The Evolving Role Of AI In Workforce Planning
According to Forbes, 79% of UK workers have already used generative AI to help them at work and, over the last few years, the technology has moved away from being a futuristic concept to a mainstream part of business strategy. Across boardrooms, HR teams and operational departments in most sectors, it’s influencing how organisations approach hiring, workforce planning and productivity.
Here at Employment Solutions, we’ve already seen a significant shift in how our clients think about using AI in hiring strategies and workforce planning, with many of them considering how it can reshape their workforce in the future. Our focus, therefore, is on guiding our clients through AI-driven change and ensuring that their workforce strategies remain competitive, compliant and resilient.
AI as a strategic tool
Increasing numbers of our clients, especially those in the manufacturing, engineering and technology-led sectors, are enquiring about AI-powered tools for hiring, workforce planning and productivity. Their particular focus is on software such as applicant tracking systems, analytics platforms that can help them to forecast future skills needs and tools designed to optimise productivity. Their aim is simple – to achieve better decision-making and faster hiring processes and to produce a workforce that is equipped for the challenges of a digital-first economy.
We can help to bridge the gap between what AI promises and the practical reality of workforce planning by working with our clients to identify which tools will actually deliver value for their sector and size, then building hiring strategies that make those insights actionable.
Labour market shifts
AI is also reshaping the types of roles we’ve seen emerging over recent years. In sectors such as engineering and advanced manufacturing, demand is rising for roles with entirely new skillsets linked to automation, robotics and data, which are essential for integrating automation and optimising production. At the same time, new job ‘families’ are appearing, such as AI ethics officers, prompt engineers and specialists in human/machine collaboration.
For employers, this all means that their workforce planning must now take into account skills that were not even conceived of as little as five years ago. It also raises the challenge of reskilling existing teams, as employees adapt to working alongside increasingly more capable systems. For organisations, this creates both challenge and opportunity. The challenge is to ensure that their workforce keeps pace, and the opportunity is to harness innovation to remain competitive. This is where we can play a critical role. We understand the evolving skills landscape and can connect businesses with candidates who possess both the technical expertise and the adaptability to grow with the role as technology continues to develop.
AI and workforce planning
Workforce planning traditionally relied on historical trends and business forecasts. AI has transformed this by processing real-time business, market and workforce data to offer predictive models that can simulate different business scenarios and reveal the impact on future talent needs.
This level of foresight enables companies to take a more strategic approach to their long-term workforce requirements. It can support more agile decision-making and assist companies in adjusting their hiring programmes in real time. However, sometimes clients find the insight valuable but overwhelming. This is where we can help. We can translate those AI-generated forecasts into tangible hiring strategies, predicting which roles to prioritise, what training programmes to consider and whether contractors or permanent hires will prove the best decision.
The impact on hiring models
AI is also influencing the balance between contract and permanent hiring. For many of our clients, the speed of technological change means that project-based, flexible expertise is more attractive than long-term appointments, with some opting for contractors with niche skills who can deliver immediate impact. For others, investing in permanent staff with transferable skills to future proof their teams is a higher priority. AI is driving both approaches, depending on sector, scale and specific strategy.
At Employment Solutions, we’re focused on helping our clients strike the right balance, supporting them through AI-driven transformation and making it easier for decision-makers to decide which model best fits their strategy. By providing clarity on future skills needs, we empower organisations to blend contract and permanent hiring in the way that best supports their growth and flexibility, adding real value.
Client concerns
While enthusiasm for the use of AI is growing, there are also understandable concerns. Our clients frequently raise four issues:
Job security – how will automation affect their existing workforce?
Reskilling needs – how can they support employees to transition into more technical roles?
Compliance and fairness – how do they ensure that AI hiring tools are fair, ethical and aligned with UK employment laws?
Information overload – how do they interpret complex AI-driven insights without being overwhelmed by too much data?
These are not trivial matters and they reflect a deep awareness that workforce planning must balance efficiency with responsibility. Our approach is to reassure and support. We work with HR and hiring teams to identify which jobs are truly at risk and where new opportunities may arise to upskill and avoid redundancy while strengthening capability.
Looking ahead
AI is transforming how businesses think about hiring and workforce planning. It can’t replace human judgment, empathy or creativity, qualities that remain central to the issue, but it can sharpen decision-making, improve foresight and reduce uncertainty. The organisations that will thrive are those that view AI as a strategic enabler, not a threat. By combining the power of AI with the judgement of people, businesses can create a workforce strategy that is both agile and resilient.
At Employment Solutions, we’re guiding our clients through this change and helping them to understand where AI can add value, how to build a resilient workforce and how to balance innovation with responsibility. Whether that’s choosing the right tools, sourcing talent for newly emerging roles or supporting reskilling initiatives, we can help organisations to turn AI disruption into sustainable growth.
For more information about how we can help your organisation make the most of the opportunities offered by AI, get in touch.
