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Context and Methodology
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What is the IHRP Body of Competencies?
The IHRP Body of Competencies (BoC) outlines the competency standards required for HR professionals to be future-focused, ready to deliver impactful employee experiences and create sustainable value for the organisation.
The BoC was first created in 2016 and is refreshed at regular intervals, in both 2020 and 2024, to accurately reflect trends in the HR landscape and elevate the expectations and certification criteria for HR professionals. By aligning with the latest trends, the BoC empowers HR professionals to stay at the forefront of their field and excel in their roles.
The IHRP BoC offers four certification levels: IHRP-CA, IHRP-CP, IHRP-SP and IHRP-MP. Each certification level builds upon the foundation of the BoC.
How was the Body of Competencies developed?
Since its inception, the BoC has been grounded in research and collaboration with prominent HR thought leaders, subject matter experts, and sector stakeholders. IHRP regularly monitors the trends in the HR landscape to identify opportunities to enhance and refine the IHRP BoC and certification programmes.
This commitment to excellence and inclusivity also guided the approach for the 2024 BoC refresh. During the 2024 refresh, six key trends were identified as anchors shaping the workforce landscape. Additionally, comparative analyses were conducted across other leading international competency frameworks, enabling a more comprehensive review and understanding of prevalent industry best practices.
Extensive industry engagements and validation exercises were also conducted to seek feedback from a diverse set of industry stakeholders, to ensure the BoC remains relevant, practical, and aligned with industry needs.
Learn more about the refresh methodology in the graphic below:
Cross-sector Industry Engagement
14+
Focus Group Sessions
91
Organisations
125+
Business Leaders and HR Professionals
Leading Research Papers and Articles
Emerging thought leadership published by sources including:
- Mercer
- World Economic Forum
- Harvard Business Review
- Pew Research Center
- McKinsey & Company
- Forbes
- Josh Bersin
- Jason Averbook
- Ravin Jesuthasan
International HR Framework Review
Comparative analysis of the following frameworks:
- CIPD Profession Map
- SkillsFuture Skills Framework for Human Resource
- AHRI HR Capability Framework
- David Ulrich’s HR Competency Study
- SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge (BASK)
6 Key Trends and Themes
Making an inspirational, future-focused BoC
The six identified trends are reflective of how the global environment is being disrupted by factors like technology, and how the world of work is evolving, as well as how employee and consumer expectations of organisations are changing. These trends inform the way HR needs to evolve, in order to stay competitive in a fast-paced environment.
The graphic below highlights some examples of how these trends and themes has shaped the update and refinement of the IHRP BoC framework. The sections in blue highlight examples of how the trends and themes shaped the 2024 BoC refresh:
Building a Resilient Workforce
Various formats of disruption and uncertainty have been rising, and continue to be present, including geopolitical tensions and instability, a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, and rapid technology advancements. HR plays a crucial role in promoting workforce resilience by assisting employees in adapting to these changes.
What Changed In 2024?
A new sub-competency called “Holistic Wellbeing” has been added into the “Engage” category of the BoC, to reflect the need for HR to focus on employees’ total wellbeing (e.g., physical, mental, social, financial).
Driving People-Centred Productivity
As organisations continue to face challenges such as a shrinking workforce, the changing nature of work, and increasing cost pressures, they must ‘do more with less’. This means harnessing the potential of their existing talent to maximise value. HR must unlock greater productivity by designing work that delivers the highest value for organisations while engaging employees with meaningful work.
What Changed In 2024?
A Mindset and Behaviour has been uplifted and renamed to “Enable Business Value Creation”, highlighting the need for HR to become more proactive in driving the business, and adopt an interdisciplinary approach to understand how workforce outcomes can impact the business and other parts of the organisation.
Building Skills-Powered Organisations
Organisations are increasingly pursuing a skills-powered approach, enabling them to navigate changes with greater flexibility and adaptability and gaining access to a more diverse pool of talent. HR acts as a talent orchestrator, matching skills to work efficiently, fostering a culture that values skill development, and guiding the organisation to invest in skills.
What Changed In 2024?
Competencies such as “Career Management”, “Learning and Development” and “Sourcing” have been further expanded to include how organisations can use a skills-based approach for various talent practices along the HR value chain to foster greater career health.
Accelerating Transformation
As technologies like AI emerge and cost pressures rise, organisations must undergo transformation to stay competitive. These transformations inevitably impact employees, and it is the role of HR to lead and facilitate these changes, ensuring an enhanced and supportive employee experience during times of change.
What Changed In 2024?
The foundational competency “Technology and Operational Excellence” has been expanded to include the use of AI-embedded technologies, opportunities and risks linked to using AI. Within “Organisation Development” there is also an added emphasis on HR being a change enabler and playing a key role in facilitating organisation-wide changes and transformation.
Putting Values at the Forefront
Organisations are facing greater scrutiny from stakeholders to be value-led, ethical, and responsible, positively contributing to society and the environment. HR needs to balance the various expectations, aligning People processes with values and principles while supporting the organisation's sustainability agenda.
What Changed In 2024?
A new foundational competency on “Sustainability” has been added to the BoC, to highlight the role played by HR in growing awareness and integrating Environmental, Social and Governance principles (ESG) into the workplace. The revised “Lead with Principles and Values” Mindset and Behaviour also includes elements relating to considering values that the organisation represent, standing up for one’s beliefs, safeguarding the needs of employees, and making ethical decisions guided by evidence.
