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Labor Relations Specialists
Resolve disputes between workers and managers, negotiate collective bargaining agreements, or coordinate grievance procedures to handle employee complaints.
Other titles employers use
Business Agent · Business Representative · Grievance Manager · Labor Relations Specialist · Labor Specialist · Employee Relations Specialist · Industrial Relations Analyst · Industrial Relations Specialist
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Negotiate collective bargaining agreements.
- Investigate and evaluate union complaints or arguments to determine viability.
- Propose resolutions for collective bargaining or other labor or contract negotiations.
- Draft contract proposals or counter-proposals for collective bargaining or other labor negotiations.
- Interpret contractual agreements for employers and employees engaged in collective bargaining or other labor relations processes.
- Prepare evidence for disciplinary hearings, including preparing witnesses to testify.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to persuading, organizing and helping work.
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Negotiation
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
Subjects to know
- Personnel and Human Resources
- English Language
- Law and Government
- Administration and Management
Useful strengths
- Oral Expression
- Oral Comprehension
- Written Comprehension
- Written Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.0 | Largely your own space |
| On your feet | 2.3 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.5 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 1.5 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a bachelor's degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A four-year degree 33%
- A master's degree 19%
- A certificate or some college 14%
- A doctorate or professional degree 14%
- High school or less 10%
- A two-year degree 10%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Data base user interface and query software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Application server software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Document management software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 11,480
- Job openings each year
- 110
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 10.5%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 11,480 | 110 | 10.5% |
| Wisconsin | 11,450 | 960 | 3.7% |
| New Jersey | 9,780 | 800 | — |
| California | 8,500 | 710 | 2.4% |
| Colorado | 5,120 | 430 | 4.1% |
| Illinois | 4,840 | 400 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 3,860 | 320 | — |
| Ohio | 3,270 | 250 | −7.9% |
| Washington | 2,960 | 280 | 8.0% |
| Michigan | 2,880 | 230 | −5.3% |
| Indiana | 2,750 | 230 | 1.5% |
| Iowa | 2,430 | 200 | 2.1% |
| Texas | 2,290 | 200 | 9.6% |
| Florida | 2,070 | 180 | 10.7% |
| Kentucky | 2,000 | 160 | −1.5% |
| Minnesota | 1,930 | 160 | — |
| Maryland | 1,680 | 140 | 2.4% |
| Missouri | 1,480 | 130 | 8.0% |
| Oregon | 1,450 | 120 | 3.6% |
| Oklahoma | 1,220 | 100 | — |
| Kansas | 1,130 | 90 | — |
| Connecticut | 1,090 | 90 | — |
| Delaware | 1,070 | 90 | — |
| Virginia | 980 | 80 | 1.0% |
| Georgia | 960 | 80 | 10.3% |
| Mississippi | 950 | 80 | 13.1% |
| Nevada | 880 | 70 | −1.1% |
| North Carolina | 830 | 70 | 7.8% |
| South Carolina | 800 | 70 | 8.1% |
| Massachusetts | 680 | 60 | 1.5% |
| Nebraska | 630 | 50 | 1.6% |
| Rhode Island | 620 | 50 | 6.9% |
| Tennessee | 600 | 50 | 11.1% |
| Alabama | 580 | 50 | −1.7% |
| Arizona | 580 | 50 | 7.4% |
| Arkansas | 500 | 50 | 31.6% |
| District of Columbia | 400 | 30 | 2.6% |
| West Virginia | 320 | 20 | −11.1% |
| Utah | 270 | 20 | — |
| Maine | 260 | 20 | — |
| Puerto Rico | 260 | 20 | — |
| Idaho | 220 | 20 | 15.8% |
| New Hampshire | 160 | 10 | — |
| Montana | 150 | 10 | 7.1% |
| New Mexico | 150 | 10 | 7.1% |
| Alaska | 130 | 10 | — |
| North Dakota | 120 | 10 | 9.1% |
| Wyoming | 110 | 10 | — |
| Louisiana | 100 | 10 | — |
| Vermont | 70 | 10 | — |
| South Dakota | 40 | 0 | — |
| Virgin Islands | 20 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Western Governors University
- Degrees each year
- 828
- Admit rate
- Not reported
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
University of Maryland Global Campus
- Degrees each year
- 369
- Admit rate
- Not reported
- Annual cost after aid
- —
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
- Degrees each year
- 357
- Admit rate
- 65%
- Annual cost after aid
- $18,000
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
- Degrees each year
- 330
- Admit rate
- 77%
- Annual cost after aid
- $15,000
Cornell University
- Degrees each year
- 273
- Admit rate
- 8%
- Annual cost after aid
- $7,000
University of Arizona
- Degrees each year
- 250
- Admit rate
- 86%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 239
- Admit rate
- 54%
- Annual cost after aid
- $26,000
Wayne State University
- Degrees each year
- 192
- Admit rate
- 82%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
Compare every college offering human resources management and services