The working landscape will undergo dramatic change over the next five years, influenced by advancing technologies, increasing globalisation and shifting employee habits and career and personal expectations. According to an article in HR Magazine, the HR sector will need to adapt to this ever-changing landscape. They predict ten trends will reshape the HR sector. 

The number one trend is the rise of the global external workforce.

The growth of knowledge-based services (as argued by CIPD) as well as the changing demographics, increased mobility and skill set of the workforce have played a key part in altering our attitudes towards the very definition of work - when, where and how work happens and our attitudes and expectations towards career paths. 

As a result of this, the number of people working as contractors, freelancers and outsourcing providers has significantly risen. HR will be expected to pay closer attention to these external partners and they will be just as important as the internal human resources. 

And so, the one-size-fits-all approach no longer applies: personalisation will shape the future HR landscape, where employees will be expecting to be treated according to their individual needs and skills.

Thirdly, IT, which has had a huge impact already, will play an even greater role in HR management. Particularly as social media, cloud computing, mobility and Big Data are becoming the norm. 

Next on the list is new recruitment strategies that will need to be put in place in order to fill the gap between talent demand and supply. 

And fifth, think agile: businesses able to adapt quickly to the changing environment will be the most successful.

Then comes analytics, which HR will start using in order to gain insights into human behaviour and will help improve staff performance.

Next is organisational culture that favours the use of social networks as a tool for exchange of ideas, knowledge sharing and building engagement.

Another trend for the years to come will be the implementation of risk policies aiming to protect sensitive information, given the vulnerability of data that is stored online.

An interesting change will come from the shift of HR from a stand-alone operation to a more integrated one that interacts closely with other functional departments.

And last but not least, HR teams will need to develop plans that enable them to tap skills whenever and wherever needed.