Anticipating skills: the key to sustainable HR and business performance

Faced with change, HR can no longer afford to wait

The world of work is changing fast… and getting faster all the time.

Technology, the green transition, new expectations from employees… everything is accelerating.

In this context, simply reacting to change is no longer enough.

HR departments must learn to anticipate these changes: to pick up on early warning signs, understand the transformations to come, and start preparing today for the skills the organisation will need tomorrow.

This is not an option. It is a matter of survival… and a tremendous opportunity.

The opportunity to reposition HR as a strategic partner to the business, not merely an executor.

Anticipating skills means ensuring sustainable performance

Competitiveness no longer relies solely on technology or finance.

It hinges on the ability to develop talent.

Let’s take an example:

An industrial SME is slow to train its teams in automation tools.

Within a few years, it loses ground and its margins erode.

Another company anticipates these changes, trains and recruits differently — and becomes a key player in its sector.

→ The message is simple: anticipating skills needs means staying one step ahead.

In fact, according to the LinkedIn 2025 report, 49 per cent of training and development professionals say their managers are concerned that employees lack the skills needed to effectively implement the company’s strategy.

And yet, many continue to manage human resources by looking in the rear-view mirror.

Anticipating enables you to:

• Reduce recruitment costs by focusing on internal mobility and upskilling.
• Strengthen engagement and retention through clear career progression opportunities.
• Increase agility by having the right skills available at the right time.
• Stimulate innovation by bringing together different areas of expertise and perspectives.
• Ensure compliance by keeping pace with changes in roles and qualifications.

The major forces transforming the labour market

To plan ahead, you need to understand what is changing. Here are the key trends to watch out for:

• The rise of artificial intelligence and automation. According to the World Economic Forum, 85 million jobs could disappear by 2025, but 97 million will emerge. Which skills need to be developed? Creativity, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and technological proficiency.

• The green transition. Decarbonisation, the circular economy, renewable energy: millions of jobs will be created in the coming decades.
• An ageing workforce. In France, INSEE forecasts a rise of nearly 20 per cent in the number of people aged 50–64 by 2040. Without proper planning, the loss of expertise is inevitable.
• Accelerated digitalisation. COVID has acted as a catalyst. Data, cyber security, digital marketing: demand is skyrocketing. According to McKinsey, companies that fully succeed in their digital transformation can improve their operating profit by up to 40 per cent, whilst those that fail to adapt may see this figure fall by 20 per cent.
• Employees’ new expectations. Purpose, flexibility, personal development. Talented individuals are no longer just looking for a job, but for an experience.

Obsolete skills, emerging roles: the moment of truth

Every transformation creates its winners and losers.

Manual and repetitive tasks are being automated.

Retail roles are shifting towards digital.

And new roles are emerging: data scientists, cybersecurity experts, energy transition project managers…

→ Without a clear picture of current and future skills, it’s hard to see the way forward.

This is your compass for:

• train and reskill staff,
• recruit differently,
• encouraging internal mobility,
• and capitalising on knowledge before it slips away.

To find out more about the challenges of skills obsolescence, read our dedicated article: Skills obsolescence: the HR challenge that most managers underestimate

GPEC vs SWP: two approaches, one goal

In France, GPEC — now known as GEPP — is a familiar concept.

It aims to align roles and skills with strategic priorities, often over the medium term.

Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) goes a step further: it cross-references HR data with business strategy, incorporates market trends and projects future needs over a three- to five-year period.

It is the forward-looking version of GPEC: a more comprehensive approach, focused on management and scenario planning.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

A robust GPEC can underpin an ambitious SWP.

The challenge lies in combining rigour with vision and the short term with the long term.

And the French framework lends itself to this: the GEPP and career development reviews already provide concrete starting points for initiating this forward-looking process. But to achieve this, we must not view this subject solely from a legal obligation.

Investing in forward planning is investing in the future

Anticipating skills needs is not just a “bonus”. It is a mindset.

That of a company which chooses to act before being forced to.

Mapping, training, developing, planning…

These are the foundations of an HR department capable of driving transformation rather than merely enduring it.

Put simply: anticipating means creating the conditions for sustainable performance — economic, human and collective.

So, a simple question to finish with:

→ Are you ready to make skills anticipation the driving force behind your HR and business strategy?

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