Dive Brief:
- A new study by the Hackett Group shows that in 2017, HR will continue overhauling delivery of its services, but with flat or decreased budgets. Most organizations will continue upgrading their capabilities, per the report, but some of the most critical issues won’t be addressed during the year.
- The Hackett Group says most HR professionals aren’t up to the task of aligning talent strategies with business needs, handling talent skills shortages and executing organizational change. Addressing skills shortages, retaining key staff and strategizing won’t get the attention they need.
- The study also found that most HR executives recognize the impact technology will have on their profession but don't think their organizations have the resources or strategies to make upgrades.
Dive Insight:
HR executives might be operating with fewer resources, as the Hackett Group found, but their priorities and understanding of talent and technology strategies are clear, and their determination to make changes when possible is evident. It's going to take robust people analytics to demonstrate to leadership why such changes are important.
Half of the HR executives in a recent IBM survey recognize how artificial intelligence — including machine learning, computer vision, speech recognition and natural language processing — will impact HR functions and strategies. HR executives also understand that while robotics won’t replace humans, it can make tasks more efficient and cost-effective.
Meanwhile, industry leaders are already initiating strategies aimed at closing the skills gap. A collaborative study by LinkedIn and Whiteboard Advisors showed that 71% of the survey respondents believe partnering with an outside trainer can best close the skills gap.
Most of the respondents (60%) think employers will move from basing hiring on candidates’ educational backgrounds to the skills they’ve acquired, more than half of those polled (57%) will add more educational benefits, such as debt reduction programs, than other types of benefits to their plan offerings.