HR professionals are key to implementing new ways of working and should be at the heart of driving change, says a new CIPD report

The People Profession 2023: International survey report details experiences from nearly 3,000 people professionals across different regions of the world.

In addition to the international report, there are also separate region-specific reports that give perspectives on the key trends influencing the world of work in the UK and Ireland, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as additional data and insights from Canada.

The findings, drawn from the People Profession survey carried out earlier this year, give a snapshot of the current HR landscape, providing insights into how external factors are impacting current HR practices, and the challenges and opportunities these bring.

It also explores how people professionals perceive their careers and working lives amidst these changes and provides recommendations on how people professionals can navigate the challenges they are facing.

While the Canadian report is not part of the international report, it provides a useful comparison of the main trends impacting people professionals in Canada.  Data was gathered by the Chartered Institute in Human Resources (CPHR) in 2022.

Key findings for each of the regions include:

UK and Ireland – 1,456 UK/164 Ireland responses 

• 42% of people professionals believe their role is changing significantly due to technology, suggesting that job roles are evolving alongside the impact of digital transformation.
• 41% of people professionals said that supporting employees’ mental health and wellbeing had become more difficult because of hybrid working, while 40% felt hybrid working made building organisational culture and values more challenging.

Asia-Pacific (APAC) – 812 responses

• Australian practitioners were generally most likely to say that hybrid working had impacted people management positively, making people objectives easier to deliver. In comparison, Singapore respondents more commonly said that hybrid working has made HR delivery more difficult.
• Across all APAC countries, engaging with the workforce is a critical priority area. Additionally, respondents from Australia, Malaysia and Singapore are focusing on developing and building skills as a top priority area, significantly more than the global sample.

Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – 525 responses

• Workforce planning and building skills and capability is a focus area across Egypt, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is a key workforce priority for KSA businesses.

Canada – 1,954 responses

• Six out of ten Canadian people professionals considered recruitment a very or extremely difficult issue in the last year, with the main challenges being a lack of applicants and candidates not having the hard skills or experience required for positions. In the same vein, 33% said they found retention very or extremely difficult.
• Over half of respondents (55%) said their organisation has a formal EDI strategy in place, with popular initiatives including EDI training, inclusive job postings, unconscious bias training and establishing an EDI committee. However, only 22% said their employer measures EDI in their organisation.