A number of challenges have come to the forefront in 2015, including macroeconomic issues affecting business growth, skilled talent becoming increasingly scarce and business leaders recognizing the need for HR to take on a more strategic role, according to The Randstad Sourceright 2015 Talent Trends Report released today.

The report found more HR leaders are putting greater priority on strategic, business-focused initiatives for 2015, such as the need to move beyond purely administrative tasks to provide the insight and support that shape a high-performing business strategy. In addition, as business leaders continue to demand more from HR, the function must invest in new skills and sharpen existing ones.

Report findings include:

• More than a quarter, 26%, of HR leaders plan to invest in their global employer value proposition within the next 12 to 24 months, and 35% expect to upskill their in-house recruitment teams on employer branding initiatives.
• The most needed skills for HR today include building cohesive teams, leveraging data and analytics, managing compliance and embracing new technology.
• The majority of HR leaders recognize the need to incorporate analytics and predictive workforce intelligence; 56 percent indicate they use talent analytics and insights to inform their workforce planning process.
• Companies are increasingly looking for a single partner offering an integrated talent solution to achieve holistic management, consistent processes, access to the best talent, cost efficiencies, governance enhancements and access to the best practices and innovation.
• HR leaders can expect to see the emergence of several new talent acquisition technologies that will give them more options for attracting, assessing, engaging and retaining talent.

“Constantly changing business needs, the evolution of talent management technology and the need for HR to be more strategic all contribute to a challenging environment for today's HR professionals,” said Robert Lopes, president, RPO for Randstad Sourceright.

The Randstad Sourceright 2015 Talent Trends Report is based on an online survey of 350 HR and talent acquisition leaders from more than 40 countries. The survey was conducted from Oct. 24 to Nov. 28, 2014.