Dive Brief:

• An Allegis Group report, The New Meaning of Talent: Adapting to the Work and the Workforce of Tomorrow, found that companies rely on outmoded employment models in a time of talent shortages, market changes, emerging technologies and transformative employee demographics. A poll of 1,000 HR leaders examined successful strategies organizations have used to revise talent management practices to meet the challenges created by low unemployment, a multigenerational workforce, global sourcing, digital talent acquisition, talent shortages and other forces.
• According to the report, employers need to shed rigid, outdated approaches and adopt more agile, innovative employment models that emphasize transferable skills. The results showed that three-fourths of HR leaders recognize the importance of assessing how work gets done, but that 44% of organizations still fall short of maximizing talent. Ninety percent of HR leaders said they embrace digital practices like flexible scheduling and remote work, but just 15% of them have fully adopted digital practices. More than 60% of organizations said there are so many must-have demands for candidates that many have decided to rethink job descriptions.
• In other key results, HR professionals said they needed greater access to talent-based data. Sourcing digital talent remains a challenge, respondents said, but most organizations have adapted. About a third of HR leaders said they are not confident about their employer's ability to use digital sourcing most effectively.

Dive Insight:

As the workforce becomes more agile and employment models change, HR professionals will need to take on a high level of adaptability. "The world of work looks significantly different than it did just a few years ago. Critical skills are scarce, demand is high, and new trends and innovations are changing the talent landscape every day," Andy Hilger, president of Allegis Group, said in a statement. "As a result, organizations are challenging old assumptions about the people they need to do the work, the trends that shape how they acquire talent and the evolving nature of the work itself. Talent strategies must evolve to stay ahead of change."

Talent shortages are already driving hiring managers to accept applicants lacking some of the qualifications once considered necessary, which represents a shift from a focus on academic credentials to a focus on skills. Organizations also need to make a digital transformation if they're to succeed in the workplace of the future. HR professionals' lack of confidence in their organizations' know-how of digital sourcing means HR will need to make the case for a better understanding of the technology and the workplaces' future dependence on it.