As organizations move deeper into the AI and digital era, the HR function is transforming into a powerful driver of strategy, culture, and human potential. In this insightful reflection for International HR Day, Rakesh Seth explores the pivotal role HR will play in shaping tomorrow’s workplaces, from predictive analytics to human-AI collaboration.
1. How do you see the Role of HR evolving in the next five to ten years?
The role of HR is undergoing a rapid transformation—from being a support function to becoming a strategic enabler of business and people outcomes. Over the next five years, I see HR moving decisively into the following areas:
Digital friendly: HR will become highly data-driven, using analytics to predict attrition, optimize talent acquisition, personalize learning, and measure culture and engagement.
AI-based Decision-Making: Routine tasks like screening resumes, onboarding, and compliance will be largely automated
Culture and Change Leadership: HR will serve as a cultural architect and change catalyst, ensuring that agility, inclusiveness, and innovation are deeply embedded in organizational DNA.
Employee Experience (EX): HR will evolve into experience designers—curating learning, growth, and wellbeing journeys that are hyper-personalized and tech-enabled.
2. What are the most pressing talent challenges you foresee in the next 5-10 years across different sectors?
In the digital and AI era, talent challenges will differ by sector but I share some common themes
Skill Obsolescence: Fast-changing technology will make many current skills redundant. Continuous upskilling and reskilling will be critical.
Talent Scarcity for Emerging Roles: Data science, AI ethics, sustainability, and cybersecurity roles will face acute shortages.
Retention in Hypercompetitive Markets: As mobility increases, retaining top talent will demand compelling initiatives.
Human-AI Collaboration Skills: New talent must excel in managing machines and leading people—an uncommon but vital combination.
3. Your Message to HR Professionals on the occasion of HR Day
As we celebrate HR Day in an era of AI and rapid change, the future belongs to HR professionals who are digitally friendly, emotionally resilient, and strategically courageous. It is time to reimagine ourselves as architects of future work, not custodians of legacy. HR will focus on interpretation, intervention, and influence, using AI insights for personalized employee journeys and predictive talent management.
Let us be the voice of purpose, the drivers of culture, and the champions of human potential in a tech-driven world. Happy HR Day! The future of work needs future-ready HR.
Read Also : HR at the Heart of Transformation: Shaping Purpose-Driven, Future-Ready Workforces in the Energy Sector
From Support to Strategy: HR’s Decisive Shift Toward Leading the Future of Work
Trust, Technology, and the Human Touch: Shaping the Future of HR
