Workday Rising SF 2025 highlighted both the excitement and challenges of building skills-based organizations. TechWolf engaged with hundreds of HR leaders, sharing insights on the urgent need for clean workforce data, the growing pressure to tie HR initiatives directly to business outcomes, and the evolving role of AI in shaping work. The event reinforced that HR is at a pivotal moment, responsible not only for fixing data and job architectures but also for intentionally designing how AI transforms tasks, skills, and careers.

Traditional hiring methods—relying on resumes, experience, and outdated job descriptions—are no longer effective. With 85 million jobs projected to be unfilled by 2030, companies need a skills-first hiring approach to stay competitive. However, 92% of organizations lack reliable workforce skills data, making it difficult to identify skill gaps, match talent to roles, and make informed hiring decisions. A skills-based hiring strategy starts with accurate, AI-driven workforce data to map job roles, define skill-based job descriptions, and optimize hiring decisions. Companies that adopt this approach can reduce hiring costs, improve internal mobility, and ensure fair, skills-based compensation.

Traditional skill gap analysis is outdated, unreliable, and too slow to keep up with today’s evolving workforce. It relies on self-reported assessments, manager bias, and static surveys—leading to inaccurate data, misaligned reskilling efforts, and costly external hiring. AI-driven skill intelligence eliminates bias, updates workforce skills in real time, and predicts future talent needs to ensure businesses stay competitive. By automating skill tracking and workforce planning, AI helps organizations proactively reskill employees, reduce hiring costs, and optimize talent mobility.

Hiring isn’t enough—closing skill gaps requires a skills-first approach powered by AI. Learn how AI-driven reskilling helps enterprises reduce hiring costs, improve workforce agility, and future-proof their talent strategy.

Explore how Talent Intelligence transforms HR decisions by leveraging real-time skill data, helping HR leaders drive smarter, future-focused workforce strategies.