The Talent Function of the Future

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The 2026 Deloitte Human Capital Trends report reveals that more than half of executives believe their corporate functions need substantial reinvention in both capability and mission, and two-thirds of C-suite leaders tell Deloitte that it is very or extremely important for their organizations to push beyond the boundaries of traditional organizational functions.

The 2026 Deloitte Human Capital Trendsreport reveals that more than half of executives believe their corporate functions need substantial reinvention in both capability and mission, and two-thirds of C-suite leaders tell Deloitte that it is very or extremely important for their organizations to push beyond the boundaries of traditional organizational functions.

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But how? Kyle Forrest, US Future of HR leader for Deloitte, tells TD magazine that HR and talent teams typically organize resources around such pursuits as compensation and talent acquisition. Many responsibilities classify as what Deloitte refers to as "run the business" activities, including answering an employee query about a data-privacy issue or updating participant information with a training supplier. Such activities often require unique domain knowledge, but they're also repeatable processes prime for automation and technology enablement.

But how? Kyle Forrest, US Future of HR leader for Deloitte, tells TD magazine that HR and talent teams typically organize resources around such pursuits as compensation and talent acquisition. Many responsibilities classify as what Deloitte refers to as "run the business" activities, including answering an employee query about a data-privacy issue or updating participant information with a training supplier. Such activities often require unique domain knowledge, but they're also repeatable processes prime for automation and technology enablement.

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Forrest explains that historically, HR and talent functions have "operated like a library in a world that just got smartphones. The value used to be in owning the books—the data, the processes, the policy expertise. That advantage is gone."

Forrest explains that historically, HR and talent functions have "operated like a library in a world that just got smartphones. The value used to be in owning the books—the data, the processes, the policy expertise. That advantage is gone."

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What matters most now, he says, is "knowing how to use that knowledge paired with a deep understanding of the business to ask the right questions of the data, translate AI output into human judgment, and influence the business on outcomes, not just process."

What matters most now, he says, is "knowing how to use that knowledge paired with a deep understanding of the business to ask the right questions of the data, translate AI output into human judgment, and influence the business on outcomes, not just process."

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For instance, Deloitte's data shows that the skills employers expect of chief HR officers grew by 23 percent in five years, and that pressure is cascading down through every HR and talent role.

For instance, Deloitte's data shows that the skills employers expect of chief HR officers grew by 23 percent in five years, and that pressure is cascading down through every HR and talent role.

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"The skills that built talent careers, such as analytics administration, functional depth, and process ownership, are the first things AI eliminates. What's rising in their place is judgment—critical thinking, emotional intelligence, insight generation," notes Forrest.

"The skills that built talent careers, such as analytics administration, functional depth, and process ownership, are the first things AI eliminates. What's rising in their place is judgment—critical thinking, emotional intelligence, insight generation," notes Forrest.

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To better leverage the impact of the HR and talent development functions, leaders should focus resources on "grow the business" activities, such as succession planning, culture integration, job role redesign, and reskilling the workforce.

To better leverage the impact of the HR and talent development functions, leaders should focus resources on "grow the business" activities, such as succession planning, culture integration, job role redesign, and reskilling the workforce.

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"The real work of the enterprise happens in missions: onboarding someone, navigating a restructuring, building the next generation of leaders," Forrest asserts, adding that the most forward-thinking talent functions are "building rotation programs, apprenticeships, and stretch assignments directly into their operating models—treating talent mobility as infrastructure, not a perk."

"The real work of the enterprise happens in missions: onboarding someone, navigating a restructuring, building the next generation of leaders," Forrest asserts, adding that the most forward-thinking talent functions are "building rotation programs, apprenticeships, and stretch assignments directly into their operating models—treating talent mobility as infrastructure, not a perk."

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Moving forward, organizations will challenge HR and TD professionals to broaden their expertise around business problems. More importantly, employers will expect HR and TD to collaborate and connect with other functions to bring a multidisciplinary perspective to the entire system by which employees grow—from how the company assesses them to how they move through the organization to how the company prepares them for roles that don't exist yet.

Moving forward, organizations will challenge HR and TD professionals to broaden their expertise around business problems. More importantly, employers will expect HR and TD to collaborate and connect with other functions to bring a multidisciplinary perspective to the entire system by which employees grow—from how the company assesses them to how they move through the organization to how the company prepares them for roles that don't exist yet.

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"That's not a support function. That's the engine of the transformation strategy," says Forrest. "And the paradox is that AI has changed the speed, cost, and ability to personalize learning content, which makes talent development and learning more important than they've ever been before."

"That's not a support function. That's the engine of the transformation strategy," says Forrest. "And the paradox is that AI has changed the speed, cost, and ability to personalize learning content, which makes talent development and learning more important than they've ever been before."