Human resources skills now rank third among the most required expertise in U.S. job postings. They appear in 27.3% of listings from late 2025, trailing only broader business operations and customer service categories, according to Indeed Hiring Lab . This surge catches many off guard. Employers crave people who handle engagement and management, not just in HR departments but across operations. Business operations skills dominate, showing up in over 70% of postings analyzed from millions of Indeed listings in the fourth quarter of 2025. Customer service follows at 37.1%, administrative at 35.8%. HR fits squarely inside this bucket. Nearly all project management roles—97.7%—demand at least one such skill. HR jobs hit 96.3%. Customer service? 96.1%. Surgeons and home health aides see far less: 25.8% and 24.1%. And it’s spreading. Most management postings call for HR know-how. Over 20% of administrative assistant ads do too.…