You can use skills intelligence solutions to increase workforce agility; modernize talent operations and strategies; and make skills data transparent, measurable, and actionable. But to realize these benefits, you’ll first have to select from a diverse set of vendors that vary by size, type of offering, geography, and use case differentiation. HR, technology, and business leaders should use this report to understand the value they can expect from a skills intelligence solutions vendor, learn how vendors differ, and investigate options based on size and market focus.

Workforce planning has become a critical leadership challenge as ongoing disruption places constant pressure on business strategy. Many leaders still rely on outdated or incomplete planning approaches that cannot keep pace with shifting skills needs, new work models, and changing demand. This report helps leaders understand why workforce planning matters now, how to approach it systematically, and what information they need to make confident, forward-looking workforce decisions.

Forrester has well documented current and impending skills gaps related to agentic AI. The harder question is, What can enterprises do about it? This report outlines a skills prioritization approach that starts by separating today’s necessary skills into groups of those that are declining in importance, those that should be terminated or outsourced, those that need to incubate, and those that are essential for the future.

Half (50%) of private sector business and technology professionals say that improving employee experience (EX) will be one of their organization’s most important business priorities over the next 12 months, according to Forrester’s Priorities Survey, 2025 , yet the more commonly cited priority was improving the experience of end customers (60%). Given the strong link between customer experience (CX) and EX, improving employee experience is a critical component to achieving that priority, as well. This data snapshot examines the objectives seen as the most important business priorities for private sector organizations over the next 12 months.

Improving employee experience is the most commonly cited priority by public sector business and technology professionals, according to Forrester’s Priorities Survey, 2025 . Fifty-five percent of these survey respondents reported that this was an important mission-driven priority for their organization or agency over the next 12 months. Improving public trust and improving the experience of end customers were also common priorities at 54% and 53%, respectively. This data snapshot examines the most important mission-driven priorities for public sector organizations or agencies.

Half of private sector business and technology professionals say that improving employee experience (EX) is one of their organization’s most important business priorities over the next 12 months, according to Forrester’s Priorities Survey, 2025 . Among respondents at these EX-focused organizations, the most commonly cited action to improve EX, by a wide margin, is to increase access to training/skill development, career mobility, or mentoring and development opportunities — no surprise given that skill gaps are a critical barrier to achieving overall company goals, not just EX outcomes. This data snapshot examines key actions being taken by these private sector organizations to improve EX.

Over half (55%) of public sector business and technology professionals say that improving employee experience (EX) is one of their organization’s most important mission-driven priorities over the next 12 months, according to Forrester’s Priorities Survey, 2025 . Among respondents at these EX-focused organizations, the most commonly cited action to improve EX, by a wide margin, is to increase access to training/skill development, career mobility, or mentoring and development opportunities — no surprise given that skill gaps are a critical barrier to achieving overall company goals, not just EX outcomes. This data snapshot examines key actions being taken by these organizations to improve EX.

Join Forrester experts and your peers for an interactive presentation that will dive deeper into Forrester’s 2026 Predictions for the future of work.Key takeaways: Understand the changing technology, consumer, and market dynamics in store in 2026. Uncover new insights based on Forrester’s research and expert analysis.Prepare your team and your organization for what’s ahead. Target audience level: all levels

Disruption no longer comes in the form of episodic occurrences for workers. Discover how that will manifest in the year ahead.

In 2025, we encouraged leaders to soar high above the EX winter from the year before, but external events have interceded. AI hype and destabilizing politics across the globe have cast a long shadow on your path to the future of work. Disruption is no longer episodic; it’s ambient. Many firms are so focused on chasing AI-fueled efficiencies that they haven’t determined what AI can actually offer, causing them to rehire terminated roles. Meanwhile, some employers genuinely want to offer innovative solutions to problems such as affordable housing or access to healthcare, but their efforts will fall flat if they miss the glaring opportunity to navigate uncertainty by tapping their employees’ creativity and experience.