Chief People Officers Outlook September 2025

13Chief People Officers Outlook 3. People strategy amid disruption Global 12-month workforce strategy outlook Current priorities on the people agenda When asked which people practices are being prioritized by organizations in mid- 2025 for the year ahead, a clear top three (across a comprehensive range of response options) emerged among surveyed chief people officers: 1. Review organizational structure and job design 2. Focus on workplace culture and articulating business purpose and impact 3. Support workforce deployment of AI and process automation Reviewing organizational structure and job design ranked highest, with 53% of respondents placing it in their top three and 21% choosing it as their number one priority. A focus on workplace culture and business purpose came close behind, with over half of respondents listing it as a top-three priority. Chief people officers consulted for this briefing highlighted that workplace culture is often first addressed by evolving leadership models. Empowering the next generation of leaders is seen as crucial for fostering resilience and navigating disruption. Supporting workforce deployment of AI and process automation was also ranked in the top three by 47% of respondents, reflecting its importance as a transformative force reshaping work. Leading through change Key capabilities for delivering people strategies Surveyed chief people officers identify several key required competencies for the people function to deliver on today’s priorities. Chief people officers overwhelmingly pointed to business acumen and strategic thinking, followed by stakeholder influence and digital fluency and data literacy, as key success factors for the chief people officer of the future. In fact, 100% of respondents ranked business acumen and strategic thinking in their top three success factors, with nearly 90% ranking it as their top priority. As one chief people officer states: “You can’t separate people and business anymore.” Many chief people officers consulted for this briefing also acknowledged a capability gap in digital and data skills across the people function. Closing this gap was seen as essential to increasing the people function’s strategic influence and impact across the business.