Those are the top HR trends in 2018

Group of people smiling, sitting against a white brick wall.

According to Deloitte’s Human Capital Trends 2017, a small number (7%) of Swiss enterprises are prepared for the future of human resources management, whilst 98% claim that “agility and collaboration” are the most critical skills for modern HR trends. However, 72% of firms consulted had already experimented with digital HR, and 15% are using organisational network analysis. Switzerland is in a sweet-spot for development in terms of digitalisation HR, and ready to take on three major coming trends.

The areas of transformation will be “Digital HR” “Digital Workplace” and “Digital Workforce”. A crucial factor which will impact people is related to Artificial Intelligence (AI), defined through new measures of analytical tools, mobile technology, and cognitive processing. Already 58% of Swiss firms are redesigning their HR programs to leverage digital and mobile tools. Whilst only 33% had fully made a progression in cognitive and AI technologies, 89% of Swiss firms believe that their use of external talent will grow significantly in the next 3-5 years.

According to this data, Switzerland can be as a future leader in HR innovation. The value chain within recruitment processes will also go through major changes. 94% of Swiss HR leader believe that factors such as diversity and inclusion will be strong competitive factors, and included at management-level are values such as commitment, courage, curiosity, cultural intelligence and collaboration. These new trends will make Switzerland attractive for HR talents who would like to benefit from an approach where human capital turns into human value, and increases productivity due to happy employees. These employees of the future will be willing to take on new HR initiatives and grow with them simultaneously.

A globally challenging sector

HR methods in different markets are changing around the world, and none more so than in Latin America, where exposure to international project and companies, new and challenging stakeholders, alongside new working environments and improved understanding of best practices, has brought about a revolution in the region.

There are strong and noticeable differences in the HR department focus and experience across the whole of Latin America. Brazil has enjoyed a long-term, strong relationship with unions and vast employee relations due to this, whereas in Argentina, HR directives have emphasised in-house talent management, learning programmes and talent acquisition.

What we saw in Asia a decade ago, will now happen in Latin America – the establishment of regional hubs, the emergence of key players with improved economic performance compared to regional competitors, and a refocus of hiring patterns and methodologies to ensure local talent takes up senior management roles.

New global methods of learning

The UK leads the design of digital strategies, but the migration process lags behind, possibly due to the large number of service companies which have slower uptake of SaaS (Software as a Service ) due to their nature (employee heavy companies, less used to new disruptive technologies). Germany is a late bloomer in readying its workforce for the future of work – but is gearing itself to become a leading force when digital strategy becomes the norm across businesses and sectors.

Interestingly, it is companies in Europe that are leading the pack in terms of building the workplace of the future. In France, their openness to cloud-based computing in the development, marketing and HR sectors specifically (of the SaaS ecosystem 49.5% of are for these three areas), is a significant advantage. However, when it comes to supporting remote working or Service-Level-Agreement (SLA) based delivery, there is a long way to go.

The natural resources, widespread advocacy of digital technology and forward-thinking management styles have made the Gulf region a powerful draw for a towering expat population. One global trend for 2018 set to abound in the United Arab Emirates and surrounding Gulf Cooperation Council countries is that of BYOD training (Bring Your Own Device), an advantageous method that reduces the cost of traditional information and communications technology training by lowering hardware spend. BYOD will enjoy increased popularity over the coming quarters, as it allows talent teams to divert money towards content and resources, improving the quality of employee training.

Simulation training will also see an explosion over the coming 12 months, specifically due to discrepancies between the number of trainees and a lack of certified training instructors – although this is a challenge replicated around the world. Simulated training also fits perfectly with the Gulf nations’ oil and gas industries due to the risk factor of training for certain positions such as welder or technician. It is also interesting for healthcare, allowing training to take place away from ‘real’ procedures that may harm a patient.

Ranking global hotspots for HR professionals

For Trend Watch PageGroup surveyed 18352 job seekers worldwide, who applied on our Michael Page and Page Personnel websites during the 3rd quarter of 2017.

Of the 1195 HR professionals who participated in the study, more than 65% were willing to relocate, for job opportunities, a better salary or a different lifestyle.