KPMG’s HR pulse survey captured the perspectives of local human resources (HR) executives amid the ongoing uncertainty of Covid-19. This includes businesses operating across KPMG’s 4R phases: Reaction, Resilience, Recovery and the New Reality.
This year, we find nearly every organization to be prioritizing their people, as they grapple with pre-existing and new challenges, all exacerbated by the pandemic. The workforce will continue to see significant changes over the next 12-24 months:
- Nearly a quarter (23%) of employees will continue to work remotely
- More than a quarter (28%) will require upskilling
- HR leaders believe approximately 15% of the workforce may be made redundant
To address these issues, the HR function may do well to stop firefighting immediate pressures—the Reaction phase— and take a longer-term view, reinventing itself to fit the times.
- 89% of HR executives agree that the function played a leading role in responding to the impact of Covid-19
- 50% believe that the HR function is still considered to be an “administrator” rather than a “value driver”
- 58% are expecting to make large investments in virtual working technology to support remote working
- 16% consider bots and automation as important—ranking low on the HR agenda