The New Era of Workforce Planning
Automation and AI are reshaping work — but transformation, not elimination, is the true story. SHRM is your essential partner to plan, adapt, and lead with confidence.
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The workplace is changing. Build a stronger workforce with inclusive strategies to drive innovation, retention, and measurable business growth.
From Automation to Re-Architecture: HR Must Reinvent the Workforce for 2026
The workplace is shifting faster than ever, driven by AI, automation, demographic changes, and employee expectations. HR professionals at every level are asking:
- How do I forecast the impact of AI when adoption speeds are so uncertain?
- Which roles will I need to reskill, redesign, or replace?
- What does a workforce plan for 2026 actually look like in practice?
Without a plan, organizations risk costly turnover, skill gaps, and competitive disadvantage. With a plan, they unlock ROI through:
- Reduced hiring and turnover costs
- Improved productivity and agility
- Stronger resilience against disruption
At SHRM, we believe the new era of workforce planning is where business strategy and human potential converge.
What’s at Stake?
15.1%
of U.S. jobs (23.2M roles) already have 50%+ of tasks automated.
6%
of jobs (9.2M roles) face no nontechnical barriers to displacement.
90%
of CHROs expect AI integration to accelerate in 2025.
Unlock the Real Impact of Automation & AI on Jobs
The latest SHRM Data Brief delivers exclusive insights from over 20,000 U.S. workers, revealing that 15.1% of U.S. jobs are at least 50% automated, while 7.8% rely heavily on generative AI.
Gain data-driven clarity on which occupations are most at risk, which are transforming, and where human skills remain essential.
Newest Member Resources
Strengthen workplace safety with clear guidelines for preventing violence, intimidation, and harassment. Support employees and foster a respectful environment.
Equip supervisors with workplace violence prevention tools and training in recognizing threats, diffusing situations, and implementing safety procedures.
Advance your workforce planning and improve retention with structured career development. Review HR best practices, legal considerations, and ways to track success.
Strengthen your workforce strategy with a staffing plan that addresses business priorities. Find actionable guidance for evaluating roles and planning for growth.
Your 2026 Workforce Planning Roadmap
Here’s a tactical guide you can use right now to begin building a workforce strategy for 2026.
Without knowing where you are, you can’t plan where to go.
- Map current roles, skills, and automation exposure.
- Use people analytics to identify turnover risks and skill gaps.
- Earn 22 PDCs and a new credential – all while completing your HR audit.
Next step with SHRM
SHRM People Analytics Specialty Credential
Avoid being blindsided; enable flexibility.
- Build scenarios for fast AI disruption, moderate adoption, and slow adoption with regulatory barriers.
- Identify signals to watch: AI cost curves, regulatory changes, workforce sentiment.
- Earn 22 PDCs and a new credential – all while forecasting your organization’s needs.
Next step with SHRM
SHRM AI + HI Specialty Credential
Essential for deciding where to reskill / hire.
- Compare current workforce capabilities against future needs.
- Focus on both technical skills (AI literacy, data analysis) and human skills (adaptability, collaboration, critical thinking).
Next step with SHRM
SHRM Foundation Skills First Initiative
Evaluate automation, HRIS, analytics, and AI augmentation tools. What to ask vendors:
- Is your system explainable and bias-checked?
- How do you integrate with HRIS/LMS data?
- What ROI benchmarks exist for my industry size?
Build the business case and prioritize effectively.
- A successful workforce plan must combine financial rigor with a change management strategy that builds trust and minimizes resistance.
- Budget modeling: compare reskilling, rehiring, automation, and vendor investment.
- Leadership buy-in: create a business case that ties workforce scenarios to organizational strategy and financial goals.
- Change management & communication: develop a communication plan that keeps employees informed and engaged, not blindsided.
- Ethics & trust in AI: address bias, fairness, and transparency. Document how you’ll monitor AI systems to ensure equity and compliance.
- Resistance management: anticipate where pushback will come from (frontline managers, employees worried about displacement, skeptical execs) and map responses.
