Human resources are the people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, or economy. “Human capital” is sometimes used anonymously with “human resources”, although human capital typically refers to a more narrow view (i.e., the knowledge the individuals embody and economic growth). Likewise, other terms sometimes used include “manpower”, “talent”, “labor”, “personnel”, or simply “people”.

A human-resources department (HR department) of an organization performs human resource management, overseeing various aspects of employment, such as compliance with labour law and employment standards, administration of employee benefits, and some aspects of recruitment.