10 recommended HR qualifications [2026 edition] Qualification acquisition guidance useful for human resources, labor, HR careers, and job changes

2026年3月16日

What qualifications are useful for human resources work?

In this article, we will systematically explain HR skills, career advancement, and HR qualifications that are useful for changing jobs and hiring. From Japanese qualifications to world-class HR qualifications, we will introduce the benefits of obtaining qualifications and how to choose them.

What are the qualifications for human resources, talent, and labor management? Qualification Guidance for HR Skills and Career

The role of human resources in corporate management is becoming increasingly important every year. Whether it’s recruitment, human resource development, organizational development, or labor management, HR is an important function that supports sustainable organizational growth. In particular, in recent years, the concept of “human capital management” has spread, and companies are increasingly viewing human resources as capital that creates value rather than just a cost.

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As a result, HR professionals are required to have a higher level of expertise and skills. Obtaining a human resources qualification is one of the effective ways to systematically learn human resources expertise and develop your own career.

In this article, we will sort out the differences between human resources, human resources, and labor, and explain the qualifications, skills, and benefits of obtaining qualifications that are useful for human resources careers.

What is human resources, talent, and labor management?

Human resources work is broad and consists of the following three main areas.

Human Resources Management (Human Capital Management is increasingly being used globally)

This function is responsible for human resource allocation, evaluation systems, compensation systems, organizational design, etc. It plays a role in optimally allocating the organization’s human resources while working with the company’s management strategy.

Human Resources Management

This area focuses on recruitment, human resource development, and career development. Since a company’s competitiveness is determined by its human resources, human resource development has become an important management theme.

Labor Management

This area deals with labor law, working time management, social insurance systems, etc. It is an important function to protect corporate compliance and the working environment.

Modern HR professionals must have an integrated understanding of these three areas.

HR Skill Necessary for HR

HR jobs require diverse skills.

Key HR skills

Talent Acquisition
Learning and Development
Organization Development
Performance Management
Total Rewards
Labor Management
People Analytics

In recent years, data-driven human resource management has also become important. More and more companies are analyzing talent data to design more scientific HR strategies.

One way to systematically learn this knowledge is to obtain a human resources qualification.

HR careers and the job market

By global standards, HR careers typically evolve in stages, including:

HR Specialist
As a human resources officer, you will be responsible for operational work in areas such as recruitment, labor management, and human resource development.

↓

HR Professional is a
A professional who has specialized knowledge and practical experience in human resources and is responsible for managing the human resources of an organization across multiple HR domains.

↓

Strategic HR
It is a human resources function that directly contributes to the organization’s growth by designing human resources strategies aligned with management strategies.

↓

HR Business Partner
Responsible for integrating business and people strategies in collaboration with management and business units.

↓

CHRO (Chief Human Resources Officer)
As a senior executive who oversees human capital management, he leads the company’s human resources strategy.

In recent years, the importance of human capital management has been rapidly increasing in Japanese companies. In particular, strengthening global human resource management has become an important management issue for major companies, and efforts are being made to secure human resources professionals with international perspectives.

In the past, Japanese companies often had people in charge assigned to the human resources department due to internal transfers, and there were not always many people who could build careers as human resources professionals. However, as the importance of corporate talent strategies increases in global competition, the evaluation of HR expertise has changed significantly.

In particular, there is a growing trend to hire human resources from outside the company who can take on global HR management, that is, specialized personnel who systematically possess the KSAs (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities) of human resources. This is because a high level of expertise beyond conventional human resources work, such as human resource management at overseas bases and global human resource strategy design, is required.

On the other hand, in the Japanese labor market, there are still very few people with both human resources expertise and practical experience. Therefore, human resources with human resources expertise tend to be highly valued in the job market.

Especially if you are looking to change jobs to a major company or a global company, having a professional qualification in human resources is a great advantage. This is because obtaining qualifications is not just proof of knowledge, but is often evaluated as a demonstration of the intention and expertise to build a career as a professional in human resources.

In the era of human capital management, human resources are positioned not only as a management department but also as a strategic function responsible for enhancing corporate value. In this changing environment, obtaining a professional qualification in human resources and acquiring systematic knowledge and skills has the potential to greatly expand your career as an HR professional.

The concept of HR Profession

In Europe and the United States, human resources are positioned as HR professions rather than just administrative departments. Like doctors, lawyers, and accountants, the role of human resources is recognized as professionals with expertise and ethics.

Under this concept, HR personnel are required to have specialized knowledge and practical skills in human resource management, labor management, organizational development, leadership development, etc. In addition, understanding corporate management and contributing to the organization’s competitiveness through human resource strategies will be an important role.

HR organizations around the world are also working to systematically educate human resources as professionals. HR qualifications and HR education programs are considered important means to systematically learn such expertise and enhance your skills as an HR professional.

In Japan, as the importance of human capital management increases, an increasing number of companies are placing importance on the expertise of human resources. Especially in global companies, training and securing HR professionals who are responsible for human resources strategy has become an important management issue.

Against this background, for those who want to build a full-fledged HR career, obtaining a professional qualification in human resources can be said to be an important step to demonstrate their expertise.

Three categories of personnel qualifications

Human resources qualifications can be broadly classified into the following three areas.
These are the main areas of expertise required by HR professionals in the era of human capital management.

1 Human capital management

Human Capital Management

This is an area that maximizes the value of human resources, such as recruitment, human resource development, and organizational development.

2 Labor management

Labor & Employment Management

This area deals with labor law, working environment, compliance, etc.

3 Management

Business Management

This is an area that deals with the business understanding necessary for human resources to contribute to management.