- Attend a seminar and earn 15 PDCs as you develop your planning and budgeting.
Next step with SHRM
Workforce Planning: The Future of Work Seminar
To know when things are working or need adjusting.
- Pilot new workforce models in select departments.
- Track KPIs: time-to-competency, productivity gains, turnover reduction, automation ROI.
- Attend a seminar and earn 15 PDCs as you implement new workforce plans.
Next step with SHRM
HRBP: Becoming a Strategic Influencer Seminar
Featured Webinars
Unlock Smarter Workforce Planning with Free Webinars on Demand.
Member Only
Navigating Workforce Transitions: Practical Strategies for HR Leaders
Join SHRM experts as they share actionable strategies to navigate workforce transitions, from automation disruption to evolving employee expectations. Walk away with tools you can apply immediately to strengthen resilience and position your organization for growth.
Member Only
Transforming HR with AI: Practical Use Cases and Strategies
Learn actionable steps to integrate AI into your workforce planning strategy, understand how AI is reshaping traditional HR functions, and discover practical use cases and success stories.
Planning for AI Disruption
90% of CHROs expect AI integration to accelerate in 2025, and 87% believe it will be critical to boosting productivity. Workforce planning is now a C-suite priority.
This isn’t just about HR filling roles. It’s about enabling CEOs and CFOs to hit growth targets, protect against disruption, and maximize shareholder value.
SHRM research shows most work will evolve — not vanish.
The biggest risk? Failing to reimagine roles, reskill people, and build systems that assess full capability.
- Without strategic workforce planning, organizations face inefficiency, talent gaps, and competitive disadvantage.
- With proactive planning, organizations reduce costs, build agility, and unlock new growth.
Attend the Most Important Events to Prepare for The New Era of Workforce Planning
October 26 - 29, 2025
Louisville, KY
Design the future of I&D.
BLUEPRINT equips you with the frameworks to align workforce planning and I&D efforts with business growth — and thrive in an era of constant disruption.
April 19 - 22, 2026
Dallas, TX or virtual
Winning the future starts with winning talent.
Learn how to adapt your talent strategy, build skills-first pipelines, and stay ahead of workforce shifts at the premier talent event of the year.
March 9 - 10, 2026
San Francisco, CA or virtual
Artificial Intelligence plus Human Intelligence = ROI for the workforce of tomorrow.
Dive deep into how organizations are blending AI tools with human potential to redesign jobs, upskill workers, and unlock innovation.
June 16 - 19, 2026
Orlando, FL or virtual
The largest stage for the future of work.
From AI disruption to workforce agility, SHRM’s Annual Conference brings together global leaders to reimagine work and strengthen HR’s role in business strategy.
Workforce Planning: The Future of Work
Don’t just react to change — get ahead of it.
This seminar equips you to anticipate talent needs, forecast disruption, and design a future-ready workforce strategy.
Integrate AI to Transform Workforce Management
This seminar equips HR professionals and organizational leaders to strategically integrate generative AI into workforce management and organizational design.
Why Workforce Planning is Now a Non-Negotiable
Operational Efficiency = Lower Costs
Organizations that predict workplace trends are more likely to excel at driving change (61% vs. 45%). That translates into better operational efficiency and reduced costs. Forecasting trends avoids fire drills, emergency hiring, and scrambling.
Proactive planning avoids costly gaps, emergency hires, and turnover — all of which drain the bottom line.
Agility = Competitive Advantage
Workforce planning ranks high in strategic importance, but many organizations are weak in their current capabilities. Closing that gap builds agility.
Markets move fast. Companies with agile workforce strategies pivot, innovate, and outperform peers — translating directly into faster revenue recovery and sustained growth.
Talent Alignment = Business Growth
41% of HR executives say their organizations excel at developing a vision and plan for change — the foundation for aligning talent and achieving growth.
The right people in the right roles accelerate strategy execution and unlock higher ROI from human capital investments.
Risk Management = Resilience
Millions of U.S. jobs are facing automation-driven disruption. The solution? Proactive workforce planning.
