AI, talent shortages, and distrust: These are the biggest challenges HR pros are bracing for in 2025

2025 is already shaping up to be a doozy of a year.

2024 was not without its challenges, many of which are likely to follow HR into the new year. HR Brew asked people pros to share the biggest headaches they’re bracing for in 2025, and unsurprisingly, issues like return to office, hybrid work, AI, and talent shortages are top of mind.

“The biggest HR challenge we anticipate in 2025 is navigating the complexities of hybrid work models. As we continue to adapt to the evolving work landscape, ensuring seamless communication, collaboration, and maintaining a strong organizational culture across both remote and in-office teams will be crucial. We are committed to addressing these challenges by investing in advanced collaboration tools, promoting flexible work policies, and creating initiatives that foster a sense of belonging and connection among all employees.”—Leslie Deutsch, VP of people strategy, TEKsystems

“The biggest challenges in healthcare HR will center around keeping talent, fostering flexibility, and sharpening our brand…People want more than a job—they’re looking for career growth, stability, and the autonomy to shape their own paths. To stand out, we need to create personalized, flexible environments that align with these needs. Addressing ongoing staffing shortages will require fresh thinking too; innovative strategies like travel programs and interstate credentialing support can become powerful tools for both attracting and keeping top talent.”—Scott Mayo, CPO, Confluent Health

“The biggest challenge is going to be keeping up with the speed of AI and innovation—this includes not just evolving how we train people to use technology, but also how we use technology to fundamentally change the way people learn. This can be intimidating, especially for employees…As HR professionals, our job is to not only lead the way in reskilling, upskilling, and embracing AI, but to also lead employees through the fear.”—Jayney Howson, SVP and head of global learning and development, ServiceNow

“The first part of our hiring process relies on technical and non-technical (soft skills) evaluations. For 2025, the biggest challenge we’re facing is ensuring the system is not affected by candidates who try to cheat by using AI where we do not permit it.”—Felipe Turra, talent acquisition director, BairesDev

“Talent acquisition teams are relying heavily on AI for sourcing, screening, and assessing candidates. In response, job seekers are leveraging the technology to write résumeés, prep for interviews, and even to coach them on responses during interviews. With the whole hiring process now being done through tech and leading to a host of mismatches, HR teams need to re-think the human element of their talent strategy to ensure they’re setting up their organization and new employees for success.”—Steve Knox, global head of talent acquisition, Dayforce

“During the pandemic, ‘resilience’ was one of the key buzzwords at work…In 2025, I think developing resilience is still our biggest challenge—and our biggest opportunity—as HR leaders…Resilience is not a skill everyone has. However, it’s one that HR leaders can help the organization develop by instituting expectations with employees, and creating a culture that recognizes and rewards the behaviors that display resilience.”—KeyAnna Schmiedl, chief human experience officer, Workhuman

“By 2025, transparency will be a cornerstone of building trust. Leaders will need a clear, data-driven perspective on why diversity matters and how it directly impacts both business outcomes and the employee experience.”—Roshan Kindred, chief diversity officer, PagerDuty

“An HR challenge I anticipate in 2025 is maintaining organizational clarity in an environment full of distractions. Ensuring that teams stay focused on priorities while cutting through noise will be critical to keeping everyone aligned and engaged. This will require clear, consistent communication and a strong focus on prioritization to help employees navigate distractions and stay connected to our mission.”—Jill Domanico, CPO, Submittable

“The overall lack of trust. The US general election results have shown us that trust in institutions has not rebounded at all but in fact has further eroded…This puts even more pressure on businesses—particularly small ones, as they’re the most trusted institution right now—to build trust among employees and consumers in any way possible…In the year ahead, organizations will be under a microscope, and HR’s role will be pivotal through these peaks and valleys.”—Rebecca Trotsky, Chief People Officer, HR Acuity