New Research from iCIMS Reveals UK-Based CHROs are Spending More Time on Talent Acquisition, While AI Becomes Crucial Part of the HR Toolkit

The iCIMS UK CHRO Report reveals top priorities, challenges and advice from HR leaders who are leading through a dynamic business environment 

London [June 6] – HR is no stranger to change – it’s the nature of its function. Transformation of the workplace has accelerated and CHROs are leading the way. With so much competing for their attention, leading talent acquisition (TA) technology provider iCIMS surveyed thousands of CHROs across the U.K., France and U.S. to understand their evolving role as a strategic leader and how they’re paving a path forward in a dynamic market. The iCIMS UK CHRO Report, published today, shares top trends, findings and advice to deliver business value, while keeping up with today’s talent demands.  

Two clear trends in the report are the increased focus on TA at the C-suite level and artificial intelligence (AI) driving business strategies. “CHROs are not just recognising its potential, they are actively investing in it to drive real change,” iCIMS’ VP of AI, Andreea Wade, shared. But she cautions, “As we integrate AI into recruitment processes, it’s essential to focus on ethics and fairness. Building responsible AI can help to mitigate bias in decision-making and enhance the human aspect of HR.” 

iCIMS Chief People Officer Laura Coccaro said, “We’re in the midst of a seismic shift, and CHROs are poised to be the strategic partner to help the C-suite navigate the road ahead.” She added, “This report is chock-full of data and advice to help CHROs fulfill the demands of fellow leaders, while meeting the needs of their workforce.”  

Key findings from today’s U.K.-based CHROs and workers: 

• Talent acquisition rises to the forefront. More than half of CHROs (55%) are spending more time in their role on TA today than they did two years ago. With the recent ebbs and flows of hiring needs and candidate expectations, increased emphasis on talent acquisition may come as no surprise. The majority (91%) see the role of the recruiter morphing into a strategic talent advisor to the business, 37% of which are seeing this happen right now, while more than half believe this will happen in the near future.  
• Priorities are (seemingly) endless. Their top priorities for the next 12 months are to improve diversity hiring and retention, enhance internal mobility, improve talent acquisition and enhance employer brand. When narrowing in on TA priorities specifically, some of the top focus areas are analytics and reporting, talent sourcing, diversity of talent pools and hires and hiring manager productivity.  
• AI is not just a phase. Most CHROs today are focused on AI investments. They are stepping up to lead their organisations in technological change — cultivating collaboration and identifying new ways to drive HR impact. Nearly 70% claim they have already implemented new AI capabilities into recruiting processes or plan to do so in the next 12 months. CHROs say some of their TA teams’ top use cases for AI are to draft candidate communications, generate interview questions and create job descriptions.  
• What keeps them up at night? A lot. Hiring swings and fluctuations are the top business challenge keeping UK CHROs up at night, alongside other challenges including retaining top performers, outdated technology and processes and upskilling/reskilling employees, to name a few. This differs from the top challenges of American and French HR leaders. In the U.S., compliance and regulatory laws and the lack of/reduced budgets tied for the top spot. In France, integrating AI into TA/HR processes is the biggest challenge. 
• Retention is the new recruiting. HR leaders are leaning into their employee talent pool, with 83% confirming internal mobility is a priority for their organisation this year. And more than one third (37%) say internal mobility is a bigger priority for their organisation than it was in 2023. How do they plan to invest in internal mobility over the next 12 months? They’re investing in new tech, increasing internal hiring rate, upskilling/reskilling employees and creating the framework and career paths to build a formalised programme.  
• A focus on the bottom line for the board room. CHROs are consistently looking for new ways to measure business impact and deliver more value to their organisation. Diversity, equity and inclusion metrics and internal hires and promotions were the top KPIs they report up to the CEO and board. U.S. CHROs agree and have DEI metrics at the top. Meanwhile, the top KPI selected by French CHROs was the cost of vacancy. When looking at TA metrics specifically, they most often report on offer acceptance rate. 

“After everything we’ve been through over the last few years, hiring the right talent is more of a commitment than ever before,” said Mervyn Dinnen, HR industry analyst. “On top of that, retaining and growing those quality hires is crucial in today’s ever-developing macro environment. With the right data insights and technology partner, we can certainly keep on top of all the continuous shifts and trends. This report, and iCIMS’ robust data programme, give us insight into what HR and IT executives value and prioritise. It’s up to us to use this valuable information to make smarter hiring strategies and investments.” 

The iCIMS UK CHRO Report is now available for download, featuring insights from industry analysts and leaders from Enterprise Mobility, HireRight and AssuredPartners, as well as top trends across the U.K., U.S. and France. 

Europe’s #1 HR industry analyst firm named iCIMS a Strategic Leader in the 2024 Fosway 9-Grid™ for Talent Acquisition for its strong market performance and ability to meet the complex needs of global, enterprise-scale customers.