From automation disruption to demographic shifts, workforce risks are real. Planning ahead, with a focus on what people can learn and are willing to learn, plus recognizing credentials, mitigates financial and operational risks, ensuring companies stay resilient and ready.
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The Pillars of the New Era of Workforce Planning
40% of CHROs cite workforce planning as their top talent-management priority. The ROI is clear: reduced hiring costs, stronger succession pipelines, and better execution.
From Forecast to Flexibility: Rethinking Workforce Planning
Future Focus: Progress and Reinvention in the World of Work
The 4-Step Framework to Build a Future-Ready Workforce
SHRM People Analytics Specialty Credential
Your data is talking — are you listening?
Turn HR insights into business impact with people analytics skills that drive smarter, faster, and more strategic decisions.
51% of HR professionals say AI will transform jobs rather than replace them. The winners will use technology to unlock human capacity for innovation — fueling productivity and profitability.
The New Age of Workforce Planning
Talent Optimization: 3 Steps to Build a High-Impact Workforce
From Data Chaos to Clarity: Transforming Information into Action
SHRM AI + HI Specialty Credential
AI doesn’t replace people — it empowers them.
Learn how to harness AI alongside human ingenuity to redesign roles, fuel innovation, and future-proof your workforce.
80% of workers believe humans should review AI-driven decisions. Human judgment, empathy, and leadership remain irreplaceable — and they drive the strongest ROI through engagement and retention.
Unlocking the Power of Data-Driven Performance Management for CHROs
Rethinking the Talent Life Cycle as a Strategic Advantage
Aligning Learning and Development with Evolving Workforce Needs
HRBP: Becoming a Strategic Influencer
Move from executor to influencer.
This program helps HR Business Partners step into a bigger role — guiding strategy, shaping culture, and driving change with credibility.
53% of CHROs anticipate more rapid skill development as AI adoption accelerates. By investing in transformation strategies, businesses protect profitability and position for long-term leadership.
What CEOs expect from their HR leaders
Mentorship Supports Employees and Organizations amid Uncertainty
Good Succession Plans Are Ready to Meet The Unexpected
Developing an HR Strategy
If HR isn’t aligned with business goals, everyone feels it.
Learn how to build and execute a strategy that connects talent planning directly to growth and performance.
Latest News & Insights
Immersive, values-aligned leadership development equips rising leaders with future-ready skills to drive change and deliver on business strategy.
Learn what a pragmatic and operational workforce planning process should look like — and gain access to tools and strategies for responding to workforce gaps.
Learn to conduct an effective stay interview and explore their relationship with improved retention rates. Get started with sample stay interview questions.
Succession planning safeguards businesses from disruptions, boosts retention, and engages leaders by identifying, developing, and preparing talent for key roles.
Not a SHRM Member Yet? Here’s Why It Matters
Workforce disruption isn’t slowing down — and neither can your strategy. SHRM members don’t just stay informed; they stay ahead.
As a member, you’ll gain:
Exclusive data & insights to make confident workforce decisions
Proven tools & frameworks for strategic workforce planning
Practical case studies & playbooks to turn disruption into ROI
A global community of HR leaders to benchmark, learn, and lead with confidence
The new era of workforce planning is here. SHRM Membership is your competitive advantage.
Join SHRM Today and ensure your workforce strategy delivers measurable impact — for your people, your business, and your bottom line.
Multiply Your Impact: Bring SHRM Membership to Your Entire HR Team
As a SHRM member, you already know the value of having cutting-edge research, actionable tools, and a powerful professional network at your fingertips. Imagine the results if your entire HR team was equipped with the same resources, insights, and strategic capabilities.
With a SHRM Corporate Membership, you can:
Prove HR’s collective value by leveraging SHRM’s data, benchmarks, and case studies to connect people initiatives to P&L outcomes.
Expand your team’s impact through specialty credentials, toolkits, and events that help design business-aligned HR strategies together.
Stay ahead as a team with the latest insights into workforce trends, compliance shifts, and innovative HR practices.
Engage your whole team with a global HR community that shares real-world solutions and strategies to accelerate organizational growth.