Dive Brief:

• Talent leaders are uniquely positioned to make a significant impact on their business' performance, Randstad Sourceright said, discussing the results of its 2019 Talent Trends report.
• With business leaders increasingly concerned about the global economy, organizations now see talent as the key to value creation, Randstad said. And talent professionals say they're up for the challenge: In a recent survey, 83% of HR leaders said their goal is to have a measurable impact on their business' performance, up from 57% in 2016. And 80% percent of talent leaders said their recruitment strategy is more about value creation than cost savings.
• The report also noted that technology, the talent shortage and the skills gap are driving a shift toward a mixed approach to staff planning. Among respondents who have adopted this "total talent" model, almost all said they were extremely or very satisfied with it. And among organizations that have yet to implement this approach, three-quarters said they plan to do so in the next 12 months.

Dive Insight:

Talent concerns appear poised to dominate the workforce landscape in 2019. HR's top challenge for the new year is finding qualified talent, according to a new XpertHR survey, along with beating back the skills shortage that continues to threaten productivity. CEOs in a new report from the Conference Board also cited talent, along with a possible recession, as their top concern. Employers are reporting such difficulty finding high-quality talent, especially for jobs requiring specialized skills, that Gartner identified the shortage as a top emerging risk for organizations worldwide.

This focus on talent is putting HR, specifically talent professionals, in the spotlight. Increasingly, they're expected to create value for their organizations. But value-driven strategies aren't enough; HR professionals must be able to execute their plans and measure the effectiveness of their efforts, increasingly with people analytics.

"If your organization is not able to attract, develop and retain new skills, it will almost certainly fall behind," said Rebecca Henderson, CEO of Randstad Sourceright in a statement. "Whether through data insights, research or customer engagement, human capital leaders are in the driver's seat to deliver these skills and accelerate growth and market share."