This roundtable discussion explored the reasons behind the skills shortage and the barriers to attracting and retaining the best people.

Future of Work Hub Discussion Forum: Priorities for 2023 and beyond

Attracting and retaining the best people

The discussion was hosted by Employment Partner Lucy Lewis, Partner and author of the "Eight drivers of Change – 2022 and Beyond" report, James Davies, alongside our immigration specialist, Legal Director Naomi Hanrahan-Soar and global mobility specialist, Partner James Storke.

In our first event in a series of small, curated, roundtable discussions we'll be hosting throughout 2023 and beyond, we brought together a small number of business leaders and people-focused professionals to discuss some of the central themes that emerged from our recently published report - Eight Drivers of Change – 2022 and Beyond. See the report's executive summary here.

We have summarised the key points from our discussion.

Key Insights

This roundtable discussion delved deeper into the business critical issues raised in the report and explored practical actions for businesses to take.

Some of the issues we discussed include: 

  • Skills shortages – focusing on mitigation including:

    • Recruitment strategies, including encouraging older workers back into the workforce

    • Training and development strategies, including reskilling and retraining in light of the impact of technology, AI and automation on jobs

    • The role of migration and the globalisation of knowledge jobs

  • Attracting and retaining the best people – focusing on shifting generational values and priorities:

    • Adapting work and the workplace environment to build autonomy, a sense of purpose and belonging

    • Supporting workforce wellbeing 

    • Responding to evolving workforce and stakeholder expectations to act on wider societal issues

    • Addressing growing inequality and potential conflict and division in the workplace and driving focus on increasing diversity

You can view our animation on the skills shortage or read further resources on this topic on the Future of Work Hub.

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