The global human capital management (HCM) market is expected to be worth $29.9 billion by 2023, expanding at a CAGR of 8.7%. Today, millennials are already the largest segment in the workforce, and by 2030, 75% of the workforce is expected to be made up of millennials. The new generation of workforce is constantly seeking personal growth and new trainings and development programs to strengthen their skill-set, as proven by research. Employee engagement is a crucial tool for effective talent management and retention. Technology works as an enabler for achieving this engagement. With the Middle East experiencing massive economic transformations and with increasing digitization in every known industry, it is truly an interesting time to be in the HR field as organizations have the resources to harness this technology to build an engaging and energetic environment for its employees. Specialists in the industry are on a constant look out for top trends and integrating technologies to transform approaches toward employee experience. QNA International, organizers of the GOV HR Summit Series, recently released results of a survey conducted on the regional HR trends that cater to the growing workforce, ahead of the 7th annual GOV HR Summit scheduled to take place on October 15-17, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Talent management continues to be one of the top focuses for HR departments as companies are undertaking employee engagement proactively and passionately to add value while aligning with the former's mission and operational goals. Researchers predict 2019 to be a big year for HR as the HR industry has transformed over the last decade and the Middle East has been quick to respond to changes. However, to keep up with the trends, requires for professionals in the industry to undergo ongoing training and development. In the current market environment, the key HR trends in the region focus on "Talent Management" and "Employee Engagement". Undoubtedly, people are an important asset of the company and managing and empowering such talent plays a critical role in the business strategy. Besides the aforementioned, other trends include learning about leadership development and succession planning. Succession planning is another important area because at the heart of the Talent Management process is identifying key roles, mapping out ways to ensure organizations have the right people, right skills, capabilities and experience at the right place and time, which also highlights why developing the pipeline for critical talent is of prime importance. Commenting on the survey results, Sidh NC, Director QNA International, said "currently, the millennial workforce is at the helm and transforming traditional business practices, reshaping how companies think about employee engagement. Diversity and flexibility are clear factors in attracting and retaining millennial talent particularly women. With the advent of Gen Z and with business environments evolving rapidly than ever before, business leaders are thinking more creatively, asking more questions and pushing the boundaries to adapt to new management models & technological innovations. The GOV HR Summit scheduled in October this year will seek to analyze the challenges and formulate breakthroughs for the future development of human capital management (HCM) across the GCC" The 7th annual GOV HR Summit, the biggest government & public sector HR event in the GCC, brings together the world's most influential business thinkers, local and international solution providers and top HR decision makers from the government, semi government, state owned entities as well as public & private sector organizations, all under one roof for two intensive days of regional success stories, best practice implementation, top HR & technology trends and thought-provoking industry content. — SG
