What technology means for the future of the HR industry

This article is brought to you by RMIT.

Technology in the HR industry is changing the way traditional HR policies and practices are carried out, but what does this mean for the future of the HR industry? The RMIT team shares its thoughts.

The human resources industry is evolving at a rapid pace due to globalisation and digitisation, with new innovative technologies paving the way for increased efficiency and new initiatives.

HR departments are increasingly moving away from traditional practices and adopting technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) which are driving change across the industry.

What do technologies mean for the future of HR?

Technology in the HR industry is changing the way traditional HR policies and practices are carried out, but what does this mean for the future of the HR industry? AI is here to stay, with AI technologies becoming increasingly sophisticated and practices such as recruitment and onboarding benefiting from increased accuracy.

AI service desks such as AIMEE by Kronos can now improve internal communications by automating responses to queries, leaving HR executives with additional time to focus on strategic business decisions and important workplace issues.

Augmented analytics is another technological tool that uses machine learning and natural-language generation to gain deeper insights into data sets. The tool offers more user-friendly data, which will be particularly useful in the HR industry, where you are required to analyse large amounts of people data to draw conclusions.

The rise in automation

Durant-Whyte et al (2015) predicted that around 40% of Australian jobs have a high probability of becoming automated in the next 10-15 years. This rise in automation across all industries undoubtedly has a knock-on effect for an organisation and can create a culture of fear for job safety.

However, increased automation means organisational change and adapting to business needs such as re-training, restructuring and introducing new technologies to staff. HR departments will be required to oversee this transitional period, which in turn creates an increased demand for skilled HR professionals.

Jacqui Curtis, Deputy Commissioner at the Australian Taxation Office stated: "These challenges are driving a degree of ‘messiness’ in the workplace and will require human resources professionals, now, and in the future, to think hard about how they best bring value to the issues for which they have a responsibility."

Commitment to continual learning

A commitment to continual learning should be at the forefront for any dedicated HR professional for numerous reasons, including upskilling, professional development and staying on top of industry trends and technologies.

A report commissioned by Deloitte Access Economics called The future of work: Occupational and educational trends in human resources revealed that technological and workforce change is contributing to an increased demand for skilled HR professionals.

The research showed that HR professionals possessing a postgraduate degree are set to earn over US$160,000 per annum and have increased career opportunities and development.

The Master of Human Resource Management at RMIT University delivered 100% online can equip you with the skills to effectively contribute to global organisations of any scale. It covers topics such as employment law, strategic human resource development and global human resource management.

Photo / StockUnlimited