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HR Realities 2025: performance and profitability almost topple skills as top challenge

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New six-part series reviewing Fosway's latest research with David Perring. Part 1: Challenges and Priorities.

HR Realities 2025 - Part 1: HR Challenges and Priorities
HR Realities 2025 - Part 1: HR Challenges and Priorities 

The availability of skills is businesses' top challenge. According to HR leaders, for the last four years it's held a significant lead over all the challenges organisations face. And while they still see skills as the top challenge, ‘performance and profitability’ has now edged very close to toppling skills off the top spot. And, managing economic pressures, automation and costs have climbed into the top five. In the face of economic headwinds, delivering value is more at the forefront of HR thinking and generating a pragmatism in HR strategy and investment.

Over the next few weeks Learning News and Fosway are bringing you a six part series on HR challenges and priorities, budgets and investment, technology, HR and the employee experience and, over two programmes, AI in HR. 

Programme links

HR Realities 2025 infographics