In the dynamic landscape of modern work, the human resources (HR) function is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by unprecedented technological advances and an increased awareness of human needs.
These changes outline the contours of a future where recruiting and talent management are radically reinvented.
This article explores three key trends that are defining this new era of recruitment and highlights the challenges and opportunities they represent for HR professionals.
The first major trend is the refocus on internal talent development.
With 58% of recruitments considered difficult, an increase of 13 points compared to 2021, 86% of employers identified the shortage of candidates as the main recruitment difficulty followed by the mismatch of profiles with the positions to be filled (Let's talk about HR).
Faced with a skills shortage and the growing importance of retention, businesses recognize the need to invest in their existing employees.
This inward pivot not only encourages loyalty but also boosts engagement and productivity, forging a work environment where personal and professional growth is at the heart of business strategy.
Forward Management of Jobs and Skills (GPEC) is a word that all HR professionals have known and mastered for many years. Today, GPEC is becoming an essential strategic tool, allowing organizations to anticipate their future skills needs and adapt their teams, and their training and promotion plans to changing market requirements.
It focuses on the identification of existing skills, the analysis of the gaps between current and required future skills, and the establishment of training and development plans.
More and more, it is the role of dedicated teams to anticipate these needs in order to guarantee the adaptation of the organization to market changes.
GPEC also facilitates internal mobility, career management, and ensures the alignment of human resources with the company's overall strategy, thus promoting its competitiveness and its ability to adapt.
Several concrete tools are used such as talent management software that facilitate skills analysis, succession planning, and career management.
These tools make it possible to carry out skills diagnostics, to plan training actions, to monitor the evolution of professional careers, and to identify recruitment needs. Coupled with objective analysis tools, and with means for HR to monitor and support identified people, this system is a major key to the development of organizations, especially in times of talent shortage.
Finally, this proactive approach ensures a match between employee capabilities and the company's long-term goals, while providing rewarding and personalized career paths.
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into HR processes promises to transform recruitment by making candidate assessments more accurate and procedures more efficient.
For Jérémy Lamri, CEO of Tomorrow Theory, digital developments are coming quickly and with them the upheaval of the HR function. It is therefore necessary to start training the HR function today and do small experiments to already understand and master the subject (The Talent podcast with Jérémy Lamri).
However, this technological revolution raises important ethical questions, especially when it comes to data privacy and algorithmic biases.
HR professionals need to navigate this space carefully, balancing the benefits of AI with compliance with ethical and legal standards.
Many organizations are now thinking about these topics. Our opinion: HR should not become an expert in technical subjects, it must understand the challenges and potential, and have resources available to support it in the framing and implementation of mechanisms in its field of application.
The adoption of predictive analytics in recruitment offers an opportunity to rethink traditional methods of assessing candidates.
Predictive analytics in recruiting starts with the careful collection of data on past and current candidates, including their skills, experiences, and post-hire success.
This data, once cleaned and prepared, is used as a foundation for exploration to detect trends and correlations, often through visualizations and descriptive statistics. Based on this, predictive models are built using advanced machine learning techniques, such as regression or neural networks, to predict the future performance of candidates in specific roles.
These models are then rigorously tested to validate their effectiveness and accuracy, using data not involved in their formation.
Once proven reliable, they are integrated into recruitment systems, where they can help automate the screening of applications for certain types of positions and provide valuable insights to guide recruiters' decisions.
This data-based approach to recruitment can be beneficial in order to avoid bias and to have an objective reading of applications.
At Authentic Talent, we use Hogan Assessments tools to have a scientific approach to assessing the personality of individuals, based on data.
This more scientific and data-driven approach allows for an improvement in the quality of hires and a significant reduction in the costs and time associated with recruitment.
This data-based approach increases the objectivity of the hiring process, while revealing hidden talents and improving the match between candidates and roles. (5 reasons to use psychometric data in HR)
Digitalization continues to reshape the HR function, with an emphasis on flexibility and adaptability.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transition to hybrid work, requiring HR to rethink, or even redesign, work policies to support this new norm.
In this context, the ability to think of hybrid work options has become, depending on the sectors and particularities of each company, crucial to attracting and retaining the best talent. Indeed, 90% of employers consider flexible work to be essential to attract and retain talent.
HR, after this very particular period of COVID, is therefore at a crossroads: we can no longer do as before, and we have never experienced, except in special cases, a hybrid organization over a long period of time. Each company, based on its values, bias and activities, must succeed in designing a sustainable and coherent system to allow its employees to thrive and to project themselves in the long term within it.
Employee wellness and mental health as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are now everyday topics for HR.
We were able to meet numerous experts, customers and partners, who are taking up the subject. Two strong testimonies stood out for us:
→ Investing in support programs and promoting an inclusive corporate culture have become strategic imperatives. To promote an inclusive culture, it is necessary to structure the key messages, the priorities but also the expected state of mind, which allows employees to know how to position themselves. This was also the recommendation of Guillaume Da Cunha, Vice President of Human Resources at Disneyland Paris (The Talent Podcast with Guillaume Da Cunha).
The success of the company is therefore linked to the well-being of its employees and has real business repercussions.
→ To promote the development of QWL without losing expectations, Élise Gouveia, Managing Director of Kimberly Clark France, advises relying on benevolent leadership by establishing a climate of trust, transparency and autonomy to guarantee commitment. For Élise, caring does not mean giving up rigorous results, but rather combining it with an open and respectful approach. Promoting accountability and constructive feedback will strengthen the overall performance of your business (The Talent Podcast with Élise Gouveia).
In 2024, the HR function is at the dawn of a revolution, marked by a convergence between technology and humanism.
HR professionals who embrace these trends, by thoughtfully integrating AI and focusing on internal talent development, while navigating ethical challenges and promoting well-being, will be at the forefront of creating more fulfilling and productive work environments.
This evolution towards more strategic and human-centered recruitment, internal or external, promises not only to improve the efficiency of recruitment processes but also to position organizations for sustainable success in the global competition for talent.
