On November 14, the UWEBC HR community examined how skills-based talent strategies can accelerate workforce transformation amid rapid technological and demographic change. The 2025 Future of Jobs Report identified skill gaps as the leading barrier to business transformation. This makes clear the shift away from traditional job-centric models toward more adaptive, skills-driven approaches. Member input reinforced this trend, demonstrating strong interest in areas such as skills validation, matching, and development, alongside lower readiness in data governance and skills valuation.
Featured speaker and author of Talent Techtonics, Dr. Steven T. Hunt, expanded on this shift by distinguishing skills, what people know how to do, from competencies, how they apply that knowledge. He noted that workforce requirements are evolving even when job titles remain static, driven in part by AI and other technological advances. As technical abilities become more widely accessible, capabilities such as empathy, creativity, collaboration, and relationship-building are becoming increasingly critical to performance, innovation, and employee experience. Dr. Hunt emphasized that organizations must intentionally develop both technical and human-centered skills to meet emerging business needs.
The discussion also addressed how to operationalize skills-based practices. Effective implementation requires coordination across multiple functions, including skills intelligence, validation, matching, development, assignment, and valuation, supported by consistent data governance. Participants also explored how digital skills ontologies and AI-driven tools can surface internal talent patterns and external labor trends, while still requiring expert oversight to ensure accuracy and relevance.
Rather than executing a broad transformation all at once, attendees were encouraged to begin with roles where skill shortages most directly affect business outcomes. Prioritizing pivotal, critical, and developmental roles enables organizations to demonstrate value quickly, strengthen internal alignment, and scale progress over time. With shifting demographics and accelerated adoption of AI, external hiring alone is no longer sufficient to meet capability needs. Developing internal mobility, modernizing role expectations, and investing in continuous skill-building are essential to sustaining workforce agility. Participants reflected that competitive advantage increasingly depends on how effectively organizations learn and adapt, and that meaningful progress is achieved through targeted, iterative investments rather than singular, large-scale initiatives.
UWEBC members can view the full event recording and download presentation materials from the event here: https://uwebc.wisc.edu/uwebc-events/94ad4e1e-c3b1-ef11-806a-005056b0b30d/