Market for Industrial Relations Professionals

[valcon23]

Has anyone any opinions on the current and future market for Industrial Relations Officers/Managers in the Construction Industry? It seems to be booming but what are the current key strengths employers are looking for from IR people in this area and will the market for such professionals last for much longer?
Your opinions would be greatly appreciated.

[Qld IR Consultant]

Being a specialist IR consultant I can safely tell you the market is increasing, and slowly but surely employers are realising that they need trained, knowledgable IR practitioners to support their HR departments. I have always advocated that HR and IR are two separate disciplines, yes they work together, but they have distinct levels of accountability and required expertise.

Necessary skills I think depends on the industry, but I would suggest you need the whole box of tricks. Negotiations skills, strategic questioning, report writing, investigations, communication, and most of all, experience in dealing with unions. The list is endless......