In a world where change is the only constant, HR and Talent Acquisition are undergoing a profound transformation. Economic uncertainties are shifting workforce dynamics from 'The Great Resignation' to 'The Big Stay,' bringing power back to employers. Yet, within this evolving landscape lies immense opportunity for innovative leaders.
The economic uncertainty of recent years has meant the ‘The Great Resignation’ has given way to ‘The Big Stay’ with workers choosing safety over new opportunities. This shift has moved the power back towards the employer, with tensions around flexibility, transparency and pay all simmering as organisational pressures mount and employee demands evolve.
While the economic outlook is uncertain, it’s clear that HR and Talent Acquisition (TA) professionals will continue to operate in an era of unparalleled change. Technological advancements, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), changing government policy and evolving employee expectations are transforming workplaces. At the same time, tight budgets and expanding role requirements challenge leaders to innovate.
To succeed, HR and TA professionals must adapt to this dynamic environment, leveraging new tools and methodologies while maintaining a human-centric approach. Over the past year, our research has highlighted key opportunities for HR and TA leaders to thrive. This guide provides an executive summary to help shape your strategy and links to opportunities for further reading that covers specific areas in-depth.
A strong employer brand can transform metrics across the talent lifecycle. By clearly defining and communicating an organisation's vision, mission, purpose, and values, HR leaders position themselves at the strategic core of the business. This effort not only attracts top talent but also fosters employee engagement and retention.
Take Action:
HR software now offers robust workforce analytics that can be leveraged to inform decisions about employee engagement, satisfaction, and productivity. Talent Intelligence creates a further opportunity for deeper insight by incorporating external data, including industry trends and competitor insights.
Take Action:
Supporting employee well-being goes beyond offering discounted fitness options and mindfulness training. With growing awareness of neurodiversity, HR teams can lead the way in creating inclusive, supportive environments that respect individual needs.
Take Action:
The move towards skills-based hiring is accelerating. Internally, HR can develop skills maps to better align employees with projects and growth opportunities within the business.
Take Action:
Source: AIHR
51% of respondents stated they still use spreadsheets to handle payroll processes while 19% use manual or paper-based methods. Source: HR News
AI and automation are revolutionising HR processes. From reducing bias in recruitment to streamlining training, technology can improve efficiency and enhance the employee experience. However, with many organisations struggling to implement digital transformations the successful adoption requires organisations to both attract and retain tech talent to facilitate integration and align technology use with human-focused strategies.
Take Action:
Want to read this offline or share with a colleague? Simply fill in some details to download a copy.
Employers believe 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted by 2030, and that six in 10 workers will require additional training before 2027. Source: WE Forum
Upskilling employees to adapt to technological changes helps organisations remain competitive while fostering loyalty and engagement.
Take Action:
70% of respondents believe that current leaders and managers are not adequately equipped to effectively develop mid-level leaders and only 23% of HR leaders are confident there are rising leaders who can meet the future needs of the organisation. Source: Gartner
Remote and hybrid work have redefined management. HR can guide people managers to adopt tools and practices that foster collaboration, effective communication, and leadership in a dispersed workforce.
Take Action:
The role of TA professionals has evolved from operational tasks to strategic initiatives. Today’s TA leaders must optimise the candidate experience, embed diversity and inclusion, and use data to shape recruitment strategies.
With 73% of recruiters prioritising skills over credentials, the switch to skills-based hiring is well underway. This approach expands talent pools and bridges skills gaps whilst improving diversity by elevating non-traditional learning and career paths. TA leaders must be at the forefront of this change, championing a new approach to recruitment that goes far beyond the removal of unnecessary degree requirements.
Our guide to Skills-Based Hiring outlines this trend in further detail.
AI’s growing role in TA includes automated job postings, candidate screening, and tailored communication. However, its true potential lies in freeing up time for meaningful human interactions.
Take Action:
TA professionals are optimising attraction levels and increasing offer acceptance by benchmarking competitors and understanding the external talent market. This process uses primary research techniques to fully understand responsibilities, structure and total reward to inform your offer and key strategic decisions regarding talent. Those who aren’t benchmarking roles or only do so based on headline salary are being left behind by those undertaking comprehensive research for specific role families.
Our Talent Intelligence service offers TA professionals a route to understanding the market for specific roles, and identifies relevant talent as part of the process. Learn more in our guide to Talent Intelligence or schedule a call today to find out how we can support you.
TA professionals play a critical role in ensuring fair recruitment practices. Blind CVs, inclusive language, and skills-based hiring all help remove bias and promote equitable hiring.
Take Action:
With fierce competition for top talent, the candidate experience is crucial. Streamlined processes, clear communication, and timely feedback enhance the journey from application to offer.
Take Action:
Want to read this offline or share with a colleague? Simply fill in some details to download a copy.
While the structure of the two functions will differ from business to business, both HR and TA roles are critical to the talent lifecycle. Therefore, close collaboration between HR and TA is essential to align recruitment, onboarding, and the broader employee experience.
The modern HR leader transcends traditional support functions, driving organisational strategy.
Key attributes include:
Tomorrow’s TA leaders embody the values of their businesses. They uncover untapped talent by embracing diverse and non-traditional paths in the hiring process and are committed to continuously improving the candidate experience and onboarding process.
Key attributes include:
Our guides are necessarily top-line, offering a glimpse of the type of insight we provide for our clients, on a 1:1 basis we can offer so much more.
We offer a research-led approach to talent acquisition and detailed talent intelligence that incorporates real-time primary research, supporting our clients to source exceptional talent without costly placement fees and make informed strategic decisions based on our research.
Common use cases include:
If you’d like to find out how we can help your organisation get ahead contact us on 0191 691 5600 or email hello@talentinsightgroup.co.uk for a no-obligation conversation.
Simply fill in the form and a member of our team will be in touch.
© Talent Insight Group 2025
