Article · 7-minute read

Global HR Trends for 2025

Share
Email

We spoke to sections of the Saville Assessment Global Partner Network about what they are expecting to see in their regions for the year ahead.

Here’s what they had to say…

Globe with UK highlighted

Olivia Black

Saville Assessment UK

A Year of Transformation and Opportunity

As we step into 2025, much like last year, we anticipate an economic slowdown that will drive a renewed focus on business transformation. This dynamic talent market will see roles evolving, being displaced, and new ones emerging, all underpinned by AI and automation as the bedrock of digital transformation.

By 2030, 39% of employees’ current skill sets will be transformed or become obsolete (WEF). Organizations must develop agile talent models to swiftly identify and source critical skills. Reskilling, upskilling, and career progression will be pivotal in enhancing skills availability.

The quest for a single interface providing comprehensive people data and insights continues. While the vision of one all-encompassing system may have shifted, the focus is now on integrating HR systems to create a cohesive HR Tech ecosystem.

At Saville Assessment we are gearing up for a year that takes our next generation platform Wave Connect to new levels driving skills-based approaches and filling critical gaps in HR tech ecosystems!

Globe with South America highlighted

Carlos Taboada Garza

CDG Consultores (Mexico & Latin America)

Increased Focus on Digital Transformation

LATAM is rapidly adopting digital technologies, driving a need for employees with digital skills and the ability to adapt to new ways of working. HR will play a key role in facilitating this transformation through training, upskilling, and talent acquisition strategies.

As the competition for talent intensifies, organizations are recognizing the importance of providing a positive employee experience. This includes fostering a culture of well-being, offering flexible work arrangements, and providing opportunities for growth and development.

With rapid economic and social changes, there’s a need for strong leaders who can navigate uncertainty and drive innovation. HR will be tasked with identifying and developing future leaders who can guide their organizations through these challenges.

Saville Assessment’s tools can help organizations objectively assess candidates’ skills, abilities, and potential, reducing bias and improving the quality of hiring decisions. This is particularly valuable in addressing the skills gap by identifying individuals with the potential to learn and grow.

Saville Assessment offers development tools and programs that can help organizations identify leadership potential, develop critical skills, and improve employee engagement. These solutions can support HR’s efforts in leadership development and enhancing the employee experience.

Saville Assessment provides assessments that are adapted and validated for use in different cultural contexts, ensuring that they are fair and effective for diverse populations within LATAM.

Globe with Asia Pac highlighted

Tom Herde

Saville Assessment Asia Pacific

Creating an Aligned Organization

There is a larger focus in APAC on driving alignment between Talent functions and their organizational objectives. As a result, Talent Acquisition and Development functions are working more closely to create strong succession pipelines.

Remote/hybrid work, new team structures, and changes in tenure over the last five years has shaped this transformation. Organizations will also focus more on developing existing teams – improving employee engagement, protecting knowledge and IP, and building strong organizational culture. “Retention is the new Recruitment” is not an unfamiliar term in our territory.

The Talent Assessment industry continues to advance through AI technology. Clients and Talent Leaders are driven to understand the aspects of AI being leveraged in the tools they’re using. From test creation, delivery, and feedback, it’s imperative for them to ensure their assessment processes remain current.

We remind them that AI’s foundation lies in multiple regression- a technique Saville Assessment has employed through machine learning and smart algorithms for decades.

Continued focus on skills-based hiring, with organizations increasing their focus on talent attraction and early identification. The ‘skills conversation’ is well aligned with the value we provide by identifying an individual’s potential across critical hard and soft skills necessary for success in any role. 

Organizations eager to adopt skills-based hiring may simply add a skills assessment as an additional stage in the recruitment process. However, they must review their entire recruitment process to determine the most effective stage to integrate the assessment.

Skills assessment could replace an existing stage that is less effective or efficient, and inform subsequent stages. Including a valid and objective assessment like Wave Styles provides more insight into the candidate’s suitability for the role than an interview alone ever could.

In APAC some organizations are facing challenges in sourcing good talent. However, what may appear as a skills shortage could instead stem from poor workforce planning.

Organizations need to consider long-term goals and align their talent strategy with what is required to achieve those objectives. Leverage available real-time and longitudinal workforce data which offers a clear forecast of future skill requirements. Talent Leaders will need stay ahead of this by assessing current capabilities, and fill any gaps either through reskilling their existing talent, or hiring new talent where they can.

Globe with Europe highlighted

Magnus Mathiesen

Saville Assessment Nordic

The talent market here is evolving fast and, to stay ahead, we believe that HR teams must embrace four key trends and ask themselves the questions that follow:

People Analytics

Data is the key to unlocking better hiring decisions. Data-driven insights minimize bias, improve decisions, and ensure fairness across hiring processes.

How are you using data to drive talent decisions today?

AI is reshaping how HR identifies the competencies that drive success, enabling teams to focus on what matters most — finding the right talent.

What role will AI play in transforming your hiring process this year?

Data-driven screening helps debias hiring, boost diversity, and create more fair processes for all candidates.

How committed is your company to ensuring fairness and inclusivity for all candidates?

Every candidate is an ambassador. A personalized and meaningful hiring experience helps boost your employer branding and helps you attract top talent.

What will your candidates tell their peers about your company?

These trends are not just opportunities — they are imperatives – and innovative tools like Saville Assessment’s Wave Connect empowers HR teams to meet these challenges head-on! 

Globe with North America highlighted

Evan Fisher

Saville Assessment North America

This year, I’m expecting to see significant transformation in North America, and the HR space generally, driven largely by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.

AI will redefine roles across industries…

Employees will look to reskill to ensure their job security; as AI takes on more tasks, employees will need to adapt by acquiring new skills that complement these technological advancements.

With the need to do more with less, HR departments will increasingly rely on automation to streamline workflows and eliminate redundant tasks, thereby improving overall productivity.

Tailored training programs will play a vital role in helping employees identify and pursue these opportunities, fostering a more motivated and satisfied workforce.

Leveraging its capabilities and implementing it in the right way will help enhance recruitment and selection procedures for both candidates and hiring managers.

These trends highlight the growing importance of AI and automation in shaping the future of HR, emphasizing the need for continuous learning and adaptation in the workforce.

Get in touch

Get in touch to discuss your talent strategy for 2025 and learn how our solutions can help you overcome challenges to make smarter faster decisions wherever you are in the world.