Since 2019, I have been preparing and sharing the main strategic challenges of Human Resources for the upcoming year. The strategic challenges included artificial intelligence (this year was when we started talking about AI), reskilling, people analytics, employee experience, and virtual reality, each of which is critical for organizational success.
In 2023, CEOs prioritized talent retention and attraction in response to the Great Resignation, while the strategic challenges in HR included redefining the role of HR, co-constructing leadership profiles, and anticipating future impacts, such as well-being and human-machine interaction. Success in their management will depend on the ability of HR to evolve from a transactional function to a strategic business partner, capable of navigating the complexity of the Mexican labor landscape while maintaining global competitiveness.
In the upcoming weeks, in this space, we will delve into these five challenges for 2025. The author holds a PhD, is the founder of Human Leader, Managing Partner of Think Talent, and Chair Professor at ITESM.
The challenge will be to develop predictive models that anticipate and prepare organizations for these changes. Strategic talent planning in Mexico, and especially in Nuevo León, will be essential for strategically planning the workforce due to factors such as the expansion of nearshoring, the technological skills gap, and demographic changes.
The five strategic challenges for Human Resources in 2025 include: 1. New issues such as hybrid work, people analytics, and nearshoring have emerged in previous years. The importance of personalized learning and development was also outlined as essential. 2. During 2022, organizations faced a convergence of tactical and strategic challenges: employee mobility, multigenerational management, strategic alignment, diversity and inclusion, and benefits. 3. The humanization of technology will be a challenge in 2025, where the integration of AI in HR will be inevitable, but the real challenge will be to maintain the "human touch" characteristic of our work culture. 4. In Mexico, attracting talent in light of nearshoring, the adoption of generative AI, and a redefinition in people management have been the main challenges. 5. The evolution of the employer-employee social contract and the need to build antifragile organizational cultures will be crucial to adapt to upcoming changes.
These challenges are interdependent and require a holistic and adaptive approach. In Mexico, where the adoption of AI is accelerating, leaders will need to balance technological efficiency with the cultural sensitivity of our region.
The author's annual research exercise is enriched by numerous conversations with business and human resources leaders. Briefly reviewing recent challenges, key trends are identified, as well as the need to address digital transformation, employee experience, organizational culture, and overcoming unconscious biases through training.
The development of leaders capable of navigating the human-technological intersection will be crucial in the transformation of leadership in the era of AI.
