HR-tech founders and talent leaders say workplace transformation has only just begun

The next workplace transformation may not revolve around offices, hybrid work or productivity tools.

It may revolve around whether traditional hiring systems, workforce structures and even job definitions themselves still make sense.

This International HR Day, HR-tech founders, staffing leaders and workforce strategists described an industry preparing for much deeper changes in how organisations hire, manage and develop talent. 

Across conversations, leaders repeatedly pointed to AI adoption, capability gaps and changing employee expectations as forces reshaping workforce systems faster than many organisations anticipated.

“HR has moved past digitisation. We're now in the era of intelligent, agent-led execution,” said Mrigank Tripathi, President Growth at PeopleStrong.

Tripathi said AI agents are increasingly beginning to run recruiting, employee support, learning and performance systems in real time through multi-agent ecosystems, shifting HR technology from workflow support toward autonomous execution.

That shift reflects how dramatically the HR-tech conversation has evolved over the last two years.

Traditional hiring systems are facing scrutiny

Several leaders argued that many hiring structures currently used by companies are no longer aligned with how talent and capability actually emerge.

“The most expensive mistake Indian enterprises make isn't a bad hire. It's the conversation that never happened,” said Krishna Khandelwal, Founder & CEO of Hunar.AI.

Khandelwal criticised hiring systems that over-index on English fluency, PDF formatting and portal familiarity rather than actual capability.

“We built systems that measure what's easy to measure. English fluency. PDF formatting. Portal navigation. And we called it talent assessment,” he said.

This also reflects a broader shift toward capability-led hiring models.

According to Karishma Parikh, VP, HR at Adecco India, employers are increasingly prioritising “adaptability, learning potential and role-readiness” as workforce expectations evolve.

At ManpowerGroup, CHRO Lulu Khandeshi said organisations are moving toward “skills-first talent models” as AI reshapes hiring, workforce productivity and learning systems.

That transition is becoming more urgent as organisations confront widening skill gaps.

AI adoption is accelerating workforce pressure

Leaders across the HR-tech ecosystem acknowledged that AI is simultaneously creating opportunity and disruption.

“AI is often seen as a disruptor of jobs; in practice, it is reshaping how work is done,” said Devashish Sharma, Co-founder & CEO of Taggd.

Sharma referenced NITI Aayog estimates suggesting AI could generate up to 4 million jobs in India by 2030, while also citing McKinsey estimates showing AI could automate tasks accounting for up to 70% of employees’ time.

He also pointed to findings from India Decoding Jobs 2026, which estimated demand for AI talent could reach 10 lakh professionals by 2026 while the skills gap stands at 53%, with GenAI skill gaps reaching as high as 90%.

“This is not a contraction of opportunity, but a shift in its nature,” Sharma said.

That capability gap is becoming increasingly visible across technology sectors.

“India has more cloud certifications than almost anyone, yet the country faces a tech talent shortfall approaching 50%,” said Bhavesh Goswami, CEO & Founder of CloudThat.

“The cloud industry does not have a certification shortage; it has a capability shortage,” he added.

Goswami argued that companies now need employees who understand cloud economics, operational efficiency and business impact rather than simply deployment capability.

HR functions are expanding beyond operations

Another recurring theme this International HR Day was the growing expansion of HR’s role inside organisations. What was once seen largely as an operational function is now increasingly being tied directly to business resilience, workforce transformation and long-term growth strategy.

“HR teams today are expected to solve for retention, culture, compliance and productivity, all while managing fragmented systems and rising employee expectations,” said Partha Neog, CEO & Co-Founder of Vantage Circle.

Neog added that HR is steadily evolving from “just an operational function into one of the most strategic drivers of business resilience and growth.”

That broader shift is also reshaping how organisations think about workforce readiness. Companies are investing more heavily in digital capability, leadership adaptability and continuous learning as AI adoption accelerates across functions.

According to Murali Santhanam, CHRO at Ascent HR Technologies, organisations are increasingly focused on building agile, future-ready workforces while balancing automation with collaboration, empathy and innovation.

The conversation is extending beyond internal workforce management as well. Anneka Darashah, Head – People Advisory at MOAR Advisory, pointed to the growing influence of Global Capability Centres in reshaping talent ecosystems, leadership structures and business transformation strategies across India.

“AI is not only transforming workflows and productivity but also redefining leadership and the skills required for the future of work,” Darashah noted.

Meanwhile, companies adopting AI-led systems are also facing pressure to ensure workplace transformation remains people-centric. Vamsidhar Ramala, BU Head HR Consulting Services at Blue Cloud Softech Solutions Limited, said organisations must continue building “people-first, future-ready workplaces” while investing in workforce agility and resilient talent ecosystems.

The next workforce cycle may look very different

Taken together, the comments from HR-tech and workforce leaders point toward a broader structural shift inside organisations.

The older workplace model built around fixed roles, static career paths and predictable skill cycles is increasingly colliding with:

• rapid AI adoption
• evolving employee expectations
• faster business transformation cycles
• widening capability gaps
• continuous technology disruption

That shift is also changing what organisations reward.

Skills, learning velocity, adaptability and cross-functional capability are becoming increasingly important across industries.

“The future of work will not be defined by technology alone, but by how intelligently organizations use technology to unlock human potential at scale,” said Shourya K. Chakravarty, Chief Human Resources Officer at Aptech Limited.

The larger message from HR-tech leaders this International HR Day was clear: workplace transformation is no longer a transition companies are preparing for.

For many organisations, it has already begun.