A report from law firm Pannone Corporate has identified strengthening digital skills as key to achieving growth ambitions in 2025, as recruiters plan to ramp up investment.
The survey found half of recruiters (50 per cent) intend to invest significantly in digital skills the next 12 months to bolster their workforce and stem the threat of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This comes as more than two-fifths of recruitment firms (46 per cent) believe AI will replace people and/or reduce headcount – the second highest of any sector.
While there is a clear focus on improving skills less emphasis is being placed by recruiters on other people priorities. Surprisingly, only 15 per cent of recruitment leaders see more flexible working options as a priority, compared to 33 per cent overall. Improving pay and reward is also a lower priority than average (19 per cent compared to 29 per cent overall).
The report, Ambition 2025, has used a combination of research and in-depth interviews to understand the key drivers of growth, as well as the motivations, priorities and challenges facing companies, including those in recruitment.
Paul Jonson, senior partner at Pannone Corporate, commented: “People are central to recruitment in every respect. As such, it comes as little surprise that investing in developing key skills ranks so highly when it comes to driving growth ambitions. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) becoming ever-present, the need to adapt and strengthen you’re the role of your people has never been more important – a fact not lost on a significant number of recruiters who recognise the risks and rewards AI brings.”
He added: “Our aim with Ambition 2025 is to listen to the voices of the people behind those companies, and understand what their growth ambitions are for the next 12 months. It’s given us an interesting insight into their growth journeys to date and what the entrepreneurial landscape will look like in 2025 across the recruitment piste.”
