Is your organisation ready to address the skills gap they may face in the next 2-5 years? Can anyone know what talent their organisation is likely to require in the future? In a static workplace these are easy questions to answer, but no longer. The Covid pandemic combined with the growth of artificial intelligence (AI), robotic automation and digitalisation have disrupted the workplace, and the skills required to succeed are changing. Facing a potential skills gap and with an explosive rise in flexible working, it can often feel that challenges are stacking up for the HR specialist. Consequently, workforce and career planning should be high on the HR agenda.

We know that technology exists to undertake the more mundane, transactional aspects of a role and we are all interacting with this daily. Furthermore, the percentage of a role given over to AI and automation will, without doubt, continue to increase. However, the upside is that freeing up time spent on routine tasks will help teams to spend more time on delivering a first-class service and provide resource for key, value add strategic projects. The challenge for HR is to identify and understand which aspects of every role could be automated and to understand the impact of digital transformation on both the individual employee and the organisation.

So, how does HR plan the skills and attributes that will be needed in the not-so-distant future? How do they recruit and develop “future-proof” talent? Simply put, an organisation must plan to ensure they have the right people and processes in place to take advantage of the opportunities presented by technology in the workplace.HR should create an effective people strategy that incorporates why, when, and how you will recruit, develop, and reward your talent.

Start with a review of the skills and competencies that will be required by your organisation to keep it moving forward and then compare these with the existing skills base. This will help to identify where you have the right skills in place and, more importantly, those that are currently lacking. On this basis you can ensure that recruitment is targeted at acquiring people that will help address the skills gap. In addition, invest in your workforce and look at the training and re-skilling of existing employees.

Capitalise on the existing knowledge and experience within your organisation. Undertake performance reviews to gain an understanding of employee strengths and where development or redeployment is needed. Proactively manage and develop your workforce with continuous learning and development that addresses potential skills shortages and future proofs your talent.

Integrating Recruitment, Onboarding and HR systems can significantly enhance recruitment and talent management. With the right tools in place, you can produce analytics to help make smarter decisions; for example, decisions that improve the overall hiring experience for your new recruits and your organisation. Recognise and appreciate how much technology can help you be more efficient. Whilst you may not know the exact skills your organisation will require in five years’ time; you can still prepare for the future and adopt a proactive approach to workface planning and talent management

For effective recruitment and talent management, a modern one-stop-shop system can support strategies, underpin process, and help deliver results in the face of skills gaps and a potentially disengaged workforce. Whilst it may not be possible to have all the answers today, you can take advantage of the opportunities that technology provides as you look to the future.