Person holding tablet in a futuristic car, implying change while driving into 2025 with AI and data supported by the VMS.

3 certainties to keep you in the fast lane in 2025

As we wrap up the 2024-2025 annual trends and predictions cycle for talent-related technology and services, I’ve taken some time to reflect on the “meta-trends” that these annual reports illustrate. These reports have become essential for market analysts, technology researchers, consulting firms, and solution providers aiming to establish or maintain their status as thought leaders in an increasingly crowded marketplace of ideas. They are also useful in helping workforce leaders prepare for what’s coming, and in generating market engagement to access enterprise technology budgets. 

 

Predictions and trends: Sources matter 

Predictions and trends reflect the perspectives of highly qualified experts and their survey panels. Without proper context and actionable insights, however, their proliferation risks associating them with mere entertainment or overhyped distractions that simply validate confirmation bias. Viewing predictions and trends more critically, weighing sources, evaluating evidence, and translating them to specific contexts is what makes them most valuable   

As I reviewed this season’s crop of predictions and trends, I noticed relatively few categories. Only so many things can happen at once in the world of people, work, and technology, and I’ve shared three major categories that everyone needs to address. To make these insights more actionable and accessible, I refer to the most common categories as “certainties” given the overlap and general sense of inevitability about them. 

Embrace the certainty of change

By now you’ve heard the cliché “the only constant is change.” After a decade of digital transformation layered with COVIDinduced shifts in the way we work and communicate, this cliché rings true for anyone who has been part of an organization or an industryYet, we are now on the cusp of even more massive and significant change with the movement towards skills-based work and the emergence of AI.  

As a result, many professionals find themselves and their stakeholders navigating the space between change fatigue and the cost of doing nothing. And the world keeps turning. Navigating this in-between spaceand the sheer magnitude of change aheadcreates tremendous opportunities for influence and impact in your work, your organization, and beyond provided you take the right steps. Continuous change requires purposeful skill building, collective action, and a willingness to adjust as situations evolve.  

  • Purposeful skill building – As the half-life of skills continues to shrink,    (e.g. the time they are valuable in the market), talent professionals must choose a combination of both “hard” skills, ideally related to the certainties below, and “soft” or “leadership” skills that include building relationships and influencing others like decision-makers and change champions. 
  • Collective action Here is where you put your leadership and communications skills to work. The complexity of organizations and specialization of roles requires activating others to achieve a measurable and sustainable outcome that aligns with the broader business objectives 
  • Willingness to adjust – In other words, adaptability. Make sure you have the tools, technology, and mindset to read the signals in your environment and adapt to new circumstances, even if it means abandoning pre-set plans or elegantly designed workflows. Learn and move on. 

     

Accept the certainty of AI

The AI genie is out of the bottle. Whether you see delight or destruction in the proliferation of AI in the workplace, there is no going back. As AI begins to be incorporated into every aspect of workforce technology, building AI literacy, understanding its role in talent acquisition, staying informed on applicable regulations, and committing to responsible AI practices are the building blocks of a good relationship with this powerful and evolving tool.  

  • Build AI literacy Most professionals, including those focused on talent and the workforce, do not need to become AI experts. Instead, they need to become “AI-literate” enough to understand what these tools can and cannot do, and how to take full advantage of their inclusion in workflows and task completion.  
  • Understand AI’s role in talent acquisitionSolution providers are moving beyond hype and science fiction to incorporate AI-powered capabilities into existing features and workflows. AI skills-matching is table stakes for any sourcing technology and the strategies it enables. Additionally, voice AI is being deployed to enhance candidate experiences and create efficiencies during screening steps. More TA use cases arrive every day  
  • Stay informed about AI regulations Talent and workforce professionals need to educate themselves on the budding regulations around AI and how to deploy it responsibly. In the U.S., most of the action is happening at the state level, while many countries are developing their own regulations. Anyone operating in multiple geographies should join a group or subscribe to newsletters that will help them keep on top of these regulations. And of course, make sure your solution providers are helping as well.   
  • Commit to Responsible AI deployment – As AI continues to reshape industries, it’s critical that leaders design and implement solutions that prioritize transparency, ethics, and human-centric values. From understanding the distinctions between predictive and generative AI to exploring how AI can address bias in hiring, navigating AI integrations well from the start is key.  

Capture the certainty of data

AI runs on data massive amounts of clean, quality data. The same is true for any organization that has been through a digital transformation. Unfortunately, most data remains fragmented in operational silos or systems that do not connect effectively with each other, hampering the accuracy of decision intelligence tools and organization-specific AI models. These silos often include workforce data and all the additional business data that can move us beyond efficiency measures and help close the gaps in understanding productivity and value creation. If you are involved in procuring solutions, ensure that your chosen provider can integrate with other systems and has the appropriate tools for data management.  

 

On an individual level, all professionals should make the effort to become data literate or advance their data skills. Again, you don’t need to be an expert in data science or statistics. A basic understanding of where the data comes from, high-level analysis techniques, and how to apply it in decision-making in your area of expertise is now a fundamental capability for talent and workforce professionals. More broadly, an understanding of data that goes beyond your specific silo can help you pick up on signals ahead of time, shift project pathways in agile ways, and meet desired outcomes ahead of schedule and with fewer roadblocks.  

Conclusion 

My intention in creating this list of certainties is to provide a concise, actionable list of priorities to help talent and workforce professionals navigate the constantly shifting but exciting road ahead in the world of work. The most important takeaway when reading this, or any other, annual prognostication, is to take action and build your abilities to influence the change happening around you.  

 

For better or worse, it is incumbent upon professionals who wish to succeed as we transition to yet another work paradigm to take it upon themselves to constantly develop their skills. Fortunately, a wide variety of free or low-cost training resources are available from Salesforce, LinkedIn, Coursera, and a whole litany of other firewalled or open-source providers. Engage, learn, and thrive.

Jeff Mike

Jeff Mike

Managing Director, Customer Strategy and Value, Flextrack

 
 
 

Jeff Mike works closely with HR, Procurement and IT leaders to design extended workforce ecosystems that fuel and future-proof enterprise talent strategies. Jeff brings over 16 years of experience leading HR functions, along with six years leading global HR- and workforce-related research, to combine the best thought leadership, business practices, and platform technology into purpose-built solutions.

 
 
Jeff Mike
Jeff.Mike@flextrackservices.com