off without too much of a gap in their career,” observes Sunil.

To companies looking to attract and retain talent in the year ahead, his advice is to put a robust talent management program in place. Opportunities for lateral or internal moves also go a long way in keeping top talent motivated.

For HR talent, Sunil points to the importance of goal-setting, support and autonomy.

Set clear expectations for the role from day one, then empower these professionals with the support and structure they need to carry out what you hired them to do.

Salary growth dependent on role

Sunil believes that in 2026, increments will remain flat, or tick up slightly to match inflation. Real wages may dip for some roles in HR.

“Increments will very much depend on each role or individual company policy,” he says.

Find out more

Request access to our 2026 Salary Survey to benchmark salaries and to find out more about key hiring trends in the Human Resources & Business Support industry in Singapore.