KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 27): Building critical skills and competencies will be their number one priority in 2022 for a majority (60%) of human resource (HR) leaders, according to a survey by technology research and consulting firm Gartner Inc.

In the survey results released last week, Gartner said more than 550 HR leaders in July 2021 found the other top HR priorities for 2022 are: organisational design and change management (48%), current and future leadership bench (45%), the future of work (42%) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) (35%).

Gartner HR practice vice president of advisory Mark Whittle said the shift to hybrid work, rapidly increasing turnover and heightened war for talent, and rising pressure to make progress on DEI are driving these priorities.

Gartner said HR leaders will need to focus on the several initiatives to drive business outcomes next year, including structuring talent management around skills, not roles; creating a positive change experience; equipping managers to lead; preparing for significant shifts in talent needs; and driving employee experience in today’s hybrid workforce scenario.

Highlighting the outcome of the poll, Gartner said among 339 HR leaders responding to the survey, 47% reported not knowing what skill gaps their current employees have, while 40% said they can't develop skill development solutions fast enough to meet evolving skill needs.

Meanwhile, 54% of the 274 HR leaders surveyed by Gartner on their 2022 priorities reported that their employees are suffering from change fatigue.