Increased competition for talent and the importance of preparing for increased digitalisation are behind five talent trends identified by human resources consulting firm Mercer in a new report titled “2018 Global Talent Trends Study – Unlocking Growth in the Human Age.”

Those five trends include:

Change@Speed: How companies prepare for the future of work depends on the degree of disruption they anticipate. The report found 53% of executives believe at least one in five roles in their organization will cease to exist in the next five years. However, only 40% are increasing access to online learning courses, and only 26% are actively rotating workers within their business.

Working with Purpose: the report found 75% of employees who are thriving say their company has a strong sense of purpose. However, 39% of employees who are satisfied with their job still plan to leave because of a perceived lack of career opportunity.

Permanent Flexibility: A majority of executives, 80%, view flexible work arrangements on when and where employees work as a core part of their value proposition, up from 49% last year. On the other hand, only 3% of HR leaders consider themselves leaders when it comes to flexibility, and 41% of employees fear flexibility will impact promotion prospects.

Platform for Talent: The report found 89% of executives expect an increase in competition for talent. “Gaining greater access to talent through a broader ecosystem is part of the solution. Companies also need to deploy talent faster and with precision to unlock the potential of their workforce,” said Kate Bravery, Global Practices Leader in Mercer’s Career business. “Adopting a platform mentality to talent requires a radical mindset shift, embracing the notion that talent can be accessed for the benefit of all rather than ‘owned’ by one manager, department, function, or even organization.”

Digital From the Inside Out: Only 15% of companies consider themselves digital organisations today, but 65% of employees say state-of-the-art tools are important for success. And just 48% of employees say they have the digital tools necessary to do their job.

The report included insights from more than 7,600 senior business executives, HR leaders and employees from 21 industries in 44 countries around the world.