Workforce & succession planning: Harnessing talent for tomorrow

It's time we talk about something every workplace needs, but doesn’t always nail: workforce planning.

At IHR Live Manchester 2025, Susie Heale, Consultant at TalentMapper, drawing on over 15 years of experience in learning and development, presented a compelling vision for how organisations can rethink critical workforce and succession planning processes, making them more dynamic, data-driven, and ultimately human-centered.

Moving beyond static competency frameworks and subjective assessments, Susie champions dynamic, objective tools that reduce bias and promote inclusion. The World Economic Forum’s 2025 report adds a hopeful note, projecting a net gain of 78 million jobs by 2030, while emphasising the need for ongoing reskilling and employee wellbeing as top priorities.

Susie advises organisations to start small, select a key metric, leverage technology to track progress, and foster human-centered conversations about career growth. This iterative, data-informed strategy enhances agility, reduces costly external recruitment, and builds inclusive, future-ready workplaces.

Ultimately, workforce planning is not just about technology; it’s about people. Combining predictive analytics with genuine care for employee development and wellbeing is the key to thriving in the future of work.

Her session revealed more on:

Moving beyond traditional models. Static competency frameworks and nine-box grids are outdated, and dynamic, continuous skills mapping is the future.

Workforce planning as forecasting. Predictive analytics help anticipate talent needs 12–24 months ahead, enabling proactive development and reducing reliance on external hires.

Health and wellbeing matter. Employee wellbeing is now a top strategic priority linked directly to talent attraction and retention.

Always keep it human. Data and tech are tools, but human-centered conversations about career growth and aspirations are essential to engagement and inclusion.

If you missed this session, you can now watch it below.