Global HR Outlook Q3 2019

As we move into the third quarter of the year, talent strategy continues to be the major headline for HR in 2019. With talent management, talent acquisition and talent mobility continuing to mesh, we are seeing a heavy focus by employers on hiring talent leaders who can design and foster a holistic approach to the end-to-end talent cycle. Within this broad theme, no specialist expertise is sought more than talent acquisition.

With companies seeking to attract the very best talent acquisition leaders who can help them proactively build for the future, we have seen a spike in demand for these professionals across the globe. Talent acquisition has arguably lagged in compensation growth compared to other specialist areas in HR.  As the focus on talent acquisition surges and demand tightens, this is now changing at an accelerated pace.  We are also seeing the role mandate for talent acquisition professionals expanding. Heads of talent acquisition are becoming more broadly involved in areas such as strategic workforce planning, employer branding, talent mobility, onboarding, and innovation, including introducing elements of AI for hiring.

From an industry perspective, we are seeing highest demand for HR professionals in fintech, private equity, e-commerce, consumer goods, life sciences and healthtech. Notably, this boost in the fintech space is causing traditional banking and financial services organisations to reconsider their hiring practices, training/development and culture. In turn, this is leading to an increase in talent, learning and organisation development positions; and a demand for more contemporary, diverse and agile HR professionals within the broader financial services space.

We continue to see an increasing desire for HR change and transformation experts who can take a holistic view of the HR operating model design and optimise HR operations. With augmenting technology, systems, analytics, and AI all key, we see this as HR mobilisation as much as HR transformation. As organisations continue to build digital capability, there is recent demand for project roles in the HR space with technology at the core. With opportunities to drive change and add value, HR is becoming viewed as more of a strategic driver, with digital transformation being a catalyst for this shift.

Regarding culture, a hot topic is workplace flexibility. HR leaders are continuing to take note of reports suggesting a link between flexible working and improved mental and physical health. Employers are becoming more innovative with their flexible working offers to ensure that employees feel connected, engaged and valued. As the workforce becomes increasingly global, mobile and diverse, HR leaders are attempting to set high expectations for employees’ professional lives to synch with and reflect their daily personal life experiences.

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