The CIPD publishes today the People Profession 2022: International survey report

The 2020s have thrown up some unprecedented and exceptional circumstances. The majority of countries are feeling the rippling aftermath of the pandemic and slow economic recovery. But how do we move forward, while grappling with continuous uncertainty? What role will HR play in that future scenario? To understand the future, we need to understand the shape and sentiment of the profession as it stands today.

This research aims to gather insight on the challenges and opportunities faced by practitioners from eight countries across the UK and Ireland, Europe and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions (UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Egypt, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates). It provides insights on current HR practice and the perceptions of people professionals on their careers and working lives.

Key findings include:

Recruiting and retaining talent is a key priority for businesses in the UK/Ireland and European regions: A quarter of our global sample cited this as a challenge, especially in the UK (30%), Ireland (26%) and European countries where economies are experiencing looming recessions.

Flexible and hybrid working is the biggest lever of change within businesses: Flexible working continues to be the biggest lever of change (cited by 31% of our global sample). While UK, Ireland and European respondents said recruiting and retaining talent and supporting the mental health and wellbeing of employees were more challenging in a hybrid environment, respondents in the Middle East and North Africa found hybrid working had a positive influence on most aspects of HR delivery.

Economic change is impacting differently across regions: This is predominately affecting the UK and Ireland (with 26% and 34% of respondents citing this as a major driver of change respectively) - significantly more than the rest of Europe. It is also a dominant lever of change in the Middle East and Africa (MENA) regions, especially in Egypt (24%).

For more findings go to the full report >