The ending of one calendar year always elicits many predictions and forecasts for the year to come. An interesting paper from the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) called The Shape of Business - The Next 10 Years provides a view of the UK even farther ahead. Here is the premise:

The business environment of the next decade will be significantly different to what might have been expected just two years ago. The financial crisis and the recession that has followed have altered operating conditions by imposing new challenges and exacerbating existing ones. Businesses will respond across the organisation, moving to a more flexible, collaborative and leaner model.

More specifically, on the business response to the workforce:

One of the biggest challenges for business over the next ten years will be how to build, retain and make the most of knowledge and experience in the workforce while finances for training are restricted, there are major changes in the make-up of the population available for work and individuals’ expectations of work continue to evolve.

With the expectation that:

Businesses will become much more proactive in their approach to talent management, placing greater focus on skill development and increasing returns on investment in training.

In this scenario, comprehensive skills profiles of both current employees and candidates will further increase in importance. Visibility into talent data and analytics will make the difference between prospering and foundering in the future. And unified data with internal transparency will change how managers think about talent.