Dive Brief:
- HR executives should be hearing more from and having closer relationships with their CEOs in the future, according to a new CareerBuilder survey.
- In a complex post-recession job market with a growing talent gap, the survey found top executives are relying more on HR leaders for innovative business strategies grounded in data.
- Conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder in April 2015 among 88 leaders at companies with revenue of at least $50 million, the survey reported that the overwhelming majority of CEOs (90%) say it is important that HR leaders be proficient in workforce analytics, with about one in three executives (35%) saying this is "absolutely essential."
Dive Insight:
"HR is the new frontier for data science applications in business," said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder and co-author of The Talent Equation. He added that CEOs acknowledge that the recruitment landscape is changing and the need for HR teams to come forward with data-driven, competitive approaches and efficient technologies is more critical than ever.
A majority of CEOs (65%) agree that post-recession, HR opinions carry greater weight with senior management; 73% say that their HR leader has provided data that they have incorporated into their business strategy, and 92% think HR executives can have broader influence, including delivering actionable talent data to help devise strategies that meet larger business goals.
"HR leaders are becoming more influential members of the executive team. CEOs are looking for HR to be just as data-savvy and digitally-savvy as other areas of the company, and take quick, measurable actions that move the business towards its goals," Ferguson said.
