Data Watch

HR Managers in the UK Predict Their Challenges for 2008

Retaining the talent within organizations is the number one challenge for senior Human Resources (HR) managers in 2008, according to a new survey. Furthermore, recruiting and hiring are foremost in UK HR managers' minds this year, finds HR Challenges 2008, a survey by Taleo of 209 senior HR managers in the United Kingdom. When asked to select their top HR challenge going into 2008, 30% of HR managers in the UK cite "employee retention" as their top challenge for 2008. Another 23% point to "hiring the best talent in the marketplace," and 11% each indicate that "attracting candidates to the organization" and "complying with new legislation" are top priorities. Also making their list of concerns are "succession planning" (10%), "career development management" (5%), "cutting recruitment costs" (4%), "gaining boardroom support for HR" (4%), and "increasing the internal mobility of staff" (2%).

Nearly half of respondents (44%) say "a system to improve performance management, succession and career planning in your organization" will help them do their jobs better. Additionally, 21% want "an easy way to measure the effectiveness of HR processes like recruitment," followed by 15% seeking "better visibility into employee’s skills." "Reduced dependency on recruitment agencies"(8%), "systems that aid compliance with regulations" (8%), and a system to improve the effectiveness of the recruitment process (4%) also enter the UK HR manager's mind when he or she contemplates how to do a better job. The majority of respondents expect their budgets to remain the same (46%) or increase (33%) in 2008. Only a small percentage of respondents (21%) expect their budgets to decrease in the coming year.