85% of Chief People Officers Seek to Upskill as HR Leadership Expands Beyond Traditional Roles
The report, based on insights from 190 senior HR professionals across Australia and New Zealand, underscores the challenges CPOs face, particularly in talent attraction, workforce planning, and organisational culture.
Key Findings:
- 85% of CPOs are focused on upskilling, particularly in strategic leadership, influencing decision-making, and aligning HR strategies with business objectives.
- 62% find it increasingly difficult to source skilled talent, with human skills such as resilience, adaptability, and leadership in high demand.
- EVP is the next big focus: Employee Value Proposition (EVP) will be the top strategy used for talent attraction and retention in 2025.
- High turnover risk: Two-thirds of CPOs are considering leaving their roles, driven by a desire for better corporate culture, more meaningful responsibilities, and improved work-life balance.
- AI is on the radar, but currently not a major challenge, with only 46% of CPOs expecting automation to replace human roles in the near future.
HR at the Forefront of Business Transformation
The Future of HR Leadership
About Hays
Hays plc (the "Group") is the world’s leading specialist in recruitment and workforce solutions, such as Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) and Managed Service Provider (MSP). The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional, and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK, Germany, and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As of 31 December 2024, the Group employed over 10,300 staff operating from 225 offices in 33 countries.
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