10 recommended qualifications for human resources, labor, and HR cluster model

(1) Human capital management

Human Capital Management

This is an area where human resources are regarded as the source of corporate value and lead to organizational growth.

Main Temas

Human Resources Strategy
Talent acquisition
Education and Development
Organizational Development
Evaluation system
Compensation system
People Analytics

Representative qualifications

GHR-Professional™ https://www.ghrjapan.org/
SHRM https://www.shrm.org/
CIPD https://www.cipd.co.uk/
Career Consultant

(2) Labor management

Labor & Employment Management

This is the area where labor laws and the working environment are managed, and the organization’s compliance and the working environment of employees are protected.

Main Temas

Labor Law
Working time management
Social insurance
Occupational Health and Safety
Labor Compliance

Representative qualifications

Social Insurance and Labor Consultant
Workplace Hygiene Administrator
Mental Health Management Certification

(3) Management

Business & Management

This is an area of business understanding that human resources need to contribute to management.

Main Temas

Management Strategy
Organizational Management
Financial Understanding
Business Strategy

Representative qualifications

GHR-ProAdvance™
MBA
Small and Medium Business Diagnostician

Global HR Qualification Comparison(SHRM・CIPD・GHR)

There are several representative HR qualifications in the world, but the ones that are particularly known internationally are SHRM, CIPPD, and GHR. Each qualification is targeted in different regions and educational systems, so it is important to choose one that aligns with your career goals.

Eligibility	Organizations	Regions	Features	Main Targets
SHRM Certification English only Can be obtained only by passing the exam	SHRM（Society for Human Resource Management）	American-centered and global	The world’s largest HR organization. Qualifications based on a competency model that emphasizes practical ability.	HR representatives of global companies
CIPD Qualification English only Submission of assignments, etc. is required	CIPD（Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development）	UK, EU-centric, Asia	Specialized educational institutions for HR and human resource development. It is characterized by systematic education at the degree level.	European HR Career
GHR Certification Japanese, English, Bilingual Requires study of the program and passing the exam	HRAI（Human Resource Accreditation Institute）	Japan, Asia, and Global	Global HR education centered on human capital management. An HR education system that connects Japan and the world.	Global HR Leader

For more detailed World HR qualifications, please see the related column.

HRAI Global HR Competency Model™

Human Capital Leadership Framework

HRAI Global Human Competency Model ™

Human Capital Leadership Framework

Relationship with the GHR Academy Education System provided by HRAI

GHR Academy Education Program	Levels	Contents
Global HR Education Program BASIC	Foundation	Global HR Fundamentals
Global HR Education Program	Intermediate	Comprehensive understanding of global HR
Global HR Education Program ADVANCE	Superior	Global Human Capital Management

Specialized Qualifications

GHR Academy Education Program	Areas of Expertise
HR Business Partner Certification	Strategic Human Resources
People Analytics Basic	HR Data Analysis

For more information about HR education programs, please visit the official HRAI website.
https://hr-ai.org/

HRAI’s Global HR Thinking

HR is not just a management department, but a strategic function that creates corporate value through human capital, and HR professionals are required to have an integrated understanding of the three specialized areas of human capital management, labor management, and business management.

Learn more about global HR trends in the world https://hr-ai.org/new-column/hcm1/

HRAI Mission

HRAI trains HR leaders who are responsible for human capital management through global HR education.

HR Connecting, Japan to the World.

What is HR in the era of human capital management?

In recent years, the importance of human capital management in corporate management has increased worldwide. This is because the value of a company is greatly influenced not only by equipment and capital, but also by the capabilities of human resources and organizational knowledge.

Internationally, there is a growing trend to disclose how companies invest in human capital and how they develop human resources. In Japan, the disclosure of human capital information has become mandatory, and companies need to think about their human resource strategies at a more management level.

In the midst of these changes, the role of human resources is also changing significantly.
Conventional human resources were often positioned as “management functions” such as recruitment and labor management.

But now, HR

Design your talent strategy
Increase organizational capabilities
Implement management strategy

It is now taking on a strategic role.

In this shift, HR professionals are required to be able to integrate the following three areas of expertise:

Human Capital Management

Areas that maximize the value of human resources, such as recruitment, human resource development, and organizational development.

Labor Management

Labor & Employment Management

areas that govern labor law, compliance, and working environment;

Management

Business Management

Areas where human resources contribute to management, such as management strategy and financial understanding.

By integrating these three areas, human resources is not just a management department.

It can serve as a strategic function to create corporate value.

Therefore, in modern HR careers, it is important to systematically learn specialized knowledge through HR qualifications and HR education to enhance your abilities as an HR professional.

Summary

Human resources, human resources, and labor are important areas that support organizational growth. In the era of human capital management, HR professionals are required to have a high level of expertise and skills.

Human resources qualifications are an effective way to systematically learn human resources knowledge and develop your career. It is important to choose the right qualification according to your career goals and grow as an HR professional.

FAQ

Should I get a human resources qualification?

HR qualifications are not required, but they are an effective way to systematically learn HR expertise. In today’s world where human capital management is particularly emphasized, the value of HR professionals with human resources expertise is increasing.

What qualifications are useful for HR jobs?

Typical qualifications include:

・GHR-Professional
・SHRM
・CIPD
・Social insurance labor consultant (Japan specific)
・MBA

These qualifications are useful in human capital management, labor management, and business management.

Are HR qualifications advantageous for changing jobs?

Recently, Japanese companies have recognised the value of talent strategy. As a result, professionals with HR qualifications—especially international ones—are now more highly valued in the job market and by global firms.

How does an HR career grow?

Generally, it is a career step as follows.

HR Specialist

↓

HR Professional

↓

HR Business Partner

↓
HR Director

↓

CHRO

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