Today's newsletter is about my impressions from HR Tech in Las Vegas.
But my time there also involved reflection on the new report from the Centrum för Global HRM (CGHRM) in Gothenburgh titled “Does AI Even Matter?”, written by Stefan Tengblad & Donika Nord regarding the state of HR Tech & AI in Sweden. As I mention in my comment in the report, it’s alarming how the situation looks in Sweden – that we are so far behind.
And that I have seen this for a long time! You find the report on this link (Swedish)
Sweden ranks 35th out of 37 countries in the use of analytics and algorithmic HR ❌ Rank 1: UK, Rank 21: USA
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Back in Las Vegas again!
This time, I was joined by Margareta Svaneby and also Jonas Carlberg, , who was with us last year as well.
Just like last year, we recorded a short film that will be posted on my LinkedIn in a few days. If you don’t want to miss it, make sure to click 🔔 on my LinkedIn profile and select to get all my post notifications.
HR Tech was bigger and more extensive than ever. It was almost impossible to get a complete overview of the enormous exhibition hall, with so many innovative solutions and companies represented.
If you feel inspired by my posts, make sure to visit HR Tech in Amsterdam this spring. There is so much to experience there, and it's fantastic that we don’t all have to travel all the way to Las Vegas to access this type of inspiration and knowledge locally.
This year at HR Tech, the intense focus from last year on "What is generative AI?" and "How should we use it as individuals?" had shifted to how we are actually starting to use AI in our organizations, especially how different vendors utilize the technology in their solutions. Many of the leading players in HR Tech are now being challenged by new AI-driven solutions that are radically redefining the market – and it’s becoming clear that building new solutions on old technology is challenging.
There was a strong focus on how vendors have implemented generative language models in their products and the practical results these solutions are delivering. I am impressed by how many have made significant progress, something that I feel is lacking in many Swedish solutions.
Here, I see a lot of room for growth and innovation.
The discussion about intelligent agents came up several times during the conference. SAP SuccessFactors has had its agent Joule for a while, and now both Oracle and Workday have launched their own agents.
But what does this really mean?
If the first step for HR in implementing generative AI at scale is to create chatbots with access to HR information, allowing employees and managers to quickly get answers to their questions, then Agentic AI takes it a step further by actually performing tasks on behalf of the user.
For example, you could ask the HR chatbot, "How much vacation do I have left? Can I take time off at Christmas?" It responds, "Yes, you have three days left, which is enough for the workdays on December 23, 27, and 30, giving you an extended break. Would you like me to submit a leave request for you?"
Agentic AI, therefore, moves from merely providing information to acting on that information, making workflows more efficient and the user experience more seamless.
In yesterday’s podcast episode with Burak Bakkaloglu, Burak discussed this among other things.
With today’s AI language models, it's possible to quickly draw conclusions and analyze large volumes of text. This capability is now being used in a variety of solutions that enable AI-driven dialogues with job candidates, employees, and managers. Examples of providers offering these features include HireVue, Paradox, and Rippling Talent Signal, where AI supports the conversation by analyzing performance and identifying strengths and weaknesses.
In the past, similar dialogues were conducted, but now the discussions are based on extensive data, making them less influenced by biases and subjective opinions. This can be applied during interviews, performance reviews, holistic evaluations, and behavioral feedback. While this approach might initially feel unfamiliar or even uncomfortable, understanding that the data has always been there and that AI now interprets it in a more objective manner makes the benefits clearer, supporting a fairer dialogue.
The shift from traditional jobs to a skills-based structure continued to be a key theme at HR Tech. This was discussed in the keynote presentation “The Skills-Powered Organization,” where Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA, highlighted the importance of building organizations that leverage flexible and agile skills. I see organizations now working to understand which roles can be skills-based and which cannot, and how to structure their technology to support this shift. It's not simple, but it’s becoming clearer as more organizations are making progress.
On this topic, I also recommend a podcast episode 👏🏻 "The First Steps to Recruiting Differently"
During several presentations, the importance of using data to create transparency and drive fair decisions within organizations was emphasized. By combining AI technology with HR data, organizations can streamline their processes while building a more inclusive and transparent culture. For us here in Sweden, it’s about generally improving our use of data and analytics — starting with collecting data and then using it effectively.
For those curious, the next podcast episode will actually be about this topic: the value of data and analysis and how to make the journey. It’s titled "The Future of Data-Driven HR: How to Create Real Business Value with Analytics," featuring Wayne Hoy from Visier Inc. We recorded it during our time in Las Vegas. We will also be conducting a joint webinar with Pandora, who excel at this, on November 14 at 4 pm, and you can already register here
Several sessions focused on improving the employee experience through new technologies and strategies, such as creating psychological safety and boosting engagement with better technological solutions. This aligns with how I see the world changing, especially in Europe, where the new sustainability focus for employees is becoming increasingly important. This development is closely linked to the implementation of the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), which drives companies to foster long-term sustainable work environments — both to attract and retain talent, and to ensure employee well-being is prioritized.
To wrap up, here's the list of the "2024 Top HR Tech Products of the Year," which were awarded on stage at HR Tech. According to judge Steve Boese, AI technology for HR has reached a level that genuinely impressed the selection team. The best products utilize AI and machine learning to deliver features and insights tailored to the specific needs of both employees and companies.
I know many of you want to know where you can meet and listen to me. So here's a quick summary:
🍀 Wednesday Lunch in Stockholm: Next session on October 9th. Signup on LinkedIn
🍀 Every Friday on LinkedIn - audio event from 8:30 to 9:00 am: Friday Talk: HR, AI & Digitalization - with different themes. Always visible on my LinkedIn page.
This weeks theme is HR Tech Las Vegas
🍀 Course on October 15-16 in Stockholm. HR Tech & AI for HR professionals (Swedish)
🍀 Webinar 14 november at 16 "Lifting the lid: Using data to drive HR beyond compliance at Pandora" Sign up here!.
🍀 Course starting on November 19, online: HR 💜 tech & AI (Swedish) . Sign up at HR Föreningen
A lot of activity in the industry right now, meaning plenty of news in this newsletter. One trend I see is that locally founded HR and recruitment systems are expanding their offerings, and I know HR buyers are often looking for all-in-one solutions. Teamtailor has expanded its offering with an HR system, and both Heartpace and Hailey HR have added a recruitment module (ATS), which Heartpace announced last week and Hailey earlier this year. It will be interesting to follow how our Swedish companies succeed in this journey and compete with each other and established providers.
Fosway Group has also released its latest report on Cloud HR, showing similar trends: the Cloud HR market in EMEA is growing despite economic challenges. Companies are consolidating their HR tech ecosystems, relying on core providers and, when needed, niche specialists to achieve transformative outcomes.
As I mentioned in the previous newsletter, Benify was up for sale and has now found new owners.
You can read more here
This strategic acquisition allows Assessio to combine its scientific expertise with Wisnio's groundbreaking generative AI capabilities. Wisnio is a rapidly growing player in HR tech and talent management.
This report lists the top 30 providers that have developed effective, high-quality AI solutions, showcasing the exciting developments in the market.
You can find the report as a link in Thomas Eklöfs post on LinkedIn.
Gritify, who featured in the podcast two weeks ago with the episode "Recruiting for the Future - How Potential and the Right Match Build Successful Teams (Swedish)" has now released its talent report, which you can find on their website.
It reveals, among other things, that salary expectations from talent have returned to normal levels and that many are open to dialogue. It also highlights that it is still an employer's market.
Yes, this might not have escaped you readers – Amazon is forcing its employees back to the office 🫣 Does this "born on the web" company lack the technology to create the culture they want, or what’s the problem here?
You can find the report on AllBright's website, and it contains both positive and less favorable results that show how we could all benefit from becoming more data-driven in our HR decisions. Feel free to ask if you’re unsure what I mean.
The goal of this newsletter is to share news about the HR Tech market and digitalization and innovation in leadership and HR. I also discuss episodes of the HR Digitalization Podcast.
My name is Anna Carlsson, and I am a curious HR Tech analyst with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of business, people, and technology. I believe that technology is not a side activity within HR; digitalization is fundamental to creating a more people-focused workplace. My passion is leading the movement for the future of HR by co-creating it with clients and colleagues, as well as educating and developing organizations and individuals.
I run HR Digi, which includes the HR Digitalization Podcast, where I also serve as the host. At HR Digi, we offer consulting, training, and inspiration to help create a modern digital organization. I am also now on the 2024 Top 100 HR Tech Influencers list 👏🏻
👉 Book a digital coffee with me, and we can discuss how I can support your work.
Have a great late summer ☀️🍦
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