Creating an Inclusive and Fair Workplace
With increasing employee demands for workplace inclusivity and fairness, organisations need to uplift their understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), establish a strong foundation built on inclusivity and fairness, and gain a better understanding of the needs of diverse employees. HR is expected to foster a culture of equity and inclusivity, embedding DEI into all aspects of People strategies.
What Changed In 2024?
Across the BoC, competencies such as “Sourcing”, “Learning and Development”, and “Retirement” have been expanded to include practices and behaviours that focus on and instill diversity and inclusion within the organisation.
How can I use the Body of Competencies?
Depending on your background, experience level and current role, you may use the BoC in different ways. Examples include:
HR Professionals
- Guide Professional Development: Leverage the BoC to identify specific HR competencies and staying ahead in your HR career.
- Design People Strategy & Initiatives: Use the BoC as your guide to design and implement impactful HR policies and initiatives for your organisation.
- Enhance HR Processes: Utilise the BoC to identify areas for process improvements and to drive efficiency.
Aspiring HR Professionals or Undergraduates
- Understand Practical Competencies: Develop your HR capabilities by understanding the different types of behaviours and competencies needed in the field.
- Build Industry Awareness: Develop greater industry awareness by exploring the BoC and staying up-to-date with current practices and trends in HR.
Managers of HR Professionals
- Motivate Performance: Use the BoC as a discussion aid to motivate your HR professionals’ performance and help them reach their full potential.
- Enhance Learning: Identify learning needs and provide targeted development opportunities for your HR team based on the competencies outlined in the BoC.
Training Providers
- Design Future-proof and Accredited Curricula: Create impactful and up-to-date HR training programmes and courses aligned with the BoC competencies.
Business Leaders
- Improve HR Capabilities: Elevate your People strategy and HR function by leveraging the BoC to understand the role of HR and identify practical ways to drive business outcomes.
To learn more about how various HR professionals and organisations in Singapore are creating impact by applying these future-focused competencies, visit the Caselets section.
How is the Body of Competencies structured?
The BoC is organised into three competency areas represented in the form of concentric circles. It is this inter-relatedness of the various competencies, that when brought together holistically, will enable HR professionals to create value and deliver positive impact to the business. In addition to these three areas, Advanced Competencies have been identified for HR professionals at the highest level of certification.
HR Mindsets & Behaviours
These are characteristics that manifest in the way HR professionals think and behave as they approach their HR work, deal with people, and manage work-related situations.
Functional Competencies
These are required for HR professionals to successfully deliver their functional roles, reflective of the HR lifecycle. For each phase, the performance statements for interrelated tasks are set out in a way that, when taken as a whole, they deliver a desired functional outcome for the organisation.
Foundational Competencies
The Foundational Competencies underpin and span across the HR Functional Competencies. They serve as core enablers supporting HR functional activities.
Advanced Competencies
The Advanced Competencies are designed for HR professionals at the highest level of certification (IHRP-Master Professional) and embody the strategic, business-focused, and people-related capabilities required of senior HR leaders.
IHRP Certification Level Definitions
The BoC aims to strengthen and professionalise HR practice in Singapore. It is an important reference tool for HR professionals who are preparing for the IHRP certification assessments. The BoC follows a “building block” or cumulative approach; this means that at the higher levels, such as IHRP-SP, the ability to demonstrate the performance statements of the lower levels is implied.
You can find out more about the different certification levels, and the related sub-competencies, by navigating the diagrams below.
IHRP Certified Associate (IHRP-CA)
New and aspiring HR professionals, or HR consultants, with less than 3 years of HR working experience and support the HR team in day-to-day HR operations and HR intervention strategies. Also applicable for students and mid-career switchers who are interested in pursuing HR related roles.
IHRP Certified Professional (IHRP-CP)
HR professionals with more than 3 years of HR working experience, 150 HR training hours and responsible for developing and implementing HR policies and programmes to deliver HR services and operate the HR function.
Consultants at an equivalent experience level whose work is directly relevant to HR are also eligible.
IHRP Senior Professional (IHRP-SP)
Seasoned and experienced HR leaders with more than 8 years of HR working experience, 2 years of strategic experience, 150 HR training hours and/or responsible for leading a HR function, designing and developing HR policies and programmes, as well as provide day-to-day guidance to the team for HR service delivery.
Consultants at an equivalent experience level whose work is directly relevant to HR are also eligible.
IHRP Master Professional (IHRP-MP)
(by invitation only)
Top HR leaders from MNC, Public Sector and Small-Medium Enterprises, who are recognised and well-regarded by the HR community for their active contributions to the HR industry. They make up 1-2% of our IHRP Certified Community.
Individuals can apply for the certification level that fits their profile, and need not start from the IHRP-CA level.
You can find out more about the different IHRP certification levels and assessments here.
Beyond the IHRP Body of Competencies, what competencies do other international HR professional bodies highlight?
A number of HR professional bodies exist internationally, who also offer competency frameworks and certification options for their HR professionals to undertake. IHRP has partnerships with three such HR bodies: CIPD, AHRI and SHRM. You can find out more about the competency frameworks which these organisations publish for HR professionals by visiting their websites.
Part of the process undertaken for the IHRP BoC refresh was to review and conduct a comparative analysis of these international HR frameworks The table below reflects a summary mapping of the competencies from the respective international HR frameworks against the six key trends.
| IHRP | CIPD | AHRI | SHRM |
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| Building a Resilient Workforce |
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| Driving People-Centred Productivity |
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Building Skills-Powered Organisations
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Accelerating Transformation
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Putting Values at the Forefront
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| Creating an Inclusive and Fair Workplace |
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