With skills back in focus, what’s the latest for HR and tech leaders?

Just a few years ago, it seemed like at least half of the conversations I was having with HR technology providers, HR leaders and industry experts were primarily focused on skills—specifically, upskilling and reskilling, and the challenges these presented for organizations and employees alike. Facing a tightening labor market in the extended recovery from the financial crisis of 2008-09—and wrestling with the growing development of new technologies in artificial intelligence, robotics, automation and more—HR and learning leaders mainly seemed concerned with how to identify and close the so-called “skills gaps.” At that point, that’s what everyone seemed to believe would be the main challenge for HR at the dawn of the 2020s.