23/04/2026
Skills-based organisations: What HR needs from L&D in 2026
When business priorities change, whether due to new technologies, updated regulations or internal restructuring, one of the biggest challenges is capability. Can the current workforce deliver what the business now requires?
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) predicts that nine in 10 employees will need to reskill by 2030. At the same time, 87% of organisations say they are already experiencing skills gaps or expect them in the near future.
Many organisations are still operating in systems built for stability. Job descriptions define work in broad, static terms. Career pathways assume linear progression. Workforce planning is typically headcount-based rather than capability-based.
When demand changes, the organisation’s default response is external hiring, which feels more efficient and controllable. However, it is also more costly, higher risk and often slower than anticipated once onboarding and cultural integration are factored in.
At the same time, internal talent remains under-leveraged because visibility of transferable skills is limited.
The result is a cycle many HR leaders might recognise: rising recruitment costs, persistent skills shortages, frustrated employees who see limited mobility and learning functions under pressure to prove impact. This is the gap the skills-based organisation is attempting to close.
Before organisations rush to adopt the label, it’s worth being clear on what being a skills-based organisation actually involves.
For HR leaders, the opportunity is to create genuine structural alignment between strategy, capability and deployment. This requires partnering with L&D teams to create shared accountability for defining critical capabilities, validating skills data and embedding that insight into workforce decisions.
Organisations that achieve this will have greater visibility, faster redeployment and more informed choices about where to hire, where to reskill and where to redesign work. When capability structures are evolving faster than organisational structures, that visibility may prove to be HR’s most strategic advantage.
https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/skills-based-organisations-what-hr-needs-from-ld-in-2026